Godonly knows what I'd be withoutyou.
The Beatles were also banned on multiple occasions. In June 1967, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was banned by the BBC for alleged drug/LSD references. The BBC has also banned Beatles songs "Back in the U.S.S.R," "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," "Come Together," "A Day in the Life," and "I Am the Walrus." Lennon's "Cold Turkey" was not played on American radio due to drug references, and several Beatles songs were suggested to be temporarily withdrawn from rotation after 9/11.
They also had to reissue one album because of its cover art involving meat and baby dolls.
editorialnote:there’salso“TheBalladofJohnandYoko”anditstalkof crucifixion--areferencetoreligiousgroups’offense,albumburning,andradiobans overLennon’squipinaninterviewthattheBeatleswere“morepopularthanJesus”
On September 17, 1967 The Doors performed "Light My Fire" on the Ed Sullivan show. There was supposed to be a catch. They were asked to change the lyric "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl, we couldn't get much better." Singer Jim Morrison sang the original lyric on air, causing the band to be banned from future performances on the show.
Recorded in 1972 but held back by her label until 1975, country singer Loretta Lynn's "The Pill" is a comic-tinged story of a wife who continually gets pregnant but finds a way to control her own reproductive choices. Many radio stations refused to play it due to content regarding birth control. It still achieved #5 on the country singles and #70 on the Hot 100 charts, and is a departure from Lynn's socially conservative Christian messaging and general refusal to engage in political stances. In a 1975 Playgirl, Lynn stated that rural physicians told her "The Pill" did more to highlight the availability of birth control than all the literature they had released.
In 1977, The Sex Pistols released "God Save the Queen" to coincide with the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The antiestablishment, anti-royalist song, which called the monarchy a "fascist regime," was banned by the BBC. Despite not being aired, the single achieved #1 on the NME (New Musical Express music magazine) charts.
On December 17, 1977 Elvis Costello was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. He had been asked not to play "Radio Radio," which was considered anti-media. He began his live appearance with "Less Than Zero," then switched to "Radio Radio." This reportedly infuriated the studio. Costello did not appear on SNL again for 1 when he appeared onstage with the Beasti Boys playing "Sabotage," and then performed "Radio Radio" with them.
"In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, released in 1981 was banned by the BBC as one of 67 songs deemed too sensitive for airplay during the Gulf War.
In 1985, McCollum v. CBS saw the parents of a nineteenyear-old sue Ozzy Osbourne and CBS Records, claiming lyrics in the song "Suicide Solution" persuaded their son to his suicide. The courts held that lyrics are constitutionally protected free speech.
Also in 1985, the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), published the "Filthy Fifteen" list of songs it judged the most objectionable due to references regarding alcohol, drugs, sex, violence, or “the occult." The PMRC, founded by Tipper Gore, pushed for a ratings system and lyrics printed on the outside of albums so as to be easily previewed by parents. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) opposed the PMRC. Senate hearings ensued and musicians John Denver, Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister, and Frank Zappa testified regarding artistic expression. Following the hearings, the implementation of the Parental Advisory label began. Certain retailers, will not stock content with this label, causing some artists to self-censor their work. For instance, when Nirvana released "In Utero," it contained the track "Rape Me," which was changed to "Waif Me" for Wal-Mart and K-Mart sales.
In 1988, N.W.A recorded the explicit protest song "F*** tha Police." Its lyrics satirize trials, with Dr. Dre as judge and MC Ren, Ice Cube, and Easy-E testifying in prosecution against the police department and its use of racial profiling and brutality. The end of the song finds the police guilty of being "redneck, white-bread, chicken**** mother******[s]" although officers say the rappers were lying. In 1989, the only radio station in the world at the time to play the song, Australian staion Triple J, banned it. According to rumor, staff then replaced every song on the station’s playlist with N.W.A's "Express Yourself" for 24 hours, (The Sydney Morning Herald reported it playing from 9am to 6pm).
In 2011, New Zealand musician Tiki Taane was arrested for "disorderly behavior likely to cause violence" after performing the song at a club.
Madonna's "Like a Prayer" caused controversy in 1989, mainly due to its music video's burning crosses, depiction of a black man being falsely arrested, and Madonna kissing a black saint inspired by Martin de Porres, the patron saint of mixed race people. The Vatican condemned the video and Pepsi pulled a commercial which had featured the song. In 1991, country's Garth Brooks portrays an abusive, cheating husband in a video he'd hoped would stir debate about domestic violence. "The Thunder Rolls" was banned on TNN (The Nashville Network) and CMT (Country Music Television.)
On October 3, 1992, Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor shocked the world when she appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed a slightly altered a capella version of Bob Marley's "War." At the end of the song, she held up a photo of Pope John Paul II, tore it in two, and proclaimed "Fight the real enemy!"
This protest against the Catholic Church's complicity in child abuse caused the show and station to recieve thousands of complaints and almost no positive responses. O'Connor was booed and mocked; her career suffered. A decade later, after the Church was exposed, opinions about O'Connor changed. In 2020, Time named her the most influential woman of 1992, and in 2021, the New York Times journalist Amanda Hess wrote "few cultural castaways have been more vindicated."
After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., Clear Channel Communicatins (now iHeartMedia) - the largest owner of radio stations in the United States - issued a memorandum with a list of "lyrically questionable" songs. Although not an outright ban, the suggested list contained 165 titles, including songs by AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Beastie Boys, Pat Benatar, Black Sabbath, Elton John, Martha & the Vandellas, Megadeth, John Mellencamp, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Queen, Soundgarden, Bruce Springsteen, Cat Stevens, Stone Temple Pilots, Van Halen, and every song by Rage Against the Machine.
The 2007 M.I.A. song "Paper Planes" - a satirical commentary on class conflict and American perceptions of visa-seeking foreigners and Third World immigrants - has been edited and banned due to the gunshot sound effects in the chorus:
All I wanna do isAnd aAnd take your money All I wanna do isAnd aAnd take your money
In 2010, YouTube banned the music video of “Born Free” due to its extended scenes of graphic violence by military police. Pussy Riot - a protest group from Moscow, Russia - became known internationally in 2012 when five members performed in a church there in February. Two band members were arrested in March, serving jail time until Dec. 23, 2013. Pussy Riot continues to perform and record, touring the U.S. in 2018 and releasi
content warnings: references to racism, lynching, drug use, death by suicide, police violence, rape, domestic violence, and child abuse by religious authorities.
