Should singers stop swearing?
Some people think it’s rude to use swear words in songs.
What you need to know
Sometimes, when singers release a piece of music they record two versions. One version (which is “clean”, with no swear words) is safe to play on the radio, while the other “explicit” version includes swear words or inappropriate language.
Since 2011, music streaming platforms (such as Spotify and Apple Music) have been expected to use the word “explicit” next to songs that are felt to be not suitable for children.
Platforms also have settings that allow users to block inappropriate content. This means that they will only hear the clean version, without swear words.
More than 500 million people use Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming service. At the beginning of February, more than a third of the songs in Spotify’s UK top 50 chart included explicit lyrics. Although some users might choose to block this kind of content, lyrics including swear words can sometimes still show up on the screen when the clean edit is played. Artists like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo often swear in their music and have said that they are just expressing themselves. Some people say that, to avoid children being exposed to explicit lyrics, musicians should just stop swearing. However, others think that singers should be allowed to express themselves in their own music. What do you think? Should musicians stop swearing in their songs?
Yes – adults should set a good example
Singers release radio-safe versions of their music without swear words, which are still popular. This shows that songs don’t need swear words in them to be a hit. Swearing is just rude and it doesn’t add anything exciting or imaginative to music. Adults are supposed to set a good example to children and this doesn’t change if someone is a pop star. In fact, it’s even more important because lots of young people look up to singers, such as Taylor Swift. If lots of songs contain swear words, it could encourage more people to swear because it might make swearing seem normal, acceptable, or even cool. This could be a problem for people in school and workplaces, where it’s considered bad manners to swear.
No – singers should express themselves
Music is a type of art, and it’s a way for singers to express themselves and their emotions. They should be able to say whatever they want in their songs because they’re the ones writing and performing them. The versions with swear words aren’t targeted at children anyway, so young people can still enjoy songs by listening to the clean version instead. Young music fans can either listen to the radio or block inappropriate songs on streaming apps. If people are still concerned about children being exposed to swear words, maybe there needs to be a different system in place. Films have an age rating, so why not music too? That way, singers can write songs how they like but children don’t have to hear swear words.