Parental Advisory
Encyclopedia
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) to audio and recordings in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents Music Resource Center
Parents Music Resource Center
The Parents Music Resource Center was an American committee formed in 1985 with the goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual.The committee was founded by four women: Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice...
(PMRC). The first albums to receive the label in its new form included Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
's self-titled album
Danzig (album)
Danzig is the 1988 debut album of the American heavy metal band Danzig, led by Glenn Danzig who was formerly the songwriter and vocalist of the Misfits and Samhain....
, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
's Louder Than Love
Louder than Love
Louder Than Love is the second studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on September 5, 1989 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its first full-length studio album, Ultramega OK , Soundgarden signed with A&M and began work on its first album for a major label...
, Guns N Roses's Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart...
, and 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
's As Nasty As They Wanna Be
As Nasty As They Wanna Be
As Nasty As They Wanna Be is the third album by Miami rap group 2 Live Crew. It was released in 1989, and became their largest seller, going 2x Platinum. In 1990, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that the album was legally obscene; this ruling was later...
and had the label in the form of a sticker on the cellophane wrap. The first hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
album that received the label is Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
's debut album Rhyme Pays, released in 1987, whose lyrics were associated with gangsta rap, and popularized the genre. Later pressings of Danzig's self-titled, as well as many new albums with the label after 1992, had the label printed onto the artwork. To some, it has become known as the "Tipper sticker" because of Tipper Gore
Tipper Gore
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore , née Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States, and the estranged wife of Al Gore...
's visible role in the PMRC.
Some retailers (such as Walmart) refuse to sell albums containing the label, and many others limit the sale of such albums to adults only, although most stores have settled on an age limit of 17 in order to buy an album containing the label. In some countries, however, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, albums displaying the sticker are available for purchase by persons of any age. While the label is mostly prevalent on rap and rock albums, it can appear on any genre of CD which the RIAA believes warrants the need for one.
Sometimes the sticker reads "Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics". Sometimes it mentions "Parental Guidance".
Logo
Originally, the sticker was a square with a dotted white line near the center of the sticker. The phrase "EXPLICIT LYRICS" was marked on the top, and "PARENTAL ADVISORY" on the bottom. The first incarnation of the logo, introduced in 1990, used a generic font and was used until late 1993, when it was redesigned with a white box in a black rectangle instead of a white bar between black bars. This continued until 1994, when the white bar between black bars design was mixed with the second iteration and "ADVISORY" started using a modified font. In 2001, the fonts for "PARENTAL", "ADVISORY" and "EXPLICIT CONTENT" were simplified, and "EXPLICIT LYRICS" was dropped entirely after being used concurrently with "EXPLICIT CONTENT" for a few years.A variation of the sticker says Parental Guidance instead of Parental Advisory but has only been seen on a few albums, such as Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars is the third studio album by British big beat artist Fatboy Slim, released in 2000. It features Macy Gray, Ashley Slater, Bootsy Collins, Roland Clark, Jim Morrison, and Roger Sanchez as guest contributors...
, Miyavi
Miyavi
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese visual kei musician. His work as guitarist for Dué le Quartz and his successful solo career have established him as an accomplished musician in the Japanese music scene.- Early life :...
's Galyuu
Galyuu
is an album released by Miyavi on December 2, 2003.-Track listing:# "Untitled" – 0:14# "Ippiki Ookami Ron" – 3:22# "Eccentric Otona Yamai ~ Kuso Gaki Ver." – 0:48# "Untitled" – 3:16...
, U.K. copies of Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
's Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' Blackout, and some copies of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's Garage Inc.
Garage Inc.
-Disc two:These tracks are a collection of B-sides from artists Metallica were inspired by, throughout the early years of the band.-Personnel:* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Whiskey In the Jar"...
Controversies
Many albums with few to no instances of strong profanity, instances of violence, and/or sexual situations in lyrics have a Parental Advisory sticker; examples include DanzigDanzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
's first four albums and EP
Thrall: Demonsweatlive
Thrall - Demonsweatlive is an EP by Danzig. It was released in 1993 on Def American Recordings.-Music and recording:The EP is split into two sections. The first section, Thrall, consists of three new studio recordings that were tracked live and completed by the band in a single day...
, Saving Abel
Saving Abel
Saving Abel is a American rock music group from Corinth, Mississippi, who were started in 2004 by Jared Weeks and Jason Null. The band title is from the ancient biblical story of Cain and Abel, that is about a brother who killed his own brother...
's Saving Abel
Saving Abel (2008 album)
Saving Abel is the major label debut album of Saving Abel. It was released on March 11, 2008 and produced by Skidd Mills, producer of their independently released album of the same name....
, Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
's Silent Alarm
Silent Alarm (album)
Silent Alarm is the debut studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. Recorded in Copenhagen and London in mid-2004 with producer Paul Epworth, it was released in February 2005 on Wichita Recordings. The record peaked at number three on the United Kingdom Albums Chart...
and its remix album Silent Alarm Remixed
Silent Alarm Remixed
Silent Alarm Remixed is the remix album to Silent Alarm, the debut album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 29 August 2005 in the British Isles on Wichita Recordings, the band's primary label, and on 13 September 2005 in the United States through Vice Records to coincide with...
, Blue October
Blue October
Blue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...
's History for Sale
History for Sale
History for Sale is the third album by Blue October. The title of the album comes from a lyric in the song "Amazing". It was recorded at Sound Arts Studios in Houston, Texas, and at Stomp Box Studios in Arlington, Texas, and released in the United States on April 8, 2003, by Brando Records...
, Angels and Airwaves's We Don't Need To Whisper
We Don't Need to Whisper
We Don't Need to Whisper is the debut album by American rock band Angels & Airwaves. It was released on May 20, 2006 in Australia, on May 22 in the UK, and on May 23 in North America....
, Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
's Minutes to Midnight and A Thousand Suns
A Thousand Suns
A Thousand Suns is the fourth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was first released on September 14, 2010. The album was written by the band and co-produced by Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, who previously worked together to produce Minutes to Midnight...
, Deftones
Deftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
's Diamond Eyes
Diamond Eyes
Diamond Eyes is the sixth album by American Alternative metal band Deftones, released worldwide on May 4, 2010 through Warner Bros. and Reprise Records...
, CKY
CKY (band)
CKY is an American alternative metal band that formed in West Chester, Pennsylvania in 1998. Centred around core members Deron Miller , Chad I Ginsburg and Jess Margera , the band shares its name with a skateboarding and stunt video series produced by Bam Margera, brother of drummer Jess...
's Volume 1, Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
's Phobia, Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman is a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia, formed in 2001. The band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as Island Records. The band also includes traits of other music styles, such as country and acoustic, as well as their post-grunge and alternative...
's Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman (album)
Theory of a Deadman is the self-titled debut by the band Theory of a Deadman released in 2002.-Album information:The album contained the hit single "Make Up Your Mind"...
, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
's Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, Nonpoint
Nonpoint
Nonpoint is an American nu metal band formed in 1997. The band consists of Elias Soriano and Rob Rivera . Currently they are signed to Razor & Tie and working on new a record which is expected to be released in Spring 2012....
's Recoil
Recoil (album)
Recoil is the third album released by the four-piece alternative metal music group, Nonpoint. It was their only release through Lava Records.The album debuted #115 on the Billboard 200 charts.-Track listing:# "The Same" – 2:58# "The Truth" – 4:02...
, Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
's Gorillaz
Gorillaz (album)
Gorillaz is the debut album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released in March 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today"...
, Sick Puppies
Sick Puppies
Sick Puppies is an Australian rock band, formed in 1997. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Shimon Moore, bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin....
's Tri-Polar
Tri-Polar (album)
-Tour:Sick Puppies supported Rev Theory and Breaking Benjamin during the end of 2009, and also co-headlined a tour with Hurt, The Veer Union, Adelitas Way and Tunnels to Holland as support acts...
, The Script's The Script
The Script (Album)
The Script is the Choice Music Prize-nominated self-titled debut album from Irish band The Script, which was released in the Republic of Ireland on 8 August 2008 and was released in the UK on 11 August 2008 by Phonogenic Records. Following success in the Republic of Ireland the album was released...
and Science and Faith, Rev Theory
Rev Theory
Rev Theory is an American hard rock band formed in 2002 in North Andover, Massachusetts. The band has released three studio albums: Truth Is Currency , Light It Up , and Justice . The song "Voices" is currently being used for World Wrestling Entertainment star Randy Orton...
's Justice
Justice (Rev Theory album)
Justice is the third studio album by the rock band Rev Theory, released on February 15, 2011 by Interscope Records. The first single, also titled "Justice," was released to iTunes and radio on October 25, 2010. Justice peaked at #5 in Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and #75 in the Billboard 200...
, Future Leaders of the World's LVL IV
LVL IV
LVL IV, pronounced Level Four, is the debut album and only album to date by American post-grunge band Future Leaders of the World...
, Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
's Version
Version (album)
-iTunes digital edition:-Japanese CD edition:-Chart performance:-Release history:-External links:* at MetaCritic...
and others. Inversely, albums with multiple uses of explicit language may not have a Parental Advisory, such as the records Antics and Our Love to Admire
Our Love to Admire
Our Love to Admire is the third studio album by the American post-punk revival band Interpol, released July 10, 2007 on Capitol Records. Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village and The Magic Shop Studios in New York City, the album is the group's first to be released on a major label...
by Interpol
Interpol (band)
Interpol is an American indie rock and post-punk revival band from New York City. Formed in 1997, the band's original line-up consisted of Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Greg Drudy . Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino...
, Rockin' The Suburbs
Rockin' the Suburbs
Rockin’ the Suburbs is an alternative rock album by singer/songwriter Ben Folds, released on September 11, 2001 . His first solo album after leaving his band Ben Folds Five , Rockin’ the Suburbs is also Folds' most popular LP to date, and includes the...
by Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, Iowa
Iowa (album)
Iowa is the second album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released by Roadrunner Records on August 28, 2001, it was produced by Ross Robinson and Slipknot. The title derives from the band's home state, Iowa, which members have stated is one of their biggest sources of inspiration...
by Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, Beats, Rhymes & Life
Beats, Rhymes & Life
Outlandish Presents... Beats, Rhymes & Life is a collaborative album released in 2004 by Outlandish and featuring collaborations with artists including The Fugees, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Junoon.-Tracklisting:#"Walou"...
by A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
and some albums/collections released by The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
. It is not a rating; there are no agreed-upon standards for a parental advisory label. It is the record company's decision whether an album needs one or not. Some albums, however, have been considered so extreme in their violent content that even the distributor of the album has put on a secondary warning next to the Parental Advisory sticker, most notably Geto Boys
Geto Boys
Geto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The Geto Boys earned notoriety for its lyrics which included misogyny, gore, psychotic experiences, and necrophilia...
' self-titled album
The Geto Boys (album)
The Geto Boys is the self-titled album by the Geto Boys, which was released in 1990. The album contained 11 revamped tracks from its previous albums Grip It! On That Other Level and Making Trouble and three new songs...
released in 1990.
The presence of a Parental Advisory label does not seem to mean that an album is any more profane than one without. One such example is the death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
's 1993 album Covenant
Covenant (Morbid Angel album)
Covenant is the third official full-length album by Florida based death metal band Morbid Angel. It was released on June 22, 1993. This album represented Morbid Angel's first foray into mainstream metal, through their contract with Giant Records. The music video for "God of Emptiness" was featured...
. While the band was signed on with the major record label Giant Records, pressings of Covenant had the parental advisory sticker in the corner. However, when Giant Records went bankrupt, and Morbid Angel returned to their old independent label Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
, Future pressings of the album no longer contained the sticker.
But many major-label artists' records evade Parental Advisory, such as most albums from Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
, Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
, Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992, originally under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in late 1997, the band regrouped in the same year under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer...
, and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
. Also, Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
's Intimacy
Intimacy (Bloc Party album)
Intimacy is the third studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in two weeks at several locations in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee. Inspired by the release options available in the Internet age, the band members made the...
and its remix album Intimacy Remixed
Intimacy Remixed
Intimacy Remixed is the remix album to Intimacy, the third album by indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 11 May 2009 in the United Kingdom through Wichita Recordings, the band's primary label, in limited edition CD and triple LP formats to coincide with Bloc Party's worldwide touring...
, The Hives
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told...
' Barely Legal
Barely Legal (album)
Barely Legal is an album released in September 1997 by a then-unknown Swedish group called The Hives, from Fagersta, Sweden.The album's second track, "A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T", had a video produced, but it was not commercially released until it was included as an extra on some pressings of Your New...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
's Ten
Ten (Pearl Jam album)
Ten is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. Following the disbanding of bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard's previous group Mother Love Bone, the two recruited vocalist Eddie Vedder, guitarist Mike McCready, and...
, Coheed and Cambria
Coheed and Cambria
Coheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York. Formed in 1995, the group incorporates aspects of progressive rock, punk rock, metal and post-hardcore....
's The Second Stage Turbine Blade
The Second Stage Turbine Blade
The Second Stage Turbine Blade is the first studio album released by rock band Coheed and Cambria. It was originally released on February 5, 2002 through Equal Vision Records. It is the second part of a five-part pentalogy, telling the story of The Amory Wars...
, Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
's Saturate and Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
's Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses do not carry the sticker. Older albums often avoid being given a label even on their CD re-release, such as The Sex Pistols' 1977 LP Never Mind The Bollocks despite its title and repeated strong language in the lyrics. Sometimes when an artist releases their albums on a smaller, more obscure label, the releases can go without the sticker: Blink-182's first two albums, Cheshire Cat and Dude Ranch
Dude Ranch (album)
Dude Ranch is the second studio album by American punk band Blink-182. Recorded at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino, the album was first released on June 17, 1997 in the United States on independent label Cargo Music...
, initially released on smaller, independent label Cargo Music
Cargo Music
Cargo Music Inc. is a record label based in San Diego, California. It distributes records for other labels such as Cherry Red Records, Earth Music, FistPuppet Records, Grilled Cheese, Headhunter Records, Re-Constriction Records, RPM Records and Tackle Box. Notable artists that have been signed to...
, evade the sticker today, despite the band's multi-platinum success.
Moreover, some albums may receive Parental Advisory labels even though these albums contain no use of strong language, sexual references, or violent lyrics at all. Examples include Gorillaz' G-Sides
G-Sides
G Sides is a B-sides collection by Gorillaz, featuring the additional tracks from their first three singles and the Tomorrow Comes Today EP. The compilation was originally released only in Japan in December 2001. The US edition, with a slightly different track listing, followed in February 2002...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
's Seasons in the Abyss
Seasons in the Abyss
Seasons in the Abyss is the fifth studio album by the thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 9, 1990 through Def American Records, and later through American Recordings after the company changed its name. The album's recording sessions began in January 1990...
, and From First to Last
From First to Last
From First to Last was an American rock band based out of Los Angeles, originally hailing from Valdosta, Georgia and Tampa, Florida. The band released their first EP titled Aesthetic in 2003 with vocalist Phillip Reardon, followed by Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count in 2004 and Heroine in...
's self-titled album. One particularly strange occurrence of the Parental Advisory label is Jay-Z: Unplugged
Jay-Z: Unplugged
- Track listing :# "Izzo " - 5:08# "Takeover" - 4:57# "Girls, Girls, Girls" - 4:41# "Jigga What, Jigga Who" - 2:34# "Big Pimpin'" - 4:11# "Heart of the City " - 4:05# "Can I Get A..." - 1:42# "Hard Knock Life " - 1:31...
. While the studio recordings of most of the songs on Unplugged feature profanity, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
used different wording during the performance to make it appropriate for the MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
TV broadcast. Despite the self-censorship, a Parental Advisory label was still printed on the cover.
Some albums, such as Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's All for You, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
's J.Lo, Blink 182's Enema of the State
Enema of the State
Enema of the State is the third studio album by American pop punk band Blink-182. Recorded at various locations throughout California with producer Jerry Finn, the album was first released on June 1, 1999 in the United States on MCA Records...
, Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
's It's Not Me, It's You, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
' The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is the third studio album by American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 29, 1987 on EMI America Records...
, Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
's self-titled debut album
Godsmack (album)
-Controversy:The album caused controversy due to its profane lyrics without a Parental Advisory Label. After listening to his son's copy of the album, a father in the U.S. complained to Wal-Mart, who sold him the album, that the lyrics were offensive. Wal-Mart and Kmart took the album off the...
and Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria are a British metalcore band from York, North Yorkshire. Founded in 2008 when Ben Bruce contacted his old companions upon returning to the UK after residing in Dubai...
's Stand Up and Scream
Stand Up And Scream
Stand Up and Scream is the debut album by English metalcore band Asking Alexandria, released on September 15, 2009 through Sumerian Records. The album has charted at number 170 on the Billboard 200, number 29 on Top Independent albums, and number 5 on Top Heatseekers...
were initially released without a label, despite extremely explicit lyrical content, then re-released with one. The former already had an edited version released in Walmart stores removing one of the heavily sexual tracks, and was then released in 'explicit' (with the label) and 'clean' versions in all stores. The re-releases of All for You and J.Lo added a new remix of the single from the album that was currently being promoted at the time. Both of the remixes were of explicit songs, so the remixes made the albums even more explicit, explaining why the label was added. The latter album, was released normally, with no label or edited version. About a month after its initial release, it was released with a label, alongside an edited version.
Most albums that are of the extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
genre that contain explicit lyrics do not warrant an Advisory label, mostly because the unclean vocals used in the music are not understandable by most, regardless even if the lyrics are included with the album's packaging.
Some albums do not have the label when released in the United States, but bear them when sold in other countries despite being lyrically identical. An example is Avril Lavigne's
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
Under My Skin, which did not bear the label in the United States but did in Canada because of the use of the word "shit" (which alone does not warrant the label's use in America).
Most albums released on Sony Music's record labels (Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
, LaFace Records
LaFace Records
LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...
, J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
, Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, Daylight Records
Daylight Records
Daylight Records was an American record label and subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated through Epic Records.- History :Daylight was founded by David Massey in late 2000 as an Epic Records Group label, and has subsequently signed and helped to develop a broad array of artists, in the...
, Work Records, among others) that contain the PA sticker provide additional explanations of why the disc warrants the sticker and sometimes note that there is a clean version
Radio edit
In music, a radio edit is a modification to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form...
of said album available. On System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
's Hypnotize
Hypnotize (album)
The album was initially going to start with a Middle Eastern style instrumental track entitled "Hezze", which Malakian stated was one of his favorite songs on the record prior its release. It was dropped at the last minute because the group wanted to open the album with a heavy song and because the...
, for instance, under the label it reads "STRONG LANGUAGE, SEXUAL + VIOLENT CONTENT", and on the North American versions of Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
's albums Funhouse
Funhouse (Pink album)
Funhouse is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Pink, released by LaFace Records worldwide in October 2008. Upon its release, the album reached number one on the charts in 6 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands and United Kingdom, while debuting at number two in...
and I'm Not Dead
I'm Not Dead
I'm Not Dead is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Pink. The album was released on April 4, 2006 in the United States....
and Hurricane Chris's debut album under the label it reads "STRONG LANGUAGE". Also, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
's Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in June 2003 through Parlophone Records. After two Radiohead albums that featured heavily processed vocals, less guitar, and strong influence from experimental electronica and jazz, Hail to the Thief was seen...
has a warning of the strong offensive language inside the CD booklet, next to the listed lyrics.
Many albums with the label have clean versions available, especially on online music stores such as iTunes or Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
. However, some of the "clean" stickers may be given to albums with no profanity, such as the case with Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
's self-titled album, which was given a clean sticker because it had three tracks within "Essex Dogs": "Dancehall", the former song, and "Interlude". Strangely, when Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter
Aaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century....
's Self-titled debut album
Aaron Carter (album)
Aaron Carter is the first and self-titled debut album of pop singer Aaron Carter, brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter. It was originally released in December 1997 in Europe and re-released the next year with a new song and a remix, as well as being released in the United States in the...
was released to iTunes, the album had an "explicit" sticker although he was too young to use profanities. In 2006, Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
released a "clean" sticker for their single Must Have Done Something Right
Must Have Done Something Right
"Must Have Done Something Right" is the lead single off Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. The song was officially released to radio in January 2007, along with the music video, which was shot in December 2006 and released on February 6, 2007. The song was released to iTunes...
although the band is known for not using any profanities. In 2007, rock group Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
's "best of" collection was released worldwide through Warner Music Group, with all editions carrying a parental advisory label. A "clean" version of the album was, however, released through iTunes, yet the single instance of profanity found throughout the album (on the track "Why Do You Love Me
Why Do You Love Me
"Why Do You Love Me" is a 2005 song written, performed and produced by alternative rock band Garbage and was released worldwide as the lead single to promote their fourth studio album Bleed Like Me...
") remained uncensored.
A few albums have a note saying that the lyrics are of an adult nature, but without the sticker: Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's Devils & Dust
Devils & Dust
Devils & Dust is the 13th studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, and his third folk album . It was released on April 25, 2005 in Europe and on April 26 in the US...
, James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
's Back to Bedlam, Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales have reached over 2 million worldwide.-Early life:...
's Somewhere In The Real World
Somewhere in the Real World
Somewhere in the Real World is the Gold album by Vanessa Amorosi, released in Australia on 24 May 2008. It was recorded in Los Angeles in 2007, after numerous delays since 2006. "Kiss Your Mama!" was released as the first single from the album on 8 September 2007...
, Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. The band consists of founding members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain , along with keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, and drummer, percussionist and...
's Even If It Kills Me
Even If It Kills Me
Even if It Kills Me is the third studio album by American pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack, released on September 18, 2007. The album was a follow up to their 2005 album, Commit This to Memory and was co-produced by Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys,...
, and Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
' "The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?" is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is unique for the band, consisting entirely of cover versions, mostly of punk and glam rock songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s....
(though some pressings of the latter did use the Parental Advisory sticker).
There have been some cases of unusual use of the label. After Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
campaigned against music censorship in 1985, the sticker was attached to his next album, Jazz from Hell
Jazz from Hell
Jazz from Hell is a Grammy Award–winning instrumental album from Frank Zappa. It was released in 1986 by Barking Pumpkin Records and by Rykodisc .-Album information:...
, because of the title of one track, "G-Spot
G-spot
The Gräfenberg Spot, often called the G-Spot, is a bean-shaped area of the vagina. Many women report that it is an erogenous zone which, when stimulated, can lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and female ejaculation...
Tornado", although the album is entirely instrumental and contains no lyrics that could be "explicit lyrics". The designation of instrumentals as taboo, however, is nothing new; in the 1950s, the "Rumble" instrumental by Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
was banned from some radio stations because it could supposedly incite "juvenile violence".
In some cases, the stickers appear to have had the reverse effect to what was intended—the sticker can make an album more desirable, and the sticker has been called the musical equivalent of an "alcohol content" label. Indeed, the PAL notice itself has achieved a degree of cult status, with comedian George Carlin entitling an album Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics and numerous t-shirts, metal signs, and other paraphernalia bearing the logo.
The RIAA, however, officially states that "it's not a PAL Notice that kids look for, it's the music. Independent research shows kids put limited weight on lyrics in deciding which music they like, caring more about rhythm and melody. The PAL Notice alone isn’t enough incentive."
The label is also seen in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on albums of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
origin. An album with the label is automatically banned in some conservative countries (such as China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
). At Walmart (and until recently K-Mart) stores, only a "clean" version of an album is allowed, and if no "clean" version of the album is available, Walmart will ask the artist to make a "clean" version. But if the artist refuses to make a "clean" version, the album will not be available. However, Walmart's policy on carrying "explicit" versions of music albums in their stores seems to vary by country, as albums with the parental advisory label are found in Canadian Walmart stores, for example. Most albums are available at Walmart in edited formats. However, some albums are available in edited formats at the Walmart website, but are not available in the stores due to controversy. In sharp contrast, retailer Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
only carries uncensored albums in their physical stores, but customers can purchase the "clean versions" at their website for an additional fee whereas in the retail store F.Y.E.
Trans World Entertainment
Trans World Entertainment Corporation is a chain of entertainment media retail stores in the United States. It currently operates just over 440 freestanding and shopping mall-based stores under several brand names....
a customer can purchase either clean or explicit version of an album. A notable exception: while the Guns N Roses album Chinese Democracy
Chinese Democracy
Chinese Democracy is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released in November 2008 on Geffen Records. It is the band's first studio album since "The Spaghetti Incident?" , released exactly 15 years before Chinese Democracy, and their first album of original studio...
carries a Parental Advisory on some online copies, physical Best Buy stores tend to carry only the clean version of the record.
Walmart requested the band Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
to censor their albums American Idiot
American Idiot
American Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released on September 21, 2004 through Reprise Records and was produced by longtime collaborator Rob Cavallo. In mid-2003, the band began recording songs for an album entitled Cigarettes and Valentines...
and 21st Century Breakdown
21st Century Breakdown
21st Century Breakdown is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It is the band's second rock opera, following American Idiot, and their first album to be produced by Butch Vig. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006...
in 2004 and 2009 respectively, or they would refuse to sell them. In both cases, Green Day refused.
Half of American rock band Blink 182's album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Take off Your Pants and Jacket
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is the fourth studio album by the American pop punk band Blink-182. Produced by Jerry Finn, the album was released on June 12, 2001 through MCA Records. Blink-182, after the massive commercial success of their previous album, Enema of the State, entered the studio in...
contains heavy profanity. A song by the trio, "Happy Holidays, You Bastard" was made an instrumental on the edited version of the album and simply retitled "Happy Holidays."
Notable albums with the Parental Advisory label
- Parental Advisory: Explicit LyricsParental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics-Track listing:The order of the album is different from the HBO special.# Offensive Language – 4:48# I Ain't Afraid of Cancer – 1:59# Some People Are Stupid – 2:28# Rape Can Be Funny – 3:52# Feminist Blowjob – 7:28# Good Ideas – 2:29...
by George CarlinGeorge CarlinGeorge Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.... - Take Off Your Pants and JacketTake off Your Pants and JacketTake Off Your Pants and Jacket is the fourth studio album by the American pop punk band Blink-182. Produced by Jerry Finn, the album was released on June 12, 2001 through MCA Records. Blink-182, after the massive commercial success of their previous album, Enema of the State, entered the studio in...
- Blink 182 - very explicit, half of the album having heavy profanity. - Jazz from HellJazz from HellJazz from Hell is a Grammy Award–winning instrumental album from Frank Zappa. It was released in 1986 by Barking Pumpkin Records and by Rykodisc .-Album information:...
- Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
instrumental album that includes a Parental Advisory label due to its title and one track only. - Rhyme Pays - Ice-TICE-T* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
- First rap album to carry the label. - Cherry PieCherry Pie (album)Cherry Pie is the second music album by American heavy metal band Warrant. The record—which spawned the hits "Cherry Pie", "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and "I Saw Red"—is the band's best-known and highest-selling release. The album peaked at number 7 on The Billboard 200.- Production and marketing :Cherry...
- WarrantWarrant (American band)Warrant is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California, that experienced success from 1989-1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its...
- Due to the final track on the album. - Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?-25th Anniversary 2-CD reissue:-25th Anniversary box set:Disc 5 contains both the original album, and the above listed 1987 show in hi-resolution audio....
by MegadethMegadethMegadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
- One of the first albums to carry the label. - In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing UpIn Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up-Video:A companion home video of the concert also exists, featuring the same tracks as the audio except it is bookended by two "bonus" songs. The beginning of the concert starts with a very textured dual drum jam than segues into "Breathe". After playing Stigmata, Jello Biafra comes on stage and...
- MinistryMinistry (band)Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
– A live album notable for a cut-out version of the label on the album (and on its sister VHS/laserdisc release of the album) that can be sent to the U.S. Congress if the listener hates censorship. - Appetite for DestructionAppetite for DestructionAppetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart...
- Guns N' RosesGuns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
- Best-selling album with a parental advisory and first diamond album to carry the label. - Speakerboxxx/The Love BelowSpeakerboxxx/The Love BelowSpeakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released September 23, 2003 on LaFace Records in the United States. Issued as a double album, it clocks in at over two hours and consists of a solo album from both of the group's members...
by OutKastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
- First album of the year winner to carry the label. - Straight Outta ComptonStraight Outta ComptonThe lyrics on the album were mainly written by Ice Cube and MC Ren. Critics of the album expressed their view that the record glamorized Black-on-Black crime, but the emcees stated that the group was simply showing the reality of living in the areas of Compton, California, and South Central Los...
by N.W.A - An album that brought gangsta rapGangsta rapGangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
into the media which proved very controversial, notably "Fuck Tha PoliceFuck tha Police"Fuck tha Police" is a protest song by the gangsta rap group N.W.A that appears on the album Straight Outta Compton. Despite not being a single, it ranked #425 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time....
", for which the FBI sent a letter to the group. - As Nasty as They Wanna BeAs Nasty As They Wanna BeAs Nasty As They Wanna Be is the third album by Miami rap group 2 Live Crew. It was released in 1989, and became their largest seller, going 2x Platinum. In 1990, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that the album was legally obscene; this ruling was later...
by 2 Live Crew2 Live Crew2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
- An album that became so notorious for its depictions of sex it was almost banned. - The Geto BoysThe Geto Boys (album)The Geto Boys is the self-titled album by the Geto Boys, which was released in 1990. The album contained 11 revamped tracks from its previous albums Grip It! On That Other Level and Making Trouble and three new songs...
by Geto BoysGeto BoysGeto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The Geto Boys earned notoriety for its lyrics which included misogyny, gore, psychotic experiences, and necrophilia...
- One of the few albums (in hip hopHip hop musicHip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
specifically) to not only bear the Parental Advisory sticker but an additional warning from the label itself bewaring the buyer about the sexist and violent content which contains descriptions of necrophilia, rape, sex and murder that appear inside the album. The secondary warning was removed from subsequent copies of the album after the original version being pulled off shelves due to an uncleared sample on the song "Gangsta of Love". - Niggaz4Life by N.W.A - The first gangsta rap album that went to number one on the Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
charts and stood there for two weeks in 1991. - Christmas on Death RowChristmas on Death RowChristmas on Death Row is a compilation released by Death Row Records on December 5, 1996. The album sold 200,000 copies. The album was made as a form of charity to the community.- Track listing :#Snoop Dogg ft...
by Various Artists - One of only a few notable holiday albums with the label, and one of the first. - Straight to Hell by Hank III - The first country album with the label.
- Vulgar Display of PowerVulgar Display of PowerVulgar Display of Power is the sixth studio album by heavy metal band Pantera. It was released through Atco Records, on February 25, 1992. It is the last album where Darrell Abbott is credited as "Diamond Darrell". One of the most influential groove metal albums of the 1990s, Vulgar Display of...
by PanteraPanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
- Pantera's first album to feature the Parental Advisory label. The album is said to have had a major role in defining the genre of groove metal. - DoggystyleDoggystyleDoggystyle is the debut album from American rapper Snoop Dogg; released by Death Row Records on November 23, 1993. The album was recorded soon following the release of Dr. Dre's landmark debut album The Chronic , to which Snoop Dogg contributed significantly. His musical stylizations for the album...
by Snoop DoggSnoop DoggCalvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
- debut album, holding the record of the fastest selling solo album ever for seven years (until EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's The Marshall Mathers LPThe Marshall Mathers LPThe Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
) which also has a Parental Advisory sticker. - The ChronicThe ChronicThe Chronic is the solo debut album of American hip hop artist Dr. Dre, released December 15, 1992, on his own record label Death Row Records, and distributed by Priority Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in June 1992 at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman...
and The Chronic 2001, both Dr. DreDr. DreAndre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
albums, criticized for gangsta themes and misogynistic lyrics, and both going multi-platinum. - IllmaticIllmaticIllmatic is the debut album of American rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994, on Columbia Records. Following his signing to Columbia with the help of MC Serch, recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording...
by NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
- Debut album from rapper Nas. It is considered to be a landmark album in east coast hip-hop as well as an influential album in rap history. - Devil Without a CauseDevil Without a Cause-Tracklisting for clean version:-Demos:-Samples:*"Bawitdaba"**"Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang*"Cowboy"**"Midnight Rider" by The Allman Brothers Band**"L.A...
by Kid RockKid RockRobert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
and Antichrist SuperstarAntichrist SuperstarAntichrist Superstar is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. The record's success in mainstream charts propelled the band into a household name and turned its frontman overnight...
& Portrait of an American FamilyPortrait of an American FamilyPortrait of an American Family is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
by Marilyn MansonMarilyn MansonMarilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
- These albums all fell under intense controversy following the school shootings of the late 1990s. - Significant OtherSignificant OtherSignificant Other is the second album by American nu metal band Limp Bizkit, released on June 22, 1999. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 834,000 copies in its first week and received a Grammy Award nomination later in the year of its release. The RIAA certified it 7x platinum in...
by Limp BizkitLimp BizkitLimp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
- the song Break StuffBreak Stuff"Break Stuff" is a song by the nu metal band Limp Bizkit. Break Stuff is the band's fourth and final single that resulted from their studio album Significant Other. The single was released alongside "N 2 Gether Now".-Music video:...
blamed for Woodstock '99 violence. - Erotica by MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
- The first album by pop superstar Madonna to carry the warning. - Body CountBody Count (album)Body Count is the eponymous debut album of American heavy metal band Body Count. Released in 1992, the album material focuses on various social and political issues ranging from police brutality to drug abuse. The album presents a turning point in the career of Ice-T, who co-wrote the album's songs...
by Body CountBody CountBody Count is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1990. The group is fronted by rapper and actor Ice-T, who founded the group out of his interest in heavy metal music, taking on the role of vocalist and writing the lyrics for most of the group's songs. Lead guitarist...
- Early pressings contained the notorious song Cop KillerCop Killer (song)"Cop Killer" is a song by American band Body Count, from its 1992 self-titled debut album. The lyrics are sung from the point of view of an individual who is outraged by police brutality and decides to take the law into his own hands by killing police officers...
which was removed in later copies. - SplinterSplinter (The Offspring album)-Enhanced version:The Enhanced CD portion of the CD contains the following:* Da Hui Video* Da Hui Video * Demo Studio Tour* 4 wallpapers* 2 MP3 tracks:*"The Kids Aren't Alright" *"When You're in Prison"...
by The OffspringThe OffspringThe Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
- Some copies also carry a label stating "This album carries an explicit content sticker because it contains 11 expletives." - Hell's Pit by Insane Clown PosseInsane Clown PosseInsane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
Label reads "Extreme Parental Advisory" - J.Lo by Jennifer LopezJennifer LopezJennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
- All for You by Janet JacksonJanet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
- GodsmackGodsmack (album)-Controversy:The album caused controversy due to its profane lyrics without a Parental Advisory Label. After listening to his son's copy of the album, a father in the U.S. complained to Wal-Mart, who sold him the album, that the lyrics were offensive. Wal-Mart and Kmart took the album off the...
by GodsmackGodsmackGodsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
labeled with a parental advisory in the wake of parents complaining to Walmart about the albums content, leading the retailer to recall the album and removing existing copies from its shelves. - DemolitionDemolition (Judas Priest album)Demolition is British heavy metal band Judas Priest's fourteenth studio album, and the first in the decade of the 2000s. It is the second and final studio album to feature Tim 'Ripper' Owens on vocals and one of the few albums to feature a Parental Advisory label...
by Judas PriestJudas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
- The only Judas Priest album to contain the label because some of the songs contain profanity. - The Downward SpiralThe Downward SpiralThe Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released March 8, 1994, on Interscope Records. It is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning of his "downward spiral" to his climactic attempt at suicide...
by Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
- Critically acclaimed album criticized for violent, sexual and cannibalistic themes. - Desensitized by Drowning PoolDrowning PoolDrowning Pool is a four-piece alternative metal band from Dallas, Texas.-Early days :Drowning Pool rose to fame while playing along with Ozzy Osbourne during an Ozzfest tour. Their 2001 debut album, Sinner was certified platinum within six weeks...
- contains porn star Jesse JaneJesse JaneJesse Jane is an American pornographic actress and model.-Early life:Jane was a military brat who grew up on various military bases in the Midwestern United States. She did extensive dance training and was a varsity cheerleader at her high school in Rose Hill, Kansas...
on the cover, later censored. - #11 (Fischerspooner album)#1 is the first full length album by electroclash duo Fischerspooner released in 2001. The album originally received a limited run on International Deejay Gigolos Records, and contained "The 15th", a cover of a Wire song from their album 154. #1 has been re-pressed several times with a different...
by FischerspoonerFischerspoonerFischerspooner is an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. The name is a portmanteau of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner... - Swan SongsSwan Songs (Hollywood Undead album)Swan Songs is the debut album by Hollywood Undead, released through Octone Records. The album was released on September 2, 2008. "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes...
by Hollywood UndeadHollywood UndeadHollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011...
- Heavy profanity and sexual references are pervasive on nearly all songs on the album, primarily on "UndeadUndead (song)"Undead" is a song by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead, the first track and third single from their debut full-length album, Swan Songs.-Reception:...
", "Everywhere I Go", "No. 5", "Bottle and a Gun", "California", and "The Diary". - Blood Sugar Sex MagikBlood Sugar Sex MagikBlood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Rick Rubin, it was the band's first record released on Warner Bros. Records...
by Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
- Sometimes carries a sticker claiming the record "contains language that some people may find offensive", though some copies carry the Parental Advisory sticker instead. Heavy profanity and sexual themes are pervasive through the album, mostly on "Suck My KissSuck My Kiss"Suck My Kiss" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was released as the third single from their fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The "Suck My Kiss" single was released in 1992 in Australia only; a music video was made for the song using footage from the Funky Monks documentary...
" and "Sir Psycho Sexy". - You've Come a Long Way, BabyYou've Come a Long Way, BabyYou've Come a Long Way, Baby is the second studio album by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released on 19 October 1998 through the label Skint Records. The album liner notes state that the album was made at The House of Love. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number...
by Fatboy SlimFatboy SlimNorman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
- Originally carried two different variations of the logo depending on where it was bought. In the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it was a warning that read "Warning: This Recording Contains Explicit Language". In the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it was the "Parental Guidance" version of the logo. - Welcome to the VideosWelcome to the VideosWelcome to the Videos is a DVD released in 1998 featuring music videos by the American rock group Guns N' Roses. All the videos featured were made between 1987 and 1994...
by Guns N' RosesGuns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
was one of the first music DVDs to carry the logo, upon the DVD release in 2003. - FutureSex/LoveSoundsFutureSex/LoveSoundsIn 2005, Timberlake felt inspired to record songs again. Motivated by the "sad state" of pop radio, he decided he needed to experiment with music. Reportedly, it was not until Timberlake turned to producer Timbaland "that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take"...
by Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
- Contains the logo inside a white box, with the extra message "Strong Language" beneath it. Sometimes, the color of the entire box, including the logo and extra message, were inverted. - The Lady KillerThe Lady Killer (album)The Lady Killer is the third studio album by American recording artist Cee Lo Green, released November 5, 2010, on Elektra Records. Production for the album was handled by Salaam Remi, Element, The Smeezingtons, Fraser T...
by Cee-Lo Green - I Don't Want You BackI Don't Want You BackI Don't Want You Back is the debut album by American R&B singer Eamon, released in the United States on February 17, 2004. The album features his hit single, "Fuck It ."-Track listing:#"Intro" - 0:15...
by EamonEamon (singer)Eamon Jonathan Doyle, professionally known as Eamon, is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is known for his hit single, "Fuck It "....
- Large amount of profanity, particularly in single "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)"Fuck It " is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American R&B singer Eamon. It was released in November 2003 as the lead single from the album, I Don't Want You Back....
", which set a Guinness World RecordGuinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
for "the most expletivesProfanityProfanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
in a #1 song." - Return of DragonReturn of Dragon-Chart and singles history:...
by SisqoSisqóMark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...
- The logo is inverted. - Los CochinosLos CochinosLos Cochinos is a 1973 comedy album recorded by Cheech & Chong. The Spanish term cochino is a derogatory way of referring to a pig, as it also means "dirty", in contrast to cerdo, a more neutral word for a pig as an animal...
by Cheech & Chong - released a decade before the PMRC. Probably the oldest album to receive the label. - CreaturesCreatures (Motionless in White album)Creatures is the debut album by American metal band Motionless in White, released on October 12, 2010 through Fearless Records. The album spawned three singles, "Abigail", "Immaculate Misconception", and the title track, all three of which had accompanied music videos as well...
by Motionless in WhiteMotionless in WhiteMotionless in White is an American metalcore band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2005, the group is known for its dark horror-themed lyrics and physical appearances, that of which heavily correspond to gothic imagery. Motionless in White is currently signed to Fearless Records and have...
- one of the first albums released through Fearless Records to feature a Parental Advisory label. - Use Your Illusion I (video)Use Your Illusion I (video)Use Your Illusion I is a live VHS/DVD by Guns N' Roses. Filmed live at the Tokyo Dome, Japan on February 22, 1992 during the Japanese leg of the Use Your Illusion tour, this recording features the first half of the concert, the second half appearing on sister volume Use Your Illusion II...
and Use Your Illusion II (video)Use Your Illusion II (video)Use Your Illusion II is a live VHS/DVD by Guns N' Roses. Filmed live at the Tokyo Dome, Japan on February 22, 1992 during the Japanese leg of the Use Your Illusion tour, this recording features the second half of the concert, the first half appearing on sister volume Use Your Illusion I...
by Guns N' RosesGuns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
feature a notably enlarged version of the logo as a sticker on original VHS copies. - Think Tank by BlurBlur (band)Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
is the only album by the band to feature the sticker and was featured for drug references only, rather than strong language - perhaps being one of the only instances where this has happened. - Lord Don't Slow Me DownLord Don't Slow Me DownLord Don't Slow Me Down is a rockumentary film, looking back on British rock band Oasis' Don't Believe the Truth world tour which took place from May 2005 to March 2006. The film is directed by Baillie Walsh...
by OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
- Contains the logo on the DVD spine rather than on the cover/back cover etc. - Lemonade and BrowniesLemonade and BrowniesLemonade and Brownies is the name of Sugar Ray's debut album, released in 1995.DJ Lethal produced for the album, providing all of the DJing...
by Sugar RaySugar RaySugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
- From the band's days as a metal band, these would be the only album with a PA sticker. - Pure Hip Hop by DJ Swerve - features a very large version of the symbol.
- Fastlife by Joe JonasJoe JonasJoseph Adam "Joe" Jonas is a Pop American singer, musician, actor, and dancer. He is a member of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band made up of him and his two brothers, Nick and Kevin...
- due to the Lil WayneLil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
remix of "Just in LoveJust in Love"Just in Love" is a song performed by the American singer Joe Jonas. The song was written by Jonas and James Fauntleroy and produced by Rob Knox, taken from his debut solo album Fastlife. It was released on September 13, 2011 by Hollywood Records, as the second single from the album. The song...
". - HarmonyHarmony (Never Shout Never album)Harmony is the second studio album by Never Shout Never and was released August 24, 2010. The packaging of the CD comes with flower seeds with planting instructions "so you can get involved and make the world a more beautiful place!" The album was streamed on his MySpace on August 22, 2010...
and What is Love?What Is Love? (album)What Is Love? is the debut album by Never Shout Never, which was released on January 26, 2010.The album debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200.-Track List:Disk 1.# "Love is Our Weapon" – 2:28# "Jane Doe" – 1:56# "Can't Stand It" – 2:50...
by Never Shout Never
Other recordings
The following recordings don't necessarily contain the label in the US but may elsewhere.- For Your EntertainmentFor Your Entertainment (album)For Your Entertainment is the debut studio album by Adam Lambert, the American Idol season 8 runner-up. It was released on November 23, 2009...
by Adam LambertAdam LambertAdam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
- Given a sticker in some countries mostly due to the track "Fever", which contains homosexuality as well as taboo content found on the title track. - Master of PuppetsMaster of Puppets-Personnel:Metallica* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on track 1, first solo on tracks 2 and 7* Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals* Lars Ulrich – drums* Kirk Hammett – lead guitarProduction...
by MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
- Early pressings parody the "explicit lyrics" warnings of the time by warning that only one song (Damage, Inc.) would use profanity. Current copies do not carry any warning at all. - "The Spaghetti Incident?""The Spaghetti Incident?""The Spaghetti Incident?" is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is unique for the band, consisting entirely of cover versions, mostly of punk and glam rock songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s....
by Guns N Roses - Some copies contain a warning sticker warning of the content before concluding with "so don't say we didn't warn you!" with the signature "GN'FN'R". This sticker has since been dropped from CD issues. - Use Your Illusion IUse Your Illusion IUse Your Illusion I is the third studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. It was the first of two albums released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour, the other being Use Your Illusion II. The two are thus sometimes considered a double album. In fact, in the original vinyl...
& Use Your Illusion IIUse Your Illusion IIUse Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. It was one of two albums released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour, and as a result the two albums are sometimes considered a double album...
by Guns N Roses - The CD case carried a sticker displaying "This album contains language which some listeners may find objectionable. They can F?!* off and buy something from the New Age section." These have since been dropped from CD issues, and they never appeared on any other format (cassette versions feature the original Parental Advisory logo). - Ain't It FunAin't It Fun"Ain't It Fun" is a song written by written by Peter Laughner and Gene O'Connor and performed by their protopunk band Rocket from the Tombs. The song was first released by O'Connor's later group, The Dead Boys, on their 1978 second studio album We Have Come for Your Children...
by Guns N' Roses featured a text non-sticker version on the cassette version reading "Contains Explicit Language". - Familiar to MillionsFamiliar to MillionsFamiliar to Millions is a live album by the British rock band Oasis. It was recorded at Wembley Stadium on 21 July 2000. It debuted at #5 in the UK charts with 57,000 copies sold in the first week. To date Familiar to Millions has sold around 310,000 copies in Britain alone , about 70,000 copies in...
by OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
also features a text non-sticker version on the back cover (of all versions), but is longer and different than the one mentioned for Ain't It Fun. - Several albums from the JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese visual keiVisual Keiis a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics. Some sources state that visual kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of Japanese rock, with its...
band THE GAZETTE, i.e. DimDim (album)Dim is the fourth studio album by Japanese rock band The Gazette. It was released on July 15, 2009 in Japan. It includes the three lead up singles: "Guren", "Leech", and "Distress and Coma"...
.