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'Clive [Davis] tried to tell me that saying certain words in a song- or as he says, 'putting some balls into it'- isn't bad, it's just strong emotion. Well, there are certain words and emotions I don't want kids hearing, and I'm not changing because they think it's going to sell better. This is going to sound horrible, but I got 12 million votes doing what I did.' -''Time, 10/5/03 - describing pressure he got from RCA to 'edge-up' his songs to boost sales.

Clay Aiken#3

MusicFamilyIntegrityValues

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About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker resisted pressure to use stronger language in songs to appeal to children, citing his public vote count as justification.
In plain terms
He refused to add profanity to songs because he does not want kids to hear it.
What can you take from it?
Artistic choices should align with personal values about audience impact.

Where it applies

  • songwriting
  • public pressure

Putting it to work

  • maintain standards for audience

Questions to consider

  • How do you balance artistic freedom and audience safety?

Another view

Vote counts may not justify all artistic decisions.

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