Britney Spears' decision to release 'If U Seek Amy' has raised censorship issue on U.S. radio stations regarding potential protest due to the controversial lyrics.
- Jan 13, 2009
AceShowbiz - Britney Spears' third single "If U Seek Amy" coming off her sixth installment "Circus" may be censored or even banned from being played on U.S. radio stations due to the cheeky chorus "all of the boys and all of the girls are beggin' to, If You Seek Amy", the last four words sound like "F*** me" if sung quickly. To MTV, several executives in the U.S. radios reveal their concern over public response if the song gets airplay on their radios.
Patti Marshall, program director at Cincinnati's Q102, shares she would likely not to play it on her radio. She says, "It's OK to put in on an album, have fun with it, but we're publicly owned, you know?. We have a responsibility to the public ... you put this ... out and act like we're all fuddy-duddies, like we're trying to make moral judgments. It's not about us. It's about the mom in the minivan with her 8-year-old."
Sharon Dastur, program director at Z100 in New York, meanwhile is not sure whether the song will get airplay or not. Comparing the issue with what happened to Black Eyed Peas' track "Don't Phunk With My Heart", she states, "Listeners thought it was the other word, and so we had to change it to 'mess'."
Different comment comes from John Ivey, KIIS FM Los Angeles program director. He decides to not cut the controversial lyrics because he felt the phrase was included in the song to provoke, so an alteration would change its intention. However, he admits that "it's a potential issue for every station." He adds, "I'm certain that I would run it by my legal department first. My first job is to protect [the station's] license. ... It's better to be safe than sorry."
