You are overthinking it.. its simple. Is there even a single instance of profanity? Then it gets the sticker. Really the sticker at least here in Cali and especially in the download era is meaningless. In the 90s they were very strict on not selling Parental Advisory tagged music to minors without an adult there with them. Gradually retailers got less strict as they realized there were no lawsuits or FCC fines coming because of lax enforcement.

On "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? ... No!

And since the Lips' cover album is a loyal (lyrically speaking) remake of the album, it doesn't have any profanity on it either. Maybe those distorted vocals are full of hidden "cunt!" And "fuck motherfucker cock!" chants, but I have no reason to believe that's the case.

Same goes for Dark Side of the Moon. Yeah, the album has the word "shit" on it, but that's never earned it a sticker before. So.. seriously, why the Lips' version?

I don't think the stickers were ever actually legally mandated. If that was the case, a lot of underground albums that didn't have the sticker-- but should have-- would have on later editions (Songs About Fucking comes immediately to mind, since the sticker could be for lyrical content and/or thematic content/artwork having to do with profanity, drugs, sex, violence, etc.).

The major record companies all wanted to avoid trouble, so they complied and eventually started issuing clean versions of EVERYTHING. Seriously, there's a clean version of 808's & Heartbreak, and it just bleeps out the "shit" from Wayne's verse on Nightmares.

So I do wonder why artists choose to voluntarily put the fucking sticker on their album when either a) their album contains no explicit content to speak of, or b) their album isn't an album, and isn't affiliated with the industry, and they can do whatever the hell they want with it (mix tapes) ... Like, fucking WHY? Unless it is just an expectation, or a badge of some kind of stupid ass honor.

If that's the case, I just want it to be said. Acknowledge that it means nothing and that it goes on if and only if someone wants it on, meaning it fucking has nothing to do with warning people, and is instead being used as a promotional tool.

it's totally a "hey kids, this has a sticker, it's dangerous, your parents will hate it, you NEED it" thing.

Really, I think there was a subtle racism behind the whole goddamn thing. Trent Reznor was like the token white guy put on blast for using explicit language, and they lucked out because (as much as I love him) the guy is a total libertarian nut job about "rights" and he was happy to take his bitching to the floor of the senate.

It was basically a strategic attack on hip hop, the one genre that used profanity almost as a rule, and which was built around a culture that necessarily had high exposure to drugs and violence. By the early-mid '90s, rap without profanity was pretty much not a thing.

Anyway, whatever. I've always thought the actual look of the PAEL sticker seemed almost engineered to be enticing. It probably was. Slapping that sticker on a record almost guaranteed that young people would want to know why it was there. In the long run, it's probably helped record sales more than hindered them.

Its not a strategic attack on hip hop, as it targets A LOT of music including white friendly rock and "alternative".. i think you are taking it way too personal. Indeed its not a promotional tool, its enforced by the FCC and many labels try creative ways to avoid it. Remember in a lot of parts of US the sticker is still a big deal for parents

I'm remember reading an interview with Kerry King from Slayer (God Hate Us All era.) and he was saying how many bands actively tried to get the sticker on their albums. Everyone from Limp Bizkit to Slipknot and everyone in between had the 'Parental' sticker. It's a hip thing, all those records that didn't need to have them on have it to not be seen as tame.

As you say, to say it deliberately targets hip hop is not true at all.

Not a literal attack on hip hop, of course. But it's no secret that black influence terrifies white America. When a smart, popular, democratic black man steps into Presidential office... there's a latent racism that activates in people who can't handle the idea of a black man representing the nation.

When an opinionated black pop artist becomes so influential that with 7 words he can bring George Bush to the "low point of [his] administration", that latent racism comes out in memes and tabloid butchery and attempted character assassination - and, failing that, the constant public accusation of "insanity."

Rap culture made a lot of people uneasy when it took off. So much of it celebrated black culture and strength. How do you think soccer moms felt when their white teenage daughters were putting 2 Live Crew posters up in their rooms?

Don't tell me that hip hop hasn't been a targeted. Hell, Geraldo Rivera said hip hop music was a more destructive force than gang violence or racism... And that was like three months ago!

I'm just saying white people are scared of black people, and as long as that's the case, racism is going to continue to motivate people to disempower, discredit, censor, or attempt to control black influence.

not hip hop in the least, but I've been listening to Ryan Adams' 1989 on repeat all week.

Cool.

I've been listening to the new albums by Battles, Botany and Low. And I just realized that Trembling Bells dropped a new album in June, so I'm getting caught up with that.

Not a lot of hip-hop for me either. The new Underachievers is out now, and I'm probably going to check it out pretty soon. And I want to check out Juicy J's new tape.

I'd rather listen to Taylor Swift than Ryan Adams.

I'm surprised that this is the case, even though I've never been a Ryan Adams fan.

I love Taylor Swift. I love Ryan Adams. I love both 1989 albums.

Today I've been listening to the new Kendrick Scott album. It's good. His group covers FlyLo's "Never Gonna Catch Me" !

This is what my Spotify saved album looks like right now...

A$AP Rocky - ALLA
Action Bronson - Mr. Wonderful
The Alchemist & Oh No - Welcome To Los Santos
Drake - If You're REading this
Duke Ellington - Conny Plank Sessions
Ghostface - Sour Soul
Ghostface - 12 Reasons II
Joey Bada$$ - B4DA$$
The Bad Plus - The Bad Plus Joshua Redman
Kamasi Washington - The Epic
Kendrick - TPABF
Kendrick Scott - We Are The Drum
Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon
Miles Davis - At Newport (Bootleg Series 4)
Robert Glasper Trio - Covered
Ryan Adams - 1989
Ryan Adams - 10 Songs from Live...
Team Sleep - Woodstock Sessions 4
Vince Staples - Summertime 06
The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness

Ha!

Yeah, that bit about me being too old to impress anyone made me laugh. Absurdly harsh, that bit.. but yeah, funny.

The rest was pretty much indecipherable.

I don't care if you don't like Rodeo. I'm not offended. I don't like it so much that I would even argue about it. Actually, I'm liking it less than I did initially... It's got a couple really strong songs, but it also has several that don't hold up to repeated listens.

I just don't like spamming for the sake of spamming, and I don't like it when your scatological rambling feels phoned in and obligatory. If you're gonna do the "say crazy shit" thing, be fucking funny about it, or go do something else. I just want to see you living up to your potential :)

Why did you start being a dick after years of mutual civility?

Hmm okay. Gonna see Kanye tomorrow. Finallyyy!

In the last few days Kanye performed 808s & Heartbreak in its entirety, with extra touches added to every song, which makes me think it'd be a good idea if he released an 808s & Heartbreak live album to hold us over while we're waiting for SWISH.

Did you see 808's live?!!!

Yes, a live 808's & heartbreak album would be tremendously awesome. But his live releases have always been fairly low key and/or spotty affairs. Late Orchestration barely registered on the national radar, and Storytellers was intentionally forgotten.

But yeah, I want this to happen now. But because it's Kanye, I won't expect it.

I heard something about the new album "maybe" being ANOTHER two years away. Fuckin Yeezy man.

Storytellers is such a mess it's hilarious.