[who_would_fardels_bear]

Funny. I remember a lot of rock and roll songs and soul music from the 50's and 60's with lyrics that implied that people were engaging in illicit sex.

It was much more innocent and demure, but the message was still there.

[SeekAndFind]

There was a time when this was not even allowed to be shown on TV

[GoneSalt]

At least soul music was happy music and life affirming, not about playing da bxtchxs and smoking cops.

Mind in the wayback machine there.

[driftless2]

"but the message was still there."

The message goes at least back to the thirties. Cole Porter implied sex in a number of his songs.

So it was sort of amusing to see many mainstream critics attack rock and roll for suggestive lyrics when the so-called great songwriters like Porter were doing it decades before rock.

[KGeorge]

It was a lot more subtle (in hindsight- double entendre)

I grew up with this era- the Clovers, Ruth Brown, Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters, the Platters & of course, the more (I guess) mainstream Fats Domino, Bobby Blue Bland, Ray Charles, & Little Richard. Someone who might be more obscure that I love was Dee Clark. lol I go around singing his stuff all the time (Just Keep It Up, Nature Boy).

We used to have a radio station in San Antonio, KAPE, that played nothing but R&B. I grew up really practically allergic to pop music/ bubblegum type stuff. And West Texas (KTXL, IIRC) played a lot more R&B than Everly Brothers/ Buddy Holly type stuff. HA! My mom HATED Buddy Holly.

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