A Comparison:
Fuck You, by Cee Lo Green (and the clean versions) vs. Forget You by Glee (Gweneth Paltrow)
..man. Glee songs I usually think are on par at least with the originals, sometimes better.
This really isn't the case at all with this. This is one of my favourite songs - the full, profane version. I think it matters - the emotion is so much stronger with "Fuck" than "Forget" or "FU". It was the first version I heard, and while the other versions are still good...seriously, profanity really makes the song that much more meaningful. You can tell that someone pissed him off and hurt him when he was younger - and now, he's the winner, and gets to gloat. You can FEEL it. That's what makes the song powerful.
Gweneth Paltrow has an excellent voice. But she does not have emotion for the song. No passion. No GUSTO. This is particularly evident at the end of the 2nd verse. Cee Lo's last line is, "I really hate your ass right now". The line for Glee? "I really hate you right now" It's not really sung, it's just SAID. So little emotion, so little energy outside of saying the words. It feels so weak.
The allure of the song is the passion and the story behind it. You can FEEL Cee Lo telling someone to fuck off. That's what makes the song work. Particularly the 3rd verse, where he's reminiscing, and you can feel the transformation as the song builds to the finale. I don't get that with Paltrow. Good voice, no passion. I can't imagine her telling anyone to fuck off, and that depresses me. The profanity isn't the issue, although it really helps - the problem is she adds no passion. Cee Lo's clean versions still have the passion - this one does not.
And that is sad, for as I said, females swearing is hot. ;_;
