With legendary singer Kate Smith being exorcised from American culture because of a number of racially insensitive - or racist - songs recorded in the 1930s, the question arises, should other artists who have written, filmed or recorded work that could be described as politically incorrect, have all their work be cast aside, no matter how popular they are.

The most recent example is music icon Carole King, whose "Tapestry" album (1971) remains one of the best selling LPs of all time with more than 25 million sold.

But earlier in her career, King - with writing partner Gerry Goffin - penned a song that by today's standards seems almost horrific: "He Hit Me (But It Felt Like A Kiss)." The song was recorded by The Crystals and released in 1962. Here are the lyrics:

He hit me
And it felt like a kiss
He hit me
But it didn't hurt me
He couldn't stand to hear me say
That I'd been with someone new,
And when I told him I had been untrue
He hit me
And it felt like a kiss
He hit me
And I knew he loved me
If he didn't care for me
I could have never made him mad
But he hit me,
And I was glad
Yes, he hit me
And it felt like a kiss
He hit me
And I knew I loved him
And then he took me in his arms
With all the tenderness there is,
And when he kissed me,
He made me his.
Given the current cultural climate, which is more insensitive, even hateful? And as removal of Smith from the cultural zeitgeist continues, the question remains: To be consistent, should King - who remains highly popular - be removed as well?

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