Being a fan of the Rock Band games, I do indeed have all of them and a slew of DLC songs. I think it's great that the same songs can be played across the games but Lego Rock Band remains an intriguing case. As this is a game clearly aimed at a younger audience, the DLC songs that can be played are classified as 'family friendly'. Not a bad decision but there are some cases of 'family friendly' material that left me baffled as to how they managed to acquire such a tag. Namely:
Alice in Chains - No Excuses
What, did someone forget to inform Harmonix that this is a song about drug addiction?
Clash - I Fought the Law
One gets the impression that Harmonix was intent on inserting ideas into the minds of would-be troublemakers and already-there troublemakers.
Damned - Smash it Up
See above. In addition, I think it;s funny to see a song entitled Smash it Up in a game based around a toy dedicated to building.
Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want to
Hurrah for gay sex. Okay, so I see nothing wrong with parents teaching children about gays and explaining how people are different but the omission of the line "I blew him before you' is sure to puzzle some young minds.
Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of your Life)
Okay so there's nothing wrong with this one - but I'd just like to point out that's nice that Harmonix is there to remind us that there is a first half to the song title (even as so many people like deny it)
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Foxey lady
This is 'family friendly'? Now that i think of it I'm not sure. Or maybe I'm speaking as someone who was first exposed to the song as an eight year old watching Wayne's World at the cinema.
Megadeth - Hanger 18
Seems one can never be too young to be exposed to Thrash metal
Pearl Jam - Porch
Again some missing words may trigger some suspicions in the young child's mind.
Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy
And it seems that one isn't too young to be exposed to the Ramones either. Me, I'm not sure when I first became aware of the Ramones but I do know that I had heard the word lobotomy for years before I actually learned what it meant.
Stephen and the Colberts - Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)
Yes it may be a parody but surely a song about stalking would be anything but 'family friendly'?
System of a Down - Toxicity
Considering the hyper-politicized content and intensity of System of a Down's material it is indeed puzzling that they managed to get the 'family friendly' tick of approval.
Tenacious D - The Metal
One can imagine the kids would be familiar with Jack Black through Kung fu Panda - so needless to say they're in for a shock when they discover the music of Tenacious D.
Of course I'm not saying all of this to be some stick in the mud - after all, if a parent is doing the responsible thing in what their children can and cannot see then there is no problem - but has to wonder at the decisions being made in the Harmonix think tank.
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