McDonald's under fire for questionable lyric in Happy Meal CD

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LUBBOCK, Texas (NBC NEWS) - A music CD distributed in McDonald's Happy Meals has caused concern among parents.

Some people say they hear a curse word in the first track, but McDonald's says Kidz Bop carefully chooses the songs to make sure they're appropriate for young people.

The song is on Kidz Bop Number Six, and right now, children receive one of the discs in McDonald's Happy Meals.

"There's no way," mother Stacy Bobo said. That's the reaction Bobo had when she first listened to track one, "I Don't Want To Be", a cover of Gavin DeGraw's song.

"I heard the expletive. I definitely heard a really bad word," Bobo said.

The question comes in the lyric, "I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wondering what I gotta do".

Some say 'looking' is replaced with the "f word."

"There's no question. That sounds exactly like that word," Bobo said.

Bobo says in a CD labeled "sung by kids for kids", even a questionable lyric is not acceptable.

"No, I think if it sounds like it, it sounds like it. If they think they're saving 'looking,' and that's not what it sounds like, that's not my fault, it still sounds like it," Bobo said. "They seem to repeat a lot of what they hear, and they would definitely be repeating that part."

McDonald's spokesperson Danya Proud responded to the concerns in the following statement:

"We are excited about the energy the Kidz Bop brand brings to Happy Meals during this promotional period with songs "sung by kids for kids.
As with all Happy Meal promotions, premiums are available, while supplies last. It appears that the success of this promotion has resulted in some Atlanta-area McDonald's restaurants not having certain CDs available. This however is not a result of McDonald's pulling the CDs, as previously suggested. Kidz Bop carefully chooses the songs featured on all Kidz Bop CDs, including those songs in the current Happy Meal, to ensure both the subject matter and lyrics are appropriate for our youngest guests. McDonald's further ensures the song selections are consistent with the stringent standards that we attribute to all of our Happy Meal toy offerings. We greatly value the high standards that families hold us to, and we would never include a lyric, word, or song that is inappropriate to children of any age. As with any offering, parents will need to make the final determination about what is appropriate for their family. We know families have a high level of trust in McDonald's. We look forward to continuing to serve families in the manner they have come to expect from McDonald's."

Still, Bobo says she won't let her children listen to this album.

"I would think that there would be a lot of people who find this offensive, and I'm disturbed that it hasn't been caught before this," Bobo said.

 


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Thursday, Jun 11 at 5:07 AM Get a grip wrote ...

I'm quite sure the children hear worse words, from the so-called upset parents. Get a grip we have a bad economy to worry about,let alone trying to make something out of nothing.

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Thursday, May 21 at 9:19 PM Taras wrote ...

I have had every adult in my house listen to the song and we all agree that we all heard the f word. My son said he heard a bad word when i put it on the first time. For those of you who have not heard the kids bop version it has been remade with kids. If they are saying looking then maybe they need to speak clearer because it does not sound like that in the car and I am pissed.

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Friday, May 15 at 3:40 AM James wrote ...

Does it really matter? We have a financial crisis, people are losing their homes, and we are going to be petty enough to care about this? Come on. To answer your future question, Yes, I have children.

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Thursday, May 14 at 8:49 PM LT wrote ...

I am surprised at McDonalds Corporate, with this amount of(warranted) parental concern, why not pull it and abate the controversy!

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Thursday, May 14 at 8:21 PM anonymous wrote ...

i live in illinois and just recently purchased happy meals for my boys not knowing that they were doing the kidz bop cds in them. i have listened to this cd and it does say the f word and i wiil not let my kds listen to it and i am shocked that my kids got this in their happy meal instead of that little toy they look for. they actually thought the workers forgot to put their toy in their meal. if one mcdonald's has pulled this from their happy meals why didn't all of them?

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Thursday, May 14 at 12:27 PM anonymous wrote ...

Unless the happy meal's version has been altered there's no way to mistake that he's saying "LOOKING" even if you're trying to hear the "F" word it doesn't sound like it.

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Thursday, May 14 at 11:39 AM Anonymous wrote ...

I have the CD & it definently says "LOOKING" anything to make publicity!!!

21427284
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Thursday, May 14 at 9:26 AM lar wrote ...

oh come on thats like the if you seek amy thing.people are hearing things.

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Thursday, May 14 at 2:22 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Don't sound like the "F", word to me. Maybe that's where your mind was, at the time you listened to the cd. Someone is always trying to put something out negative about McDonald's.

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