Target's heavily promoted Justin Timberlake album contains profanity. So what?

No blurry vision here. Target Corp.'s exclusive release of Justin Timberlake's special edition "20/20 Experience" has been an unqualified success.

Though the retailer would not disclose specific figures, Target did say first week sales places it among the company's top three best selling albums of the decade. JT also became Target's best selling male artist since 2002. (He failed, however, to overtake Taylor Swift's "Fearless" as Target's best selling first week album of all time.)

Target certainly rolled out the red carpet for JT's first album in six years. ABC aired a well received commercial created by Target immediately following JT's performance at the Grammy Awards. Target also threw an elaborate party and concert in Los Angeles on the day of the album's release last month.

But lost in the hoopla is the album's content, specifically the hit single "Suit & Tie." The song contains six references to a swear word that sounds like ship. Rapper mogul Jay-Z, who pops up in the middle of the song, contributes a derogatory word commonly associated with African Americans.

Here are some of the lyrics:

I be on my suit and tie, s*** tie, s***tie (Repeats several times)

D'usses on doubles, ain't looking for trouble
You just got good genes so a n*** trying to cuff you

And it doesn't get any more mainstream than Target.

"Target's approach is to support the creativity and artistry of our music partners and the way they choose to present their music," Target spokeswoman Katie Boylan wrote in a statement.

"As we seek out partners, there are a number of things Target considers, including how the artist's music may resonate with Target's guests," she said. "We also look at how their past albums have performed in the general market and at Target, as well as broader industry trends."

It didn't seem so long ago when Tipper Gore, who co-founded the Parents Music Resource Center, urged Congress to pass a law requiring record companies to slap warning labels on songs that contain "objectionable content."

Today the record company and artist, working with the Recording Industry Association of America, ultimately decides whether an album requires a "Parental Advisory Warning." (PAW)

Wal-Mart, Target's chief rival, outright bans any album with the PAW label. The retailer also said "it occasionally may refuse to stock music merchandise that may not seem appropriate."

20/20 Experience does not carry a PAW label and both Target and Wal-Mart sell the album.

Part of the reason is context. "Suit & Tie" is a fairly benign song. And JT is a an artist with a clean cut reputation along the likes of other Target-affiliated artists like Tony Bennett, Swift, Beyonce (Jay-Z's wife), and Michael Buble.

But then again, the pop band Maroon 5 is not exactly a hard core act. (Lead singer Adam Levine is a guest judge on NBC's The Voice for Pete's sake!) The group's "Overexposed" album features a PAW label, mostly because of the F-bombs found in the song "Payphone."

For the record, Target does sell the original version of Overexposed. Wal-Mart will only sell the edited version of Overexposed. So by these standards, s*** and n***a are acceptable but f*** is still out of bounds.