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Canada bans Dire Straits song!!!!

#21
mid_life_crisis said:
Is that one of those sites where people post what they think the lyrics are? Because those look close, but not quite the way I learned them.

That little ****** with the earing and mink coat,
yeah buddy, that's his own Lear.
That little ****** got his own jet airplane,
that little ****** he's a millionaire.

I hope I didn't offend anyone here, but if we're going to discuss lyrics, we might as well get them correct, true?

The point made earlier about the perspective is exactly true. It's the way guys on a loading dock muscling kitchen appliances around would talk, especially back then. If it's offensive to some, but accurate, should it be banned/censored?
Click to expand...

Likely. I just grabbed the first set of lyrics Google coughed up. I never listened to 'Dire Strats' for their poetic licence anyway. :D

Thanks for improving the accuracy of that aspect of my post.

BTW. Erm... Prince? :hiding:
 
#22
P C run amuck....I really should have put on my wading boots before I came in here! Now I have to clean my shoes.

edit: I was born and raised in West Virginia; we as a state have arguably had more derogatory and inflammatory remarks thrown at us than any other state. Hell, Abercrombie & Fitch print and sell sweat shirts making us look like idiots. My mother is Italian. I was a long haired hippy back in the 60's and 70's. I have frequently been called an "ignert hillbilly", a dumbass redneck, a wop and long haired ******, etc. Who cares! People who use those stereotypes are not worth the toilet paper it takes to wipe them off the floor. To me, that is what the song implies. Get over it.

Reminds me of that commercial, "Does a drill sergeant make a terrible psycho-therapist?"
 
#23
When songs get retroactively edited after being played as is for years, it bugs me.
I feel the same way about "Who are you" having that one word cut out.
I understand why some are offended, but it is kind of necessary to capture his full frustration at trying to figure out the mystery that is God. To me, you take it out and the song loses something essential.
Same thing with that verse in "Money for nothing". It's an expression of working class frustration at the lifestyles of (perceived) pampered rock stars. You take it out and the song is just some pretty nice guitar work, at least to me.
 
#25
mid_life_crisis said:
Is that one of those sites where people post what they think the lyrics are? Because those look close, but not quite the way I learned them.

That little ****** with the earing and mink coat,
yeah buddy, that's his own Lear.
That little ****** got his own jet airplane,
that little ****** he's a millionaire.
Click to expand...
No. Check the lyrics in the CD booklet, dude. (Part of the reason I still buy CDs.)

The little ****** with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy, that's his own hair
The little ******'s got his own jet airplane
The little ****** he's a millionaire
:cool:

And by the way, as stated before, Knopfler was paraphrasing what an actual dude said in an appliance store. Heaven forbid anyone write songs containing social commentary... :rollno:
 
#26
I'm straight, but I can see wanting that word bleeped out if it offends a group of people, and I'm glad they did it. Censorship of ANYTHING in the age of the internet is a joke. But then again, bleeping out a word is not censorship. Everyone hates "Political Correctness" until it's your own group being offended.

Speaking of Canadian radio, on Sunday CBC had a long discussion about a new version of "Huckleberry Finn" with a certain word blocked out. I wonder how people would feel if we were discussing that word?
 
#27
#28
MonetBass said:
No. Check the lyrics in the CD booklet, dude. (Part of the reason I still buy CDs.)

The little ****** with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy, that's his own hair
The little ******'s got his own jet airplane
The little ****** he's a millionaire
:cool:
Click to expand...

Really? Bummer. I try to sing those lyrics in my head and they just don't sound right. Now I'm going to have to listen to it on the way home tonight. Oh, well. There's worse things to have to do, I suppose.
 
#29
LM Bass said:
I'm straight, but I can see wanting that word bleeped out if it offends a group of people, and I'm glad they did it. Censorship of ANYTHING in the age of the internet is a joke. But then again, bleeping out a word is not censorship. Everyone hates "Political Correctness" until it's your own group being offended.

Speaking of Canadian radio, on Sunday CBC had a long discussion about a new version of "Huckleberry Finn" with a certain word blocked out. I wonder how people would feel if we were discussing that word?
Click to expand...

My opinion (for all it's worth): First of all, I never knew such a word was in "Money For Nothing" until I got up this morning and turned on my computer. To me (and I suspect almost everyone) this song was a cool video (for the day) and an interesting guitar riff. Secondly, the word "******" is so mid-20th Century, you hardly ever hear it anymore. If gays are offended by it, then they should grow a thicker skin (see etoncrow's post). Thirdly, leave Huckleberry Finn alone. Sure, it uses the N-word liberally, but what do you want? It was written in the 19th Century! Are we going to start reviewing every book and song lyric written just in case they might have words deemed offensive to a particular group? Don't we have enough government agencies as it is?

Political correctedness has become a parody of itself. "Nuff said!
 
#31
I'm against the censorship of art in any form, end of story. However, in this case, there is no hypocrisy. They're applying the same standards to this as they would to any other song. I don't see why people are looking at it as a special case. I don't agree with it being censored, but I'm no more outraged by this than the censorship of any other art.
 
#33
mid_life_crisis said:
Is that one of those sites where people post what they think the lyrics are? Because those look close, but not quite the way I learned them.

That little ****** with the earing and mink coat,
yeah buddy, that's his own Lear.
That little ****** got his own jet airplane,
that little ****** he's a millionaire.

I hope I didn't offend anyone here, but if we're going to discuss lyrics, we might as well get them correct, true?

The point made earlier about the perspective is exactly true. It's the way guys on a loading dock muscling kitchen appliances around would talk, especially back then. If it's offensive to some, but accurate, should it be banned/censored?
Click to expand...

That's the first time I've read your interpretation of the lyrics. I think the link has them right.
 
#35
MIJ-VI said:
Likely not but then the F-word doesn't conjure images of public lynchings. (Persecuted gays tend to hang themselves in private when & if they're driven to that extreme.)
Click to expand...


That depends on the country you're talking about. Try being openly gay in certain middle eastern and African countries or, for that matter, Jamaica. I have a hard time believing that half the people objecting to the censoring of the word "******" would be singing the same song if an old redneck tune from the south featuring the word "******" was played on the radio today. I grew up with a father who was gay and as a kid I was pretty sensitive to the way in which anti-gay terms were slung about in the 80s. I remember cringing when I'd hear "Money For Nothing" simply because of the inclusion of the word "******" in that song. This particular case (regarding "Money For Nothing") is completely in line with the regulations in Canada which prohibit singers from including anti-gay lyrics or rhetoric during their live shows (this came about primarily as a result of various groups complaining about several Jamaican artists who have made it a point of incorporating lyrics which denounce gays). I'm not generally in favour of censorship, but I am in favour of consistency and, in many instances, sensitivity.
 
#36
Wow, I just reread my post and the "n word" that I spelled out (because I see no reason not to use the word in a mature discussion) has appeared as a series of asterisks! The word "******", on the other hand, appears in its proper form. Talk about censorship AND inconsistency! :p
 
#38
steamthief said:
That's the first time I've read your interpretation of the lyrics. I think the link has them right.
Click to expand...

Someone else already pointed out that the lyrics from his Cd liner are the same as those previously posted. It's pretty clear I've been singing it wrong for a very long time.
I'll probably continue to do so out of force of habit and to be honest, I like my interpretation better.
Hell, half the songs I grew up listening to on AM radio are different than I always thought they were now that I have them on CD.
 
#39
Knofler often took on a different "persona" so to speak, when he wrote songs. He tried to get into other people's heads and write from their perspectives. Money For Nothing was written from the perspective of people working in an electronics store who ignorantly think that being a musician is simple and easy. I remember seeing an interview with Knofler, and he said to sing Money For Nothing, you kind of have get in the mindset of an ignoramus.
 

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