Rolling Stones dispute NFL's "censor agreement"

The Rolling Stones, fresh off a mediocre performance during Sunday's Super Bowl in Detroit, are upset with the NFL censoring two words from their mini-concert.

Janet Jackson's legacy continues to haunt the annual big game.

From Marc Caro's Chicago Tribune "Pop Machine" blog:

A Stones spokeswoman Tuesday refuted the league’s contention that singer Mick Jagger agreed to self-censor his lyrics during band’s Super Bowl halftime performances of "Start Me Up" and "Rough Justice" — and the NFL backed down from its initial contention that he had.

During the coda of "Start Me Up," the vocals suddenly went silent as Jagger finished the line "You make a dead man..." Another word, a sexually suggestive synonym for roosters, was omitted near the start of "Rough Justice."

After the show, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Jagger simply didn’t sing those lyrics, respecting a league request. "He agreed that he probably should not sing those particular words," McCarthy said. "They were fine with it."

But Stones spokeswoman Fran Curtis said Jagger wasn’t fine with the request and performed the songs in their entirety.