In a not-so-shocking study conducted by HealthDay News, it was found that one in three "hit" songs contains an explicit reference to drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. HealthDay researchers compiled their information by analyzing Billboard magazine’s 279 most popular songs of 2005.
Researchers also discovered that of the 93 songs with references to substance use, the behaviors discussed in each song were associated with partying (54%), sex (46%), violence (29 percent%), and/or humor (24%). In the songs, substance use was often a result of peer/social pressure (48%) or sex (30%).
Although it’s pretty depressing to think about your average 10-year-old singing along to lyrics about doing lines of coke or getting laid, it’s just as funny to censor popular songs from 2005 and see what they'd be like without the explicit references.
Take, for instance, 50 Cent’s oh-so-creative 2005 hit, “Candy Shop.” Let’s see how “sweet” his shop is without all the sex references:
“I'll take you to the candy shopI'll let you lick the...”
...
...oh wait, the whole song is overtly sexual.
Let’s try this again. Here’s the censored version of Pretty Ricky’s “Grind On Me”:
“Baby grind on meRelax your mind take your time on me
Let me get deeper shorty ride on me
Now come and sex me till your body gets weak
With slow grindin’…”
Uh, I give up.
