What was the first single to make the top ten in the US that required editing for obscene content?

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It's common practice nowadays; how far back does that trend go?

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 22 May 2005 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

By editing, I mean alternate versions of the track for radio release, bleeps, pauses in the song, re-configured lyrics, etc.
Natch.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 22 May 2005 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

My guess would be Johnny Cash, Boy Named Sue, Where "Son of a Bitch" was either bleeped or replaced with "Son of a Gun". I don't know if it made the top 10 in its time, but it was a very popular song--prob made the top 10 on the country charts.

― Orbit (Orbit), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Charlie Daniels' "Devil Went Down to Georgia" definitely had its bitch changed to gun for radio play a few years later (though I'm not sure if that went top 10, either.)

― xhuxk, Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"Rock Around The Motherfucking Clock" - Bill Haley and His Goddamn Comets 1953

― m0stly clean (m0stly clean), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Bing Crosby's "Me So Horny" was severely edited for radio play in 1937.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

And if we do this up right, howzabout a first timer for each genre?
I shouldn't be surprised that it was likely a country song that did it first, but I was.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:10 (twenty-one years ago)

And fwiw, "Boy Named Sue" was #2 on the Billboard Pop charts in August of '69 (huhuh, "69").
Can anybody dig deeper?

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I was always surprised that the "bitch" issue was unevenly applied in the 70s. For example, Elton John's "Bitch is Back" was top 40 and not bleeped, but Charlie Daniels, and Johnny Cash before him were bleeped/changed.

Similarly The Who, "Just who the fuck are you" is now played on radio, no bleeping or changing, but rap songs with "fuck" are released as alternate radio mixes.

Good detective work on that chart, Forks!

― Orbit (Orbit), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Ok so far: Country: Johnny Cash
Rock: I put forth the Doors for "Light my Fire" who were told they couldn't say "higher" because it was drug related, on the Ed Sullivan Show--or the Stones being told by Ed Sullivan to say "Let's Spend sopme time together" instead of "Let's spend the night together"--But those aren't actually obscenities so I don't know if they count.

― Orbit (Orbit), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

IIRC, Lloyd Price had to recut "Stagger Lee" in 1959. First version has Stagger Lee killing Billy over the Stetson hat as per usual, second version has them...making up and being bestest friends again.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:23 (twenty-one years ago)

(Oh, and it went #1 on the Billboard pop charts.)

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I think maybe we could ask a mod to drop the "obscene" out of the subject title. That's more in the spirit of what I was going for; read as "objectionable".

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 22 May 2005 22:57 (twenty-one years ago)

If you wanted to go beyond the U.S., you could add in the Who's "Substitute," as they were forced by the BBC to change the line about Roger's dad being black; and the Kinks' "Lola," not for the gender dynamics, but for the product placement of "Coca-Cola."

Within the U.S., one near-miss to what you're going for was Spanky & Our Gang's 1968 release "Give a Damn," which would have been a top ten hit IMHO if PDs hadn't been squeamish about the D-word; as it was, the song narrowly missed the Top 40.

None of which answers your question, but which I hope is of interest anyway.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Monday, 23 May 2005 06:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Another non-answer here (sorry!) but the mention of Charlie Daniels reminded me of something bizarre (and somewhat on-topic): First time I heard Charlie's "Uneasy Rider" was late at night around 1980 on the local AM station, and a word was apparently edited out of the lyric "I kicked old Green-Teeth right in the " Naturally I assumed the missing word was "nuts" or "balls" or etc., but every uncensored recording of the song I heard thereafter reveals that it was only "knee"! Even stranger: Apparently, from the same song, the word "asses" was frequently bleeped, but it was left intact in that same first version I heard! So, the DJ bleeps the word "knee" yet leaves "asses" (a practically verboten cussword back in those days, young'uns) untouched. WTF?!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 23 May 2005 08:19 (twenty-one years ago)

The "bullshit" in the Isleys' "Fight the Power" was also bleeped on AM radio in 1975.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 23 May 2005 09:56 (twenty-one years ago)

An interesting thing about "A Boy Named Sue": it never appeared unbleeped until the complete San Quentin concert came out on CD a few years ago.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 23 May 2005 09:59 (twenty-one years ago)

The funny thing is, "A Boy Named Sue," "Devil Went Down to Georgia," and especially "Uneasy Rider" sort of ARE rap songs...

― xeddy, Monday, 23 May 2005 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

The "Christ" was muted out of "Christ you know it ain't easy" in "The Ballad Of John and Yoko," early 1969.

I've never once heard "do goody good bullshit" in "Money" by Pink Floyd muted or edited.

I make it a point to leave in the "bullshit" everytime I play "Fight The Power" on the radio.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Monday, 23 May 2005 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Hair of The Dog by Nazareth used to appall me as a child. It was on the radio like daily, and totally unedited!

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 22:00 (twenty-one years ago)

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