this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2026
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Unpopular Opinion

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I'm so fucking tired of clicking on a song and finding out it's the fucking censored version halfway through. It genuinely pisses me off, even if the censors are well done, it still fucks up the flow of the music. Songs should never be censored regardless of the amount of swears and innuendos; they're a form of expression by artists and creators. Oh, what about the kids? Yeah fuck right off. Parent your children better. They're eventually going to learn what curses are anyways.

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[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 42 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Yep. Don't like it, don't listen to it (or watch it, or read it). Your views shouldn't remove my ability to enjoy something as it was intended.

Suck a dick up til you hiccup, motherfuckers.

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

But the record label wants maximum air time

[–] yesman@lemmy.world 25 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Your problem isn't censorship, your problem is relaying on services to listen to music. Be it Spotify or the Radio, you're listening to public music; you have to share. And preferences of others are going to override yours, be it business decisions, or just people who'd rather hear the censored version.

You're trying to ride the bus, and mad because it doesn't pick you up and drop you off at your front door.

[–] Vespair@lemmy.zip 13 points 1 month ago

Bro tell me about.

Imo the greatest nu metal album of all time is Hed PE's Broke. But Spotify only has the censored version, and let me tell you how incomprehensibly worse the album is without profanity.

[–] socsa@piefed.social 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Me, writing an Opera about OP's entire family's medical history:

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 10 points 1 month ago

I hate it as well because it creates a weird alternative reality where people only know the censored version of the song. Also very often the songs contain themes way to mature for kids and censoring a few rude words does not change that.

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] Kacarott@aussie.zone 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I doubt it is unpopular in Lemmy's demographic, but I think it probably is quite unpopular within the general population

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[–] adam_y@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

I remember listening to BBC radio 1 when they accidentally played the uncensored version of Closer of the Sunday afternoon chart countdown.

[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Completely agree with you.

Also be surprised if this is an unpopular opinion.

[–] Azzu@leminal.space 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It's going to switch from popular to unpopular once you say "songs that ask for the extermination of all people in Gaza" shouldn't be censored.

There should be a line where songs/anything should be censored, but curse words obviously aren't it.

[–] Aqarius@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Define "censored", I guess. It would ne best if they didn't exist, but if they're already there, bleeping out the slurs won't help.

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[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Not even this song?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Hitler_(song)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvge48j5lplo

American rapper Kanye West has been blocked from entering Australia over a song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

[–] GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

No, not even that should be censored. If someone wants to tell the world that they’re a piece of garbage, let them. Censorship is always bad and has no reason to exist.

I think there's a difference between blocking an entire song and censoring out / replacing a couple choice words in the middle

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[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Agree. If you want your music to be "kid friendly", then don't swear in said songs. Easy.

[–] joeljoelle@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Censorship is becoming a major problem, all these streaming sites control everything now, they can do whatever they want with the movies it seems, the free streaming sites usually edit the movies and I found Amazon did a few times as well back when I was using that crap, when those movies aren't available anywhere else and the streaming ones are all censored then people have to essentially break the law to see the original movie, which I have no personal problem with, but it's just a hassle. Hang on to that physical media. I know this is about music but it's basically the same.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago

I know right, everyone is all what about the kids? But as our very president and his pals said and did over and over, fuck the kids.

[–] kungen@feddit.nu 4 points 1 month ago

The most bizarre censored song I've heard is probably Where The Hood At. For some reason, the only censored line of the entire song is "empty out, reload, and throw more slugs"... even on the "explicit" version. The rest of the song with lots of homophobia and such is completely uncensored.

[–] twoleggedmammal@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

To confirm, if we don’t want our kids to hear cursing, we should avoid the song.

But if you don’t want to hear the censored version, you cannot avoid it?

[–] nandeEbisu@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Hot take, the radio edit of CeeLo Green's "Fuck You" actually flows better.

[–] 0ops@piefed.zip 3 points 1 month ago

You know, this is actually the one singular song where I actually prefer the censored version. 99.99% of the time it just dulls the edge of the song and nothing more, but in this case it kinda changes the meaning of the song. To me "forget you" sounds like he's trying (albeit struggling) to move on from the girl. The "fuck you" version comes off as way more bitter. Plus like you said, it flows better

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The radio edit I've heard just blanks out the "fuck" and the n-word and doesn't change anything to have altered the flow. Is there another version or something?

[–] nandeEbisu@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I always assumed this was the radio edit. I think I was mostly listening to classic rock stations at the time...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKxodgpyGec

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 1 month ago

That does sound better than what I've heard and now I am wondering why the radio station I heard it on choose the crappy one.

The censored version of "Last Resort" is my thirteenth reason. The whole song is about being lost, angry and in pain, how else are people meant to express it?! 😑

[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago

Summer of ’69 by Bryan Adams was recently censored. The song seems to be about Americana and teen romance, but at the end he says “me and my baby in a 69” but people still didn’t get what it was about. Then he told people to check his birth year. All of a sudden that line had to be changed.

And yet The Who still get to say “who the fuck are you?” in Who Are You

[–] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Wholeheartedly agree. Tried of hypocrites and psuedo saints forcing their sensitivity on art. I want to hear Eminem say weird ass shit. I want Limp Bizkit music to say fuck. Same thing for Lola Young. These lame ass nancy's don't like it? They should be the ones to listen to something else. The original song/music was written as is to express something. It needs to be delivered RAW in its purist form. Not to be watered down to appease people who can't figure out how to navigate the social situation of just not listening to it.

[–] grainfed@quokk.au 3 points 1 month ago

Agree, no censorship for music and art in general. Censorship also involves some songs being not available to stream. While not as convenient, I buy all my music and (I might be on a spectrum or two) play it when it's listening time. I LOVE music, but not while doing other activities. Rarely though, some wallpaper music.

[–] AlphaOmega@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

This has to be a streaming service issue? I don't purchase censored music and therefore don't have this issue .

Do streaming services seriously put everyone in the children's tier? That and live versions would have me cancelling so fast.
There has to be an Adult option, right?

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago

I know some songs on Spotify have the explicit symbol and are also censored lol. Its brutal.

[–] mr_unfamous@lemmy.myserv.one 2 points 1 month ago

This is something I've wanted for a long time. Always seemed dumb to me that you can block explicit music, but not the opposite. I want a toggle that blocks censored & radio versions, along with live versions. But it seems like we live in an era of user option/choice is steadily being reduced.

[–] pumpupthejam@piefed.social 2 points 1 month ago

More proof that fediverse is just 4 edgy teens in a trenchcoat

[–] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 2 points 1 month ago (3 children)

as long as we don't ban the uncensored versions it's just more choice for the people. i believe that language is power, and ridiculous overuse hurts it and our expression. thus there are songs of which i prefer the clean versions.

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm guessing you meant censored, and not "uncensored", as the censored versions would be the clean versions you prefer.

The only concern for you would be that clean versions won't be made. And, that's the artists' choice, regardless of whether censorship exists.

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[–] Widdershins@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago
[–] Steve 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Some are made by the artists themselves.
The reason is that they can be played on the radio, and sold in Walmart. Those are less of an issue now, but they aren't nothing. Which is why it's still done.

I would say it must be done more creatively. With a similar sounding funny word.

Nine Inch Nails' Closer could be:
"I want to [Cluck/Duck/Chuck] you like an animal"

[–] okwhateverdude@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Money. The real ultimate reason for the censoring. There is a large contingent of pearl clutchers and religious nutters in the world that believe no-no words have real power (nevermind that the replacement words mean the exact same thing or the bleeps don't actually obfuscate the intended words - real lower half of the intelligence bell curve kinda stuff). And upsetting them means less money in the label's/artist's pocket.

[–] tanisnikana@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I feel that when Weird Al sung Closer as part of the Alternative Polka, the censoring greatly added to the experience.

[–] its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

I always lose it at that part.

[–] wolfeh@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

+1 for Weird Al. His non-swearing is part of his art, and it's one of the few times where I 100% respect it.

Also, his most recent polka ("Polkamania," 2024) has some perfect censorship using drip, donkey, and cat sound effects.

Yeah, yah messin' with some 💧🐴😺

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