Is this ok or not for a kid to sing?

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Downside Studio

Downside Studio

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My studio organised a contest among highschool bands. 8 bands were selected to record their song, which results in a full size cd with minimal 1000 copies. Great stuff and lots of fun.

Now in one of the bands a girl in the age of 15 sings the sentence..

'they love me, fuck me, throw me away'

I normally wouldn't care about lyrics like this, but my point is this:

this cd is going to be distibuted on highschools and among many parents. If Limb bizkit sings fuck me nobody cares...but is it ok for me to put a little girl singing these lyrics on this cd? I myself don't mind, but I understand if some parents are offended. And I'm the producer on this story.

opinions?
 
Interesting dilemma...

You have to look at who your audience is for this CD. If this is going to be distributed to kids (with or without permission of parents) then you better be careful about the content. A minor can freely buy a CD with explicit lyrics, but in general they are not distributed directly to kids. I think you are opening yourself up to a certain level of liability by either distributing this to kids, or not labeling the CD as containing explicit lyrics.

OK, so you may accuse me of being the "thought police" and say that artistic freedom is the most important thing. If the bands want to buy their own studio time and pay for production, then they can sing whatever they want. If you are putting together a CD to showcase high school talent, I believe it would serve your best interest (and the bands) to avoid objectionable lyric content.

That's just my opinion...
 
My opinion is to have the 15 year old singer, the parents of the singer, the School principal and Studio owner sit down and work it out. Make sure that everyone understands the legal fallout of this situation. Another thing, the studio should label the cd if profanity does get onto it, disclaimers the whole ball of wax.

Peace,
Dennis
 
Ditto on involving the school, parents, and principle. If its going to be distributed via the high schools, their policy should cover the CD. My guess is that kids aren't allowed to say "fuck" in school so a school band contest really shouldn't highlight it on the CD, either.

Sucks to have to say that, but a school oriented project really should fall under the decency guidelines of the schools. If the schools don't care, and are willing to stand up to any complaints from the parents- fine.

Kids get enough language practice everywhere else- might as well keep school a clean place just so that they remember that "clean" exists somewhere, eh? My guess is that the principle will echo these feelings.

The schools may also carry some liability so definately at least talk to the principle and let him or her know what is going on. That poor 15 year old could wind up in the middle of an ugly mess if this isn't resolved BEFORE that CD goes to print.

Cool project, by the way! Good work!!!

Chris
 
Give me her phone number and I will straighten all this out ;)
 
im in line behind Tex...and please cleanup after yourself.......

and as far as the song, let her sing it and reverse it in the mix.....
 
Depends what the girls look like!Could they pass for 18?God I'm all excited.Dragon,this one belongs in the Cave!
 
Don't - íf parents are going to listen to it...
Change it to something that let the parents
decide what they hear...

'they love me,use me, throw me away' ???
 
All these songs should have been cleared by schools before they were send in to the competition. We asked the schools to send in the stuff for the bands, and not the bands itself. This offcourse had to de with some sponsorship. This way it falls under culture and education. But in real life I noticed that most schools just past the invitation letter on to the bands and let them work it out for theirselves. This is a point I could hide behind if all blows up.

now for the facts.

1. I immediatly mentioned this during recording. I saw an all but one boyband, with offcourse the girl as singer. She didn't write the lyrics. When I said that I had kind of a problem with the lyrics they looked at me if I was from another planet.
2. I asked numerous people what their opinion was. Most were like...he man, these kids are legaly allowed to smoke weet so what your bugging about this sentence, just look two minutes TV and you'll hear it 5 times.
3. The cd is mixed and ready for mastering. I could remix this song. There is time. I know the band won't like it.
4. It keeps bugging me. Looks like over here I am the only one bugged with it.

I gues I'll have to have a serious talk with the teacher indeed. If he says go for launch, I guess I'm cleared. Now I don't think I'm ever going to hear something about this matter, but if I do, I'dd better have my back covered real good, since this project is going to be 10 times bigger next year, with all new sponsors etc.
 
Tell em we are changing the lyrics or canning the song. The kids need ya to stand up to em. They are looking for walls. I work in schools, see it all the time.
 
OK, lets make it even more interesting.

One of the bands has the following sentence:

'whenever I feel sick, I want you to kiss my lips'

Nothing wrong you'd say. But it's actually articulated like this:

Whenever I feel sick....I want you to...kisss....myy........lips.

Now when recording this I fell of my chair laughing because I immediatly sang kisss...myy.....DICK. According to them I was the first to do this, but in my eyes this its a natural response.

What about this one?
 
Might be different in the Netherlands but in Ohio, USA, there would be some parents angry and rightfully so, IMO. Tell these punks either sing clean or shut up. When they do their indi releases they can sing whatever they want. They knew what they were saying.
 
if it were my project i would tell that band right up front that none of the bands in the contest can use profanity....MY rules. Then tell them that they will have to clean up the lyrics.

i mean, what are you gonna do if the other bands find out she gets to say "fuck" on that bands song and they want to add some profanity to theirs (so the "fuck" band dosent have more shock power to their song)?

you have to look at it this way....you want it to be a big sucess and everyone (parents and bands included) to be very happy with the end result...because....THATS WHAT GETS YOU REPEAT BUSINESS!

it would be a shame for you to get the reputation of being the studio/producer that let the little girl say "fuck" on a high school band CD and no get any residual business off the project.

but then im into building a business and making money so my priorities may be in a different place.

peace
 
You shouldn't even have to ask.

F**k not it is not ok. Change it or can it.

cj
 
I know it's cool over there, with the weed smokin age of 16, or whatever,...

that's really cool, I'm sure. Maybe your teenagers are really mature over there, and maybe their parents are really tolerant, but I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't go there.

I wouldn't record f-words & such, on a record that's featuring high school aged bands, and being featured & marketed to high school kids at school. It just sounds like a bad idea, unless you'd like to be a lightning rod for criticizm, or are looking for controversy.

I think you should advise them to clean it up, or you may be opening up a can of worms. Promoting a disc within the school environment is a little different than the kids just going down to the Record City on their own, and buying potentially offensive records. Being a school oriented project, I think it should be held to a slightly higher standard, and explicit language should be toned down. I think toning down the language in your own best interest.

"Fuck-" should go. The other line, with the pun, is ok, in fact it's a clever way of dealing with this issue. Let the audience think "dick", that's not what the artist said. Joke's on them.

/DA
 
I'm a little closer to you.

It's a hard choice. On one hand, you are doing this to give those kids a voice, a way to get there ideas to the public. How much of that remains if you are taking that word out? We don't live in america, there's no bleeps on the radio, or in videoclips (except for mtv that is), these kids hear it all the time. If there's one country where you shouldn't worry about it, it is holland. You can get by easily, make a clear statement on the CD that the music and lyrics were completely written by the kids, you were only making it sound good... You are really the good guy, letting those kids work out their own ideas...

On the other hand. 15 and singing 'fuck me', well, I wouldn't like to hear my 14-year old buddy say that... Maybe put a note in it too that she did not write those lyrics herself? :D

If you really want to change it, try talking to them, explain the situation, and ask if she can't sing screw or use me...
 
Downside Studio said:

Whenever I feel sick....I want you to...kisss....myy........lips.

Now when recording this I fell of my chair laughing because I immediatly sang kisss...myy.....DICK. According to them I was the first to do this, but in my eyes this its a natural response.

What about this one?
Click to expand...


"but in my eyes this its a natural response."

oh really? :rolleyes:
 
Now in one of the bands a girl in the age of 15 sings the sentence..

'they love me, fuck me, throw me away'
Click to expand...
Come on, man! Nothing wrong with that! Kids say/sing things like that all the time. If the parents don't know it, it's time they find out! :D

Just be glad you're not in the US of A... ;)
 
Cut out that word when you mix. I really doubt that the kids will care if a cd says fuck once. Or put a warning beside the song title. like this song contains explcit lyrics. So they know its not every song just the one.
 
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