Doja Cat - Need to Know

It has been years since I have been into any type of new
music. I have really been into Doja Cat's “Need to Know”
lately and the official clean version still has some
choice words in tact. Promo Only issued their version as
the “PO Clean Edit” but to me it sounds too choppy. In
fact, up until a few days ago the official “clean”
version in Promo Only’s pool was incorrect (it was a
repeat of the PO Clean Edit). I contacted them and you
can now download the official clean version. I have to
say their customer service is excellent.

My original reason for posting this is that on my local
radio stations (94.5 WPST and 96.5 WTDY Philadelphia)
both play a version that is neither the official clean
version nor the PO clean version. There are a ton of
additional edits floating around on YouTube but I’m
pretty certain none are official. In fact the version I
hear on these two stations may also not be official. I
can confirm that they are indeed the same version on both
stations. The edits sound too clean to be unofficial. I
do not believe the record company ever released an
official instrumental so I do not know how the stations
would be able to mute the lyrics and keep the music
playing. At first I thought maybe they pulled a bar of
instrumental from another part of the song but there are
no breaks. I know instrumentals are available on YouTube
as well but again I’m not sure if they are official
although they sound pretty darn close.

Can anyone give me some more information on this track?
Thanks!

If this is an in-house edit it sounds better than Promo
Only's edit. So this brings on another question: Do
radio stations share in-house edits? Is there a chance
they would grab something off of YouTube and call it a
day?

The version you downloaded from Qobuz if most likely the
official clean version which is by far superior. I have
the complete clean album on Napster and they do an
excellent job on all the songs. I'm actually thinking
about purchasing the entire clean album (I would pick it
up on Qobuz but I still have a $36 balance on iTunes).

Did Promo Only update their PO Clean Edit? I don't see any
indication of an update in my POOL.

John, Promo Only did update the "clean" version on the
single release. There is no indication of the update but
it was updated I have both files. The original was the
"PO Clean Edit" mis-labeled as "clean" on the single
release. The updated is just the clean album version
from the label. I do not know where to get the radio
edit I have heard on three different stations.

I heard yet another edit on KIIS-FM 102.7 out of LA
today. I think I heard this one at one point on YouTube.
The line "Spank me, slap me, choke me, bite me (ew)" was
edited like "—— me, —— me, —— me, —— me (ew)" which
sounded really odd. I guess just as odd as the radio
edit in question that I posted where they take out the
entire line and it's just instrumental. Speaking of
instrumental how do YouTubers get their hands on these
instrumentals? This one sounds awfully close:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5GQZI-q6uk

It says in the comment section it was leaked on discord.

The following is probably the best radio edit (meaning
cleaning up the "clean version" I have heard on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJQ_EjyDvMI

Some edits are jarring but for the most part it is not
that bad. This one omits the not just the entire "Spank
me, slap me, choke me, bite me (ew)" line but the entire
paragraph ("I can't stand it, just one night me
Clink with the drink, gimme a sip
Tell me what's your kink, gimme the d—
Spank me, slap me, choke me, bite me (ew)
Uh, wait, I can take it (ah)
Give a f—- 'bout what your wifey's sayin' (yeah)").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJQ_EjyDvMI

I believe Gary meant that they took out the entire "I just
want to f*** all night" line and not just the word.
Taking out just the "f" word has been "okay" on radio
since at least 1994. Nine Inch Nails "Closer" comes to
mind right away.

So Gary, can you shed some light on how your station goes
about editing tracks? Do you have to get prior approval
from the label? Where do you obtain instrumentals if they
are not available? Thanks!