Whether they say it outright or not, people who claim to enjoy Nu-Metal in 2023 are only saying so because of nostalgia. Hell, they aren’t even getting the best of what Nu-Metal had to offer when listening to classics like Godsmack or Coal Chamber on Spotify or iTunes. Because to the best of my knowledge, those platforms only provide the unedited, profanity-laced versions of Nu-Metal classics, presented the way the artists truly intended. And that shit is whack.
It’s impossible for me to believe anyone could truly enjoy Limp Bizkit’s “Significant Other” through anything other than a portable CD player with an edited CD your parents bought you from Walmart. “Everything is” what, exactly, Mr. Durst?
Think about it in a horror film sense. Nothing compares to classics like Halloween or Blair Witch Project because those directors didn’t need to show all the gore and splatter. No, they allow the viewer to manifest the terror in their own minds. Now, think about that with Nu-Metal. When Sully from Godsmack says, “Better ____in’ Go Away!” in their hit song “Whatever,” I believe the vagueness of the edit leaves the power of the profanity in the listener’s hands.
I mean, is he saying, “Better DOGSHIT Go Away?” or “Better SUCKMYBALLS Go Away?” “Better FUCKINPISS?” Who knows? But the mystery works better than being in your face about it.
Say you’re at a small office party and you’re asked to put on some tunes. Everyone’s had their fun, so it’s time to get the real party started with some rock music. “Y’all Want a Single?” by Korn comes on. After about 15 seconds into the song, you see the horrified look of your boss and coworkers as they look at your Bluetooth speaker. He’s clearly yelling “Say FUCK That!” Now you’re jobless all because you didn’t play the acceptable version where he says, “Suck That!” Now you know why Walmart wanted to protect you from those dirty words all those years ago.
If you’re going to do nu-metal, do it right and keep all those cuss words out of it. That sort of profanity always took away from the truly deep, heartfelt meaning of the genre in the first place.