What are your opinions on the use of profanity in rock/metal music?
I’ll go first. I think if it is used tastefully, it can help get a point or emotion across through the song.
Let us know your choice in the comments!
Cozzer’s Question 04/11/24
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28 responses to “Cozzer’s Question 04/11/24”
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I’m of the same mindset. If it’s used ‘properly’ I don’t bat an eye. I’d be hypocritical if I said otherwise since I have the mouth of a truck driver. But there was a song done by Doro (whom I LOVE), forget the song right now but I said to a buddy “Why’d she have to swear? It just felt off in the song because I’d never heard her swear before and it sounded out of place in the song.
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It has to express emotions of the rest of the lyrics , if it’s used without any real need I find it actually ruins a song! Used well it can 1000% make the song too
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If you were GG Allin, you’d want to use it to your advantage. If you were Stryper, it’d be a sin. You know, after the “Mothers of Prevention” (An important historical fact of rock music btw) mainly hip hop releases had warnings printed on the front of them and clean and dirty versions were released simultaneously. (Kind of like the MC5, remember that one? The word MF) Unfortunately for Tipper Gore and others involved in attempting to control profanity in music, the plan backfired. Soon, buyers wanted to make sure they bought the uncensored version of a release. So, in some areas of music, profanity is a must, expected.
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I don’t mind it. But there are songs (and I’m thinking of five finger Death Punch here) that are a little over the top. I went to see them with my family, and Ivan invites little kids up on stage and is using that type of language. I was kind of shocked because when my kids were little, we didn’t do that. Today’s parents don’t seem to care they talk like that in front of babies. I’m not a prude. I swear like a sailor, but I didn’t think it was something that should be done in front of little kids.
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If overused I tend to just ignore profanity like every other word, it doesn’t horrify me or anything, but I do agree that means it looses impact. I’m not going to say people aren’t allowed to swear if that’s their vision for their piece but there’s also not a need to be explicit without reason.
I think about my fiction writing the same way: I don’t swear if the piece doesn’t warrant it (especially since I end up making a “clean version” anyway half the time), unless there’s irreplacable impact. But with an already dark-enough story featuring immature teens… Yeah, they might swear in conversation, it’s not making it worse?
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Excuse me for putting this here, it’s off-theme for this post. I’m sure you’ve had track(s) by The Cure on one of your posts, but of course I can’t find it. This article might be of interest to you though. https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-cures-songs-of-a-lost-world-is-outselling-the-rest-of-the-uk-top-10-combined-3809484
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And yet another. Clearly The Cure is the flavour of the day. https://www.billboard.com/lists/the-cure-songs-of-a-lost-world-album-london-concert-best-moments/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
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I think if it’s needed and it follows the narrative of the song then it’s fine. Swear words are used in emphasis of the point that is being made. Look at for example Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit, which without the profanity wouldn’t probably be a song. It’s not using profanity excessively but it is using it to create a situation where the listener can relate to the music and lyrics and the mood of the song is meant to be heard. Excessively using profanity for simple shock value and to create a new or different sound is not worthwhile or even desirable to be in a song that will be remembered and liked
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