Lana Del Rey says Apple ‘told us not to swear’ on stage, an example of its family-friendly image

Apple

• Apple often has surprise musical guests appear at its release
  events, and this month’s launch in Brooklyn featured Lana Del
  Rey.
• Del Rey performed songs off her new album “Norman F—–g
  Rockwell,” but she said on stage that she couldn’t say the title
  because Apple asked her not to swear.
• While that request might come as a surprise to some,
  Apple has long positioned itself as a family-friendly brand
  where some things aren’t allowed. Apple doesn’t allow
  pornographic material in its App Store, for example, and some
  of its upcoming
  original content has reportedly been delayed due to
  concerns over “gratuitous sex, profanity, or
  violence.”

Apple closed out its launch event on Tuesday with a performance
from surprise musical guest Lana Del Rey, but in an unusually
transparent move, the singer told the audience she wasn’t able to
actually name drop her song or album due to their explicit
titles.

Del Rey took the stage to perform two songs off her upcoming
album, titled
“Norman F—–g Rockwell.”  She said she was unable to
share the name of the record because Apple “told us not to
swear.” She ran into the same problem when introducing the
track
“Venice B—-h.”

“Again, in the name of swearing, I won’t say the title of the
second track,” Del Rey said. “I’ll call it ‘Venice’ for now.”

While those accustomed to hearing their favorite artists perform
unfiltered at concerns might be surprised at such a request, this
family-friendly approach to its events and services isn’t new for
Apple.
The Wall Street Journal reported in September that CEO Tim
Cook is determined for Apple to present itself as a
family-friendly company, so it’s not a stretch that cursing would
be considered a no-no during a live event that’s streamed
to Apple fans around the world.

We’ve also learned more about what Apple is and isn’t willing to
produce thanks to recent reports on Apple’s
$1 billion venture into original TV programming. The
tech giant has ordered more than a dozen shows, but an
already-produced series from rapper Dr. Dre
was reportedly rejected after Tim Cook flagged scenes
that depicted cocaine use, graphic sex, and “drawn guns.”

Meanwhile, producers of original content like Netflix, Hulu, and
HBO have found great success and popularity in edgy shows like
“House of Cards,” “Handmaid’s Tale,” and “Game of Thrones” that
often include nudity, explicit language, and graphic
violence. 

But that hasn’t stopped Apple from
buying up children’s cartoons and editing its shows, such as
Carpool Karaoke, to
eliminate cursing and make them more family friendly.

At the launch event Tuesday where Del Rey performed,
the tech giant announced a new MacBook Air, iPad Pros,
and Mac Mini.

Past musical guests who have performed at Apple events include

Drake,
Coldplay,
Norah Jones, and
OneRepublic.