So, I’m been away for a few days on business, and now I am sitting here at Heathrow with no mobile battery but I am now aware of THIS story!
It has been played in full thousands of times and without causing a fuss. But Elvis Costello’s hit song Oliver’s Army was censored to remove the word ‘nigger”’ when it was recently played on a BBC digital station to the surprise of listeners. The song, taken from the album Armed Forces, is one of Costello’s best-known and has received endless plays across all BBC radio stations without any complaint – until now.
WHAT???
The line in question is heard at the end of the second verse before the chorus: ‘One more widow, one less white nigger’ A listener who heard the edited tune on Steve Lamacq’s show on 6 Music was prompted to complain to Radio 4’s Feedback, stating the word was actually necessary for the song: ‘I do know the song inside out, as most people probably do, then all of sudden – clunk- it had the n-word taken out.
Tony Close, director of standards at Ofcom, told Feedback that milder swear words have become of ‘decreasing concern’ but that words targeting particular communities – such as race, faith, gender and sexuality – had become of ‘greater concern’ to audiences. A 6 Music spokesman said of the decision to edit Oliver’s Army: ‘We are guided by our editorial guidelines and production teams use them to make decisions about language in songs on a case by case basis. ‘In this instance it was decided that the song would be edited but it does not mean that it would always be the case. ‘We take into consideration a number of factors including the nature of the language, the station and its audience, the time of day, editorial justification and the wider context of the program”
This is an outrage. The words used are NOT racist, it is not offensive. Free speech is increasingly being erased by the cultural marxists in the name of “sensitivity” and this sort of retro revisionism REALLY annoys me especially when it relates to MY favourite song, as all long time readers of ATW will attest.
So, here is the offending song, and THEN, for good measure, may I commend the lyrics to ANOTHER song from the same album, DO make sure your tender sensitivities are not too offended.
13 thoughts on “ON WHITE NIGGERS AND THE CULTURAL GOON SQUAD”
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Bob Dylan uses the N word in his song The Hurricane. It’s not racist in that context wither. Context is everything.
I take it Lamacq (shame on him, a Bloomberg of the airwaves) won’t be playing this anytime soon.
It is and the bowlderizing of the song here is bullshit.
It IS subtle. That’s THE POINT.
It is a matter of context, and the song has been played for about 30 years with the line still in it. I always thought it was a reference to the soldiers who are sent out by the powers that be and tend to be from classes that are expendable.
I find taking the word out of Huck Finn for example is insane as the context there is to have the most honorable character in the book called by everyone a vile name, thus demonstrating the absurd evil of slavery.
In Dylan’s Hurricane it is also used as a putdown not of the boxer but of those who would label him as such.
It is a matter of context though, and can be used in a vile way.
The new Dambusters film renames Guy Gibson’s dog Digger. Truly orwellian.
I wonder if writers/performers or other copywrite owners have any say over the editing of lyrics when a recording is broadcast ?
Colm – No is the short answer.
They probably should, in cases like this.
Here’s a nigger. Advice to white dads: tell your daughters to keep away from them.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/richard-hinds-guilty-of-furlong-murder-sentenced-to-five-years-minimum-588370.html
For some reason, when one puts the name of the murder victim into google, the reports from most sources (BBC, Itish Times etc) don’t show a picture of the perpetrator.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/new-yorker-connects-elvis-costellos-use-of-the-word-nigger-30-years-ago-to-his-recent-participation-in-boycott-of-israel.html
As the provocations escalated, Costello, deriding the state of American music, called Ray Charles “a blind ignorant nigger” and James Brown “a jive-ass nigger”;
oh and he also supports a boycott of israel.