Posted on 10/29/2022 12:21:36 AM PDT by algore
A controversial track released by Patti Smith is no longer available through any streaming services.
The song 'Rock n Roll N****r,' which was released alongside the Patti Smith Group's 1978 Album, 'Easter,' has been removed by Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music.
Smith has said in previous interviews that she intended to use the N-word as a way of 'reinventing it … like the kids did with the word punk.'
'I was taking this archaic use of the word n****r and sort of reinventing it,' she said in 1996.
'It was the idea of taking a word that was specific and hurtful to people and obliterating it, blowing that apart and reinventing it so it was more like a badge of courage.'
In the song, Smith uses the N-word to describe Jimi Hendrix, Jesus Christ 'and grandma, too,' before saying the word eight consecutive times
Bob Dylan used the word in his song 'Hurricane,' released two years earlier. Dylan's tune, which depicts the acts of racism against boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, was most recently censored by the BBC in its broadcast.
Smith first received notoriety for the song - despite initial controversy upon the track's release - when she used the N-word to describe Mick Jagger.
In defense of this, Smith said: 'On our liner notes, I redefined the word n****r as being an artist mutant that was going beyond gender.'
When prompted by the interviewer that Jagger did not suffer 'like anyone who grew up in Harlem,' she replied: 'Suffering don't make you a n****r.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
The offending track is still available on YouBoob. How long will that last?
Nagger?
How niggardly of them.
Another reason to have your own bits, if not physical media.
I think I have this LP from back in the day. Her version of Because the Night is fantastic.
Then why aren’t they removing all the filthy rap songs with the same word being blabbered dozens of times?!
Baby got big and baby get bigger
Baby get something, baby get more
Baby, baby, baby was a rock and roll nigga
Oh, look around you, all around you
Riding on a copper wave
Do you like the world around you?
Are you ready to behave?
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
Outside of society, that’s where I want to be
Baby was a black sheep, baby was a whore
You know she got big, well, she’s gonna get bigger
Baby got a hand, got a finger on the trigger
Baby, baby, baby is a rock and roll nigga
Outside of society, that’s where I want to be
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
(Those who have suffered, understand suffering
And thereby extend their hand
The storm that brings harm
Also makes fertile
Blessed is the grass
And herb and the true thorn and light)
I was lost in a valley of pleasure
I was lost in the infinite sea
I was lost, and measure for measure
Love spewed from the heart of me
I was lost, and the cost
And the cost didn’t matter to me
I was lost, and the cost
Was to be outside society
Jimi Hendrix was a nigga
Jesus Christ and grandma, too
Jackson Pollock was a nigga
Nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga
Nigga, nigga, nigga
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
Outside of society, if you’re looking
That’s where you’ll find me
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
Outside of society
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Leonard J Kaye / Patti Lee Smith
Rock N Roll Nigger lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
I clipped the first line, darn :-( .
*******************
Baby was a black sheep, baby was a whore
Baby got big and baby get bigger
Baby get something, baby get more
Baby, baby, baby was a rock and roll nigga
Oh, look around you, all around you
Riding on a copper wave
Do you like the world around you?
Are you ready to behave?
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
Outside of society, that’s where I want to be
Baby was a black sheep, baby was a whore
You know she got big, well, she’s gonna get bigger
Baby got a hand, got a finger on the trigger
Baby, baby, baby is a rock and roll nigga
Outside of society, that’s where I want to be
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
(Those who have suffered, understand suffering
And thereby extend their hand
The storm that brings harm
Also makes fertile
Blessed is the grass
And herb and the true thorn and light)
I was lost in a valley of pleasure
I was lost in the infinite sea
I was lost, and measure for measure
Love spewed from the heart of me
I was lost, and the cost
And the cost didn’t matter to me
I was lost, and the cost
Was to be outside society
Jimi Hendrix was a nigga
Jesus Christ and grandma, too
Jackson Pollock was a nigga
Nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga
Nigga, nigga, nigga
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
Outside of society, if you’re looking
That’s where you’ll find me
Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me
Outside of society
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Leonard J Kaye / Patti Lee Smith
Rock N Roll Nigger lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Jeez this came to my head - Todd Rundgren - Rock and Roll Pussy!
Back then, Todd was a Wizard, a true star!
Parody song from the National Lampoon stage show ‘Lemmings’ in the early ‘70s:
‘Pull The Triggers N***ers’
The song savaged Joan Baez, and liberals. This was back when satire actually had a point (and didn’t just consist of Republican bashing). The female singer in the show was very talented in her own right, and did a spot on imitation of Baez.
Example:
“Joan Baez is the name, I’ve a house by the sea
My songs come rolling in off Highway One
Just because I can’t be there
Doesn’t mean that I don’t care
So next time, brother, off a pig for me..
I’m needed from Belfast to Bangladesh
So many grievous wrongs
For me to right with tedious songs...
So pull the triggers, n***ers,
we’re with you all the way
Sitting here, just across the bay”
Never heard of it - just got her stuff from newsgroups - the last uncensored frontier...
I just downloaded the two versions that were on BlowTube (my name for YouTube) and have them in .mp4 format for anyone who wants them. I'll upload them to Rumble later this morning when I have more time.
I see what you did there. Dick Cavett pulled that on Ali back in the day...
Richard Pryor made money and won Grammy
awards for albums that had the N word right
in the title and in many routines. At one point he had a revelation about its history and stopped using it though later did one of
his 3 albums that had it in its title.
Black comic Paul Mooney came right out and
said blacks can use it..others can’t.
It has been empowered—the belief is blacks
do have the right to use it because they
suffered and had it hurled at them.
So many songs and comedy routines do have it still.
Pryor’s material is still on youtube.
The “word association” sketch he did with
Chevy Chase is on youtube, with Pryor getting upset as Chase (interviewing him for a job) tosses out “spade” and “jungle bunny”; gets responses like “honky” and “white trash”. When Chase says “nigger”: “DEAD honky!” The sketch also appeared on a best of SNL album around ‘76 or so.
If it’s so offensive why not ban it from all
those rap songs and comedy routines? Places like satellite radio have the word all over the place..though one can choose a “family friendly” tier that doesn’t have profanity-laced channels.
People who annoy you...
Yes, that song, the lead track on that album, is still available for streaming on Apple Music. For now, anyways. Until some Karen cat lady kicks up a big fuss about it.
However, Patti Smith did indeed have her track "Rock And Roll N****r" removed from Apple Music. So if you wanted to download the 1978 "Easter" album off Apple Music, you will be missing a track.
Are we starting to regret selling off our albums and CDs in light of the fact that we were now able to stream anything we wanted for a nominal monthly fee? I know I am.
BTW Apple Music users, the monthly service just got increased to $10.99/mo from $9.99/mo. So less music for more money.
Postcript: I put the stars in the "n****r" word only so that my reply would not get pulled from here.
Welcome to 1984 folks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.