As David Machin stated in 2010, “lyrics are not only about artists telling stories but also communicating discourses about their identity.” (Machin D, 2010: 78) indeed, the lyrics of a song play an important role in connecting with people and providing people with reflexive identities, when people listen to the music, the linguistic meaning offers the audience with better representation of the music and creates more emotional connection between the singers and the audiences. Also, as different music genre has different representational characteristics, the lyrics also differ from each other within different genre, meanwhile, the composition of lyrics also changes along with the development of the social movement, as Kaufmann discussed, “the recording industry has been blamed for causing morally or socially unacceptable behavior, thereby placing it in an uncomfortably defensive position.” (Kaufmann, W B, 1986: 225) Thus regulation of music lyrics gradually becomes problematic to the music creation and the necessity of the music regulation or the censorship seems to be increasingly important to the music industry. As a matter of fact, the history of music censorship has already emerged in early times, and developed from the self-regulation into government-regulated regulation these years. This essay will mainly discuss the historical root of the lyric censorship from early ages, explain why the censorship is needed in this industry and finally analyze the censored issue in Cee Lo Green’s song, Forget You (also known as Fuck You) which was released in 2010.
Music censorship of the lyrics begins in the early age, and it is usually used to regulate the lyrics in Rock music because the furor characteristics of this music genre. Thus ac...
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... the word. In this case, censorship took place in this song, and by changing the censored word or subtly indicating the word, the discourse in the lyrics can still remain the original meaning, and meanwhile, the concern of the bad influence to the children through radio or other type of media has been diminished.
To conclude, the censorship of lyrics is a necessary regulation to protect children from being misled, it has been applied to music production and strongly take effect in this industry, however, some of the audience and the artists still resist this regulation, because it may change the original meaning of the lyrics and the emotion the artists wanted to express in the first place may not be complete in the end. Thus, more intelligence needs to be applied to the creation of the lyrics and make the lyrics work legally and presentational at the same time.
Music is regarded as a method of passing a message. Though some songs do not intend to do that, the message in them is still perceived. The song, “Get up, ...
Although the style of ‘Rock music’ is easily adaptable to many different sounds, it is still thoroughly identified by its definingly amplified rhythm. The sudden worldwide popularity of rock and roll resulted in an unparalleled social impact. Rock ‘n’ Roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language in a way few other social developments have equaled. The social impact is so large that rock stars are worshipped worldwide. In its early years, many adults condemned the style of music, placing a stigma on its name, and forbid their children from listening and following its ways.
Music is one of the most popular ways of expression and has been for generations. It makes us want to dance, inspires, soothes, relaxes, and sometimes tells us a story. Music is something the whole world shares and has brought together different kinds of people. However, there has been a question on whether some music has affected society negatively and crossed the line with some of its lyrics, content, and the persona of the artists. Certain music has been boycotted and even banned in the U.S. Pro-censorship supporters say that music is something that can deeply affect our society especially children who should not have to be subjected to things like violence, sex, drugs, or hate. However, being that music is a form of expression, censoring it would just be violating everyone's right to freedom of speech and expression.
The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights exists because the Founders of our country understood the importance of free expression. The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ." (Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution 17). One of the ways the American people use this freedom of speech and expression is through the creation of the art form known as music. Music's verbal expression bonds our society through our emotions and experiences. This fundamental right of freedom of expression is being threatened by public and governmental groups who believe they have authority to monitor and decide what others should experience. The censorship of music lyrics is a violation of our First Amendment right, and public groups should not be allowed to bypass this right to censor obscene lyrics produced in the music industry.
Song lyrics have set off a great generation of our leisure time than reading poetic devices, therefore song lyrics are better than poetic devices. Song lyrics have dropped numerous lines that attach to us now a days and make us listen to the line over and over unlike poetic devices. Song Lyrics have so much meaning by word choice and by relations.”Mr. Rager” by Kid Cudi, is about people fed up with society and plan on taking a journey. “Dreams” by Edgar Allen Poe, is about a man who dreams of a greater life. Mr. Rager, the song by Scott Cudi, has a better meaning than Dreaming, the poem by Edgar Allen Poe, by personification, allusion, and symbolism.
The music industry gets a lot of criticism about the music that they put out on the market. Most of the criticism comes from the parents. There are bills passed, such as the "Parental Advisory Program," which enforce that CD's with explicit lyrics have to have a label on them that state, "Explicit Lyrics" or "Explicit Content" (Parental Advisory). This sticker cautions the person who buys the CD that there is bad language or content. The recording industry takes serious responsibility to help parents identify the music with explicit lyrics.
Many bills have been passed to stop explicit messages in music from getting out. Censorship limits the amount of lyrics that get out to the community about violence. (History of Music Censorship) It may also limit anything in music that a community might find offensive to its values or beliefs. The lyrics presented in some songs are not appropriate for young adults. Some say music censorship goes against the First Amendment. It stops artists from expressing how they may feel. The profit on albums often goes down because of censorship. Censorship constantly targets rap and hip hop, and they are usually hit the hardest. (Forms of Music Censorship)
The media’s influence on society is a main issue, which is, portrayed though the lyrics. People believe a large quantity of information that is presented from news “One nation controlled by the media” and entertainment programs. The media is so powerful it can make the audience agree or disagree on whatever is being presented. Techniques are used such as repetition, which therefore positions the audience to lose trust in the media.
(Internet ultratnet) The most recent case involving Wal-Mart and censorship, was the new Sheryl Crow album. A song on the album which lashes the company for selling guns that end up in the wrong hands as caused the company to ban the album in stores. (Schruers 64) Delores Tucker, William Bennett, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and Senator Sam Nunn held a press conference in Washington D.C. The message: censor obscene music and censor "pro-drug lyrics". These censors announced their plan to pressure major record companies to discontinue production of what they called "obscene" music and music which contains " blatantly pro-drug lyrics. All of the CDs targeted as "obscene" already carry RIAA Parental Advisory Labels. Parents are already provided with the information they need if they choose to monitor their children's musical selections. Discontinuing production of this music takes the freedom of expression away form everyone- musicians and fans of every age. (Internet ultranet) The increasing controversy surrounding rap music, with its rough-edged lyrics about sex and violence, has prompted two very different responses from black oriented radio stations in New York and Los Angeles. Two stations WBLS New York and KACE in Los Angeles, have announced they wont play the roughest and most offensive songs. A third station WPWR opted...
There is one universal language: the language of music. Music has a special quality and ability to bridge both social and cultural divides. A proposed theory by Dr. Gray, Founder and Director of National Musical Arts’ BioMusic Program; describes music has been around longer than human-beings have. Music is the one thing human beings from various backgrounds can relate to. Every living creature would agree. Music is heard everywhere not just among humans, but in nature as well, through the twitting of birds, winds blowing, the soft sound of raindrops against a windowpane, the ocean waves moving back and forth and the hum of the ocean rushing in a sea shell. There is no escaping it; music lives in and surrounds us steadily. While there are countless songs which confer social or cultural consciousness, this paper will analyze and address the dynamics of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes”, video. Stylistically, the paper will examine the artist point of view, the unique use of lyrical analysis and sound description in relation to its historical, social, political and/or cultural context. This essay will also trace the lyrical analysis and sound description of song and discuss how the elements (visually, sonically, and lyrically) interplay with the theme of immigration and/or violence.
It is obvious that content within the music media matters regardless as to how it is presented. Decades ago lyrics were not as demeaning for women or men, but with music evolving the way it has, it is important to analyze each part of the lyrics to understand the effects. Society is surrounded by music and has very little influence as to the subject or what is being said. However understanding what the messages are is a start to prevent the misogamy, the idea of male dominance and sexual references or acts.
Music has always been a basic form of expression. From Antonin Dvorak, to Eminem, to even ancient, tribal music, it has been a medium through which individuals convey their thoughts and expressions. Today this medium is under attack. Everywhere we turn, everything we do and say is being scrutinized. We are being told what to say. We are being spoon-fed our emotions. No longer are we allowed to think freely, openly. All the censors out there are on the prowl for another piece to rip to shreds because it doesn't fit their description of what is decent and moral. What they fail to realize is that we don't make the music for them... We do it for release.
Every human possesses some guaranteed basic freedoms and rights, whether it is the freedom of speech, or the freedom to express themselves. However, the government seems to be increasingly determined to limit these freedoms, using censorship to confine these rights that we usually take for granted. The most important facet of media in general is that it allows people to express themselves freely. In fact, this freedom of expression that music allows us is one of the primary reasons why it exists. Sadly, many of the current artists have forgotten that, but nonetheless, censorship seems to always be there to limit the expression of those who choose to place deeper messages in their songs.
Censorship of all kinds has existed since recorded history, whether in literature, speech, music, or visual entertainments. Censorship stems from fear of ideas spreading that are contrary to what has been established as "correct", "moral", "normal", or "suitable"; essentially, censorship stems from a fear of change. For change to progress, or to even exist at all, "the norm" needs to be challenged, and those most capable of grasping and embracing change are the young people of a society. Young adults (of this century and the 20th century especially) use music to express themselves, distinguish themselves from their parents, and convey new ideas. Music can aid in new movements, a new "norm", provide a voice to those who feel they cannot be heard otherwise, and give identity to those who feel they have none. Music can change things, it scares people, but it should not receive censorship because of the change it can create.
The lyrics of music play an important part of interpreting the meaning of the song. The roles which women have been allowed by the society to embody have changed drastically. Women may question their roles because of what they see portrayed by popular culture or media. Change in female’s identity can be seen in how women are viewed or how they portray themselves in popular culture specifically through music. In general, music continues to...