I just downloaded this song by Prince, and I suppose it's not surprising that it started the whole "Parental Advisory Sticker" thing when Tipper Gore heard her 12-year old daughter listening to it. But, seriously, there was stuff nearly as explicit in the 1970s..."Push, Push in the Bush?" "More, More, More?"
"Brand New Key?" An 8-year old could've figured those out. Maybe we just all decided to button up and be bitchy in the '80s. Here're the lyrics:

I knew a girl named Nikki
I guess u could say she was a sex fiend
I met her in a hotel lobby
Masturbating with a magazine
She said how'd u like 2 waste some time
And I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind

She took me 2 her castle
And I just couldn't believe my eyes
She had so many devices
Everything that money could buy
She said sign your name on the dotted line
The lights went out
And Nikki started 2 grind

Nikki

The castle started spinning
Or maybe it was my brain
I can't tell u what she did 2 me
But my body will never be the same
Her lovin' will kick your behind
Oh, she'll show u no mercy
But she'll sho'nuff sho'nuff show u how 2 grind

Darlin' Nikki

Woke up the next morning
Nikki wasn't there
I looked all over and all I found
Was a phone unmber on the stairs
It said thank u 4 a funky time
Call me up whenever u want 2 grind

Oh, Nikki, ohhhh

come back Nikki, come back
Your dirty little Prince
wanna grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind

{backwards at the end...}
"Hello, how r u? I'm fine. 'cause I know
that the Lord is coming soon, coming, coming soon."

It sounds ridiculously silly compared to the explicitness of alot of rap today, and probably even sounded silly back then.

Tipper Gore is married to Al Gore, so you know she's probably not getting laid enough. That's probably one reason she hated the song.  Darling Nikki was getting more action than she was.  Her and the rest of the PMRC were just a bunch of uptight, white, middle-class women who thought that because THEY didn't like the lyrics, and didn't want THEIR kids listening to them, no one's kids should listen to them.

It's all crap and pretty useless anyway.  I bought CDs with those stickers on them at 13, 14 and I don't recall any cashiers at Best Buy giving me grief over it.  All it did was draw attention the artists and make them richer, instead of trying to bankrupt them.  If anything, it made the music that much more attractive, and made more kids want to buy them.  It backfired horribly 99% of the time.  The only time I felt it was justified was for 2 Live Crew.  That garbage should have been made inaccessible to children; hell, no one under 30 should listen to that crap.

Tipper Gore is married to Al Gore, so you know she's probably not getting laid enough. That's probably one reason she hated the song.  Darling Nikki was getting more action than she was.  Her and the rest of the PMRC were just a bunch of uptight, white, middle-class women who thought that because THEY didn't like the lyrics, and didn't want THEIR kids listening to them, no one's kids should listen to them.

It's all crap and pretty useless anyway.  I bought CDs with those stickers on them at 13, 14 and I don't recall any cashiers at Best Buy giving me grief over it.  All it did was draw attention the artists and make them richer, instead of trying to bankrupt them.  If anything, it made the music that much more attractive, and made more kids want to buy them.  It backfired horribly 99% of the time.  The only time I felt it was justified was for 2 Live Crew.  That garbage should have been made inaccessible to children; hell, no one under 30 should listen to that crap.


Try and imagine Al Gore and Tipper Gore in bed. That one gives me the shivers  :-X. Uggh...

Yeah, having that sticker on it just makes it more attractive for kids to buy. And the PMRC were a bunch of morons.

Back in the 80s, Frank Zappa gave the PMRC and Congress an earful about freedom of expression during public hearings on lyrical content. He made it clear that the path the PMRC wanted to take could lead to censorship. You know what they say about good intentions, right?  ;) Seriously, this issue probably has more to do with parenting skills (or lack thereof) than what musicians are putting in their recordings.

The Foo Fighters did a hilarious cover of "Darling Nikki" a few years ago.

Back in the 80s, Frank Zappa gave the PMRC and Congress an earful about freedom of expression during public hearings on lyrical content. He made it clear that the path the PMRC wanted to take could lead to censorship. You know what they say about good intentions, right?  ;) Seriously, this issue probably has more to do with parenting skills (or lack thereof) than what musicians are putting in their recordings.

The Foo Fighters did a hilarious cover of "Darling Nikki" a few years ago.




Like "Catholic Girls." Great song. Thankfully, the PMRC turned out to be no big deal. "Darling Nikki" is an absolutely hilarious song. "Masturbating with a magazine..."

Try and imagine Al Gore and Tipper Gore in bed. That one gives me the shivers  :-X. Uggh...

Yeah, having that sticker on it just makes it more attractive for kids to buy. And the PMRC were a bunch of morons.


Yeah, controversy always sells (there's no such thing as bad publicity, they always say). If you tell kids they can't have something, they'll just want it more.

Without getting too political, you know what? I used to despise Al Gore just because he was married to Tipper, who of course was responsible for the PMRC. However, I've seen various interviews with him ever since - when he was running in 2000, he did an interview with college "kids" televised on MTV. While I don't agree with some of his opinions, overall he actually seems like a nice guy who's more "hip" than I would've thought musically.

That's why it's even WEIRDER to think the Gore's were treating popular music in the '80s like it was worse than Elvis in 1956! Like I've said, I think as long as kids are educated properly on these things, there'll be no need to control what music they listen to.

"Darling Nikki" is an absolutely hilarious song. "Masturbating with a magazine..."


Wouldn't that hurt...?!!

Wouldn't that hurt...?!!



He might have meant that she was using the magazine for inspiration; she saw some really hot guy (or girl) in the magazine, and went to town.

He might have meant that she was using the magazine for inspiration; she saw some really hot guy (or girl) in the magazine, and went to town.


I think that sounds about right...