The word gay used to only mean happy and was featured in:
—Flintstones theme, “We’ll have a gay old time”
—Christmas carol Deck the Halls: “Don we now our gay apparel” (though one retailer just changed it to “fun”))
—”Our Hearts Were Young and Gay”, book and film
—Song lyric from Sam Cooke’s Twisting the Night Away:
“Where the people are so gay”
Not to change the subject, but the Dire Straits Song “Money for Nothing” is now being “edited” when it’s played on the Radio.
Either the entire Verse containing the word “faggot” is deleted or the word itself is changed with the Verse still included in the Song.
What strikes me as odd is this, whenever there are calls to change or edit Materials because they are tasteless or Vulgar, (Crucifix in a jar of Urine, feces covered depictions of Jesus as some examples) all we hear are screams of Censorship and we are accused of attacking Artistic Creativity.
This change is obviously endorsed by Dire Straits, yet there is no outcry from Musical Purists or Critics. I remember the outrage when Ted Turner started “colorizing” old Black and White Movies.