Offensive Word Recent Songs Hear Wanted Fcc Eslpod 0089 Cn

In recent years, it has become more and more common to see popular songs with an "expletive" (an offensive word one says when angry or have strong emotions) in the title. At one point in 2011, there were three "top" (most popular) songs with an expletive in the "chorus" (the group of lines that are repeated in the song) and couldn't be played on the radio "uncensored" (with the offensive material covered over) or "modified" (changed to different lyrics or the word removed).

"Pushing the envelop" (trying to move beyond the limit or what is considered acceptable) has always been a part of pop music. When Madonna's song "Like a Virgin" came out in 1984, it was "shocking" (very surprising) to most people. Although "virgin" (a person who has never had sex) is not an expletive, it was not a word you'd expect to hear "bandied about" (used casually), at least in the mid-1980?s. Madonna wanted to shock listeners and that's what these more recent singers wanted to do.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a "federal" (national) agency that enforces indecency laws, or laws that are related to what is and is not appropriate for "broadcast" (transmission on radio, TV, etc.). The FCC does not keep a list of words that are not allowed, but it has standards. According to their website: "The FCC has defined "profanity" (obscene language) as "including language so 'grossly' (clearly; entirely) offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to 'amount to' (be the same as) a 'nuisance' (annoyance; something that bothers others)."