Sweary words in song lyrics

stufisher

Every time that Kellogg's advert appears on TV I get a flashback to Plastic Bertrand in 1978 ... can't help it ... it's indelible.

At the time it was regarded as a complete joke by many but here we are 45+ years on, using it to sell stuff.

The story about how it came to be is well documented so I ain't gonna linger on that but I decided to read the lyric properly and sing along in Belgian French.

T'was at that point I noticed the sweary word and I can't think of any song lyric containing the same or stronger (connard = cunt).

Which songs have strong sweary words?

JezWynd

Lou Reed, Street Hassle - When someone turns that blue, well it’s a universal truth, you just know that bitch will never fuck again.

Cranky

Cardi B has entered the chat.

viz

So What, by the Anti Nowhere League

https://youtu.be/AH7pOUm5s9k?feature=shared

Lebarque

Hey Santa Claus by Kevin Bloody Wilson.

RocknRollDave

I am still amazed that Funeral Pyre by The Jam was released as a single - it reached number 4 in the charts.

The first half of the chorus is:
”And as I was standing by the edge, I could see the faces of those who lead, p*ss*ng themselves laughing..”

I mean, it’s an odd choice for a single in any case, swearing aside.

Great song, mind.

Deadman

Jeremy, Pearl Jam.

Harmless little “fuck”. Always erased from the radio waves.

On the subject of The Jam, This is the modern world album/single versions had “don’t give a fuck” and “don’t give a damn” respectively. I always hoped radio stations would slip up whenever I heard it, unfortunately not 

RocknRollDave

Deadman said:

Jeremy, Pearl Jam.

Harmless little “fuck”. Always erased from the radio waves.

On the subject of The Jam, This is the modern world album/single versions had “don’t give a fuck” and “don’t give a damn” respectively. I always hoped radio stations would slip up whenever I heard it, unfortunately not 

To be pedantic, it was one damn but two f*cks he wouldn’t give in The Modern World.

snowblind

Not now John by PF, errr I mean Roger Waters, wherein he utters a sentiment that I'm sure many of us have at one time or other intoned:

Oi! Where's the f***ing bar, John?

Although I do also like the lines in "It's a miracle" where he's talking about Lloyd Weber:

An earthquake hits the theatre but the operetta lingers.
Then the piano lid comes down and breaks his f***ing fingers.

John Otway: The wanking song

Frank Zappa. Take your pick here

KDS

Radio six play the album version of salt n pepper push it…. Come here, gimme a kiss, better make it fast or else I’m gonna get pissed

maharg101

Skunk Anansie - Political features the f word repeatedly, and with some venom.

JAYJO

friggin in the riggin tempole tudor.

Jonathangus

The Wildhearts - I Wanna Go Where the People Go: "I wanna be where the c*nts like me are buried six feet underground".
The Wildhearts - My Baby is a Headf*ck.

G 'n' R - plenty (Get in the Ring, Out Ta Get Me, Mr Brownstone)

And incredibly no-one's said RATM - Killing in the Name yet.

mrkb

Buckcherry wrote an entire EP with sweary titles

https://open.spotify.com/album/5oLagKsSFuOUTBTXVfmlYV?si=J0JOi8OoQs-QHkpLBeyRJw

merlin

Working Class Hero by John Lennon. 

breakstuff

Azealia Banks. -  212. VERY sweary.

breakstuff

Bodies. -  Sex Pistols.

jasonbone75

calling @Reverend I'm not into the darker gruesome stuff but I bet you have a few examples.

Infant Annihilator - "Cuntcrusher" springs to mind

Reverend

A fun anthem

I feel like GG Allin is appropriate for this thread 

stufisher

I'm not into hip hop or rap or any kind of ghetto-roots music but AFAIK it's laden with expletives.

Mind you, the above selection just shows how widespread sweary words are. Maybe the query needs to be refined given that societal changes now permit much more usage.

So, what are the earliest examples of sweary words in songs?

There must be some from the 60s I guess but maybe not the 50s ... thoughts?

EricTheWeary

I remember Too Drunk to Fuck by the Dead Kennedys got into the U.K. top 40 and listening to Tony Blackburn doing the chart run down ‘and at number thirty six we have a record by The Dead Kennedys’ and that was it and onto the next record. 

They had a few top 5 indie chart hits in the U.K. and that seemed to equate roughly to bottom of the U.K. top 40.