Cee-Lo Green "F*** You"

Would this song have been a success, in the pre-internet world?

20 years ago, if a song didn't get significant radio play, it simply wasn't likely to sell to many records.

And this track, splattered with a certain FCC-unapproved word in its title, verse and chorus, wasn't going to get even the first radio-spin.

But the FCC only governs the airwaves. The interweb is free to say all 7 of George Carlin's Dirty Words, and add pictures.

So this tune has, rightly, become a viral sensation, spawning a much less enjoyable but FCC-friendly version called "Forget You."

But would we have gotten to the point where there was a demand to put this on the airwaves, without the web?

(By the way, despite pronouncements that radio doesn't matter, music sales DO rise and fall, based on radio play. It's just not the ONLY factor any more.)