Banned Rock 'n' Roll
1952
Jimmy Boyd was just 13 years old when he recorded "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", a song about about a boy who wakes up to see Mom and Dad (in a Santa costume) under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve. The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston blasted the song for suggesting a link between Christmas and sex. A local radio boycott ended only after the freckle-faced singer met with church leaders.
1954
Rock and Roll had just been born when Michigan congresswoman Ruth Thompson introduced a bill in the House that would prohibit mailing any pornographic recording. The offense would be punishable by five years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine. Just who would decide what is pornographic, was unclear.
Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie" faced severe opposition from America's Federal Communications Commission because of overtly sexual lyrics. The added publicity immediately boosted the record's popularity and attempts to restrict it failed. It shot to the top of Billboard's R&B chart for a seven week stay.
Britain's BBC bans the song "Such a Night" by Johnny Ray after listeners complain about its 'suggestiveness'.
Memphis police prohibit The Drifters' "Honey Love" from being loaded into jukeboxes, due to what they considered "suggestive lyrics."
1955
Police in Bridgeport, Connecticut cancel a dance at the Ritz ballroom featuring Fats Domino. Authorities say the cancellation is because they discovered that "rock and roll dances might be featured" and justify their action by citing "a recent near riot at the New Haven Arena," where rock and roll dances occurred.
Mobile, Alabama radio station WABB received over 15,000 letters of complaint about the playing of "dirty records". The station's response was a promise that they would censor all controversial music, especially Rhythm and Blues.
An unsuccessful bid to change copyright laws that would prohibit White artists from singing R&B cover tunes was proposed to U.S. Congress by singer, LaVern Baker. Lucky for Pat Boone and other crooners, that this effort failed.
1956
ABC radio decides not to play Billie Holiday's "Love For Sale" because the lyrics are about prostitution. They were also successful in getting Cole Porter to change the lyric of "I Get A Kick Out Of You", a hit for Frank Sinatra. Porter's original words were "I'd get no kick from cocaine". The cleaned up version was "Some go for perfume from Spain".
Mitch Miller, who was then the music director of Columbia Records, hosts a program on CBS TV with two psychiatrists to point out the "potentially negative effects of Rock 'n' Roll on teenagers".
Rock 'n' Roll fans in Cleveland, Ohio who were under 18, were banned from dancing in public unless accompanied by an adult after Ohio Police start enforcing a law dating back to 1931.
"Digging My Potatoes", Lonnie Donegan's follow-up to his hit "Rock Island Line", was banned in the UK and the US because of its vague sexual references which included the lyrics "I didn't find a crew top, caught the fool in my bed. You know, he diggin' my potatoes, crampin' on my farm.
1957
Ed Sullivan's producers decide that their cameras would only shoot Elvis Presley from the waist up, as they considered his hip swinging to be too suggestive.
Cardinal Stritch of the Catholic archdiocese in Chicago, prohibits all Rock 'n' Roll music from their schools, fearing that "Its rhythms encourage young people to behave in a hedonistic manner".
Disc Jockey Al Priddy of KEX, Portland, Oregon is fired for violating the radio station's ban against playing Elvis Presley's rendition of "White Christmas".
Radio stations in Boston refused to play The Everly Brothers "Wake Up Little Susie" because of its supposedly suggestive lyrics which tell the tale of two teenagers who fall asleep at a drive-in movie. Stations in other parts of the country feel differently and the song rises to #1 on the Billboard Pop and Country charts as well as the Cash Box Best Selling Records chart.
After hearing reports that many U.S. radio stations had banned Elvis' Christmas album because of their shock over "the Pelvis" singing religious songs, DJ Allen Brooks of CKWS in Kingston, Ontario, plays the entire album and invites listeners to call in their opinion. Of 800 callers, only 56 disapprove of Presley's sacred music.
Capitol Records received a number of complaints about a picture on the front cover of The Five Keys album "On Stage". To some imaginative folks, the finger of lead singer Rudy West appeared to be a penis and subsequent issues of the L.P. were airbrushed.
Egyptian government officials announce that Rock 'n' Roll music can no longer be played in public, calling it an "imperialist plot." They also prohibit Rock 'n' Roll movies.
Jimmy Dee And The Offbeats, most often remembered for their song "Henrietta", were banned from giving a concert at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey city by commissioner Lawrence Whipple who said "These programs are not for the good of the community and that's why I ordered them banned."
1958
The management of St. Louis radio station KWK, had all Rock 'n' Roll music banned from its play list. The disc jockeys gave every Rock 'n' Roll record in the station library a "farewell spin" before smashing it to pieces. The station manager, Robert Convey, called the action "A simple weeding out of undesirable music."
A Minneapolis based Catholic youth magazine, Contacts, launches a campaign for "clean lyrics in Pop songs." Records they target include Elvis Presley's "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" because it promotes going steady.
1959
Even though it has no lyrics what so ever, the guitar instrumental "Rumble" by Link Wray was banned by many U.S. radio stations, who feared the title would promote teen violence. Despite the boycott, the song would still sell over a million copies and Link would follow it with a tune called "Jack The Ripper".
The BBC in England refuses to play The Coasters' stateside hit, "Charlie Brown" because of its reference to "throwin' spitballs". Two weeks later, they give in to public demand and play the song.
Following the stabbing deaths of two teenagers by a 17 year old, and other similar incidents of violence in New York City, WCBS radio in the Big Apple bans Bobby Darin's hit "Mack the Knife".
1960
Ray Peterson's, "Tell Laura I Love Her" is banned from many radio stations who objected to the "death theme" of the song. In spite of spotty air play, the song is still a huge hit for RCA, reaching #7 on the national record charts in August, 1960. On the other side of the Atlantic however, England's Decca Records destroyed thousands of copies of the song, claiming it was "in bad taste." A rival record company felt differently and recorded a cover version by a singer named Ricky Valance, which went to #1 on the British chart.
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by The Shirelles was the first record by an all girl group to top the US charts, but the song's apparent references to a sexual tryst got it banned at some stations.
1961
Britain's' BBC Radio bans the song "100 Pounds of Clay" by Gene McDaniels because it has a reference to women being created from building materials, which the network considered to be blasphemous.
1962
After refusing to sign an oath that says they have never been members of the Communist party, the popular folk group The Weavers are removed from the line-up of NBC-TV's Jack Parr Show.
Catholic school students in New York are forbidden to dance to Chubby Checker's "The Twist", by Bishop Burke, who considers it and other dance craze songs to be "un-Christian". The rest of the country however, thought differently, as "The Twist" went on to be the only record in Rock 'n' Roll history to be a number one hit on two separate occasions. The first time in the spring of 1961 and again in 1962, spending an amazing total of nine months on the U.S. Best Seller charts.
Britain's BBC bans Bobby "Boris" Pickett's Halloween song, "Monster Mash", saying it was too morbid to be played on the radio. When the suspension was finally lifted in 1973, the record went on to reach number 3 in the UK charts.
Dickey Lee's "Patches" was banned by a number of US radio stations because of its teen suicide theme. The song tells the story of two teenage lovers from different social classes whose parents forbid them from seeing each other. The girl drowns herself and the boy sings about joining her. Despite limited air-play, the record still managed to reach #6 on the Billboard chart and sell over a million copies.
1963
Bob Dylan cancels a booking on The Ed Sullivan Show in February after he is told by the show's producers that he cannot sing "Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues."
1964
The Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie" was the subject of much controversy and was banned from sales and airplay in Indiana because of its indecipherable lyrics which were rumored to contain some naughty words. Some thought they heard, "At night at ten / I lay her again / F--- you. girl, oh / All the way." The actual lyrics by the song's writer, Richard Berry were "Three nights and days, I sailed the sea / Me think of girl, ah, constantly." The Kingsmen always maintained they sang nothing lewd, despite an off-mic shout after a mistake at the end of the instrumental, where Jack Ely started to sing the last verse one bar too soon.
England's The Pretty Things saw their second release "Don't Bring Me Down" become a top ten hit in Britain, but it was banned in America for its "objectionable lyrics": I met this chick the other day; And then to me, she said she'll stay; I get this pad, just like a cave; And then we'll have, our living made; And then I'll lead her on the ground; My head is spinning 'round.
Several dance halls in the UK ban the playing of The Dave Clark Five's "Bits and Pieces" over fears that teens stomping to the beat would damage wooden dance floors.
Capitol Records released a song called "Letter To The Beatles" by The Four Preps. The lyrics describe a boy lamenting the fact that he's lost his girlfriend to The Fab Four. On its first day, the record shot to #85 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it looked like The Preps were going to have another hit on their hands. Unfortunately they had included a few bars from "I Want To Hold Your Hand" without permission, and The Preps were threatened with a lawsuit by Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. Capitol was forced to withdraw the single and employees were enlisted to smash copies of the single with sledgehammers.
1965
The Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" was banned by ABC-TV and Rediffusion-TV in the UK because it glorified motorcycle gangs. Despite the ban, the song still reached #1 in the US and charted four times in the UK between 1965 and 1976, peaking at number 3 in 1972 (by which time the BBC ban had been lifted).
The Rolling Stones early hit, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" is taken off of many radio station's play lists after they receive complaints about the "sexually suggestive lyrics."
Former New Christie Minstrel, Barry McGuire has his first solo hit "Eve of Destruction" removed from retail store shelves and many radio stations play lists, because of its "end of the world" theme and anti-government lyrics.
Jimi Hendrix's single "How Would You Feel" is given little airplay on radio because of the song deals with the plight of Blacks in America.
After Frank Zappa refuses to change it, MGM Records electronically alters the recording of his song, "Money", because it contains a sexual reference.
The BBC refused to play The Who's "My Generation", saying they did not want to offend people who stuttered. When the song became a huge hit, the broadcaster relented and added it to their play list.
A Dayton, Ohio band called Sonny Flaharty And The Mark V released a hard-driving, organ-filled single called "Hey Conductor", which sold thousands locally and was soon picked up by Phillips for national distribution. Although the song sounds as if it's about getting on a train, DJs began to notice vague drug references in the lyrics, like "Hey conductor, take me on a better trip" and "Life looks much better when I'm off the ground." Radio stations across the country refused to play the record and its momentum soon died. In the meantime, Mike Losekamp (aka Haywood Lovelace), who played the distinctive organ on the record, left to join The Cyrkle in time to appear on their second album.
1966
Some retailers refused to stock The Mamas and Papas album "If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears" because the photo on the front cover showed the group laying together in a bath tub with a toilet in the corner. The picture was quickly altered to include a printed banner covering the toilet which says "Includes California Dreaming".
Singer P.J. Proby had his scheduled appearance on ABC's dance show, Shindig canceled after he split his pants during a London England concert. It seems he had used the "pants splitting routine" to gain attention once to often.
Sixties doo-wop group, The Swinging Medallions are forced to re-record a cleaned up version of a song that would prove to be their only hit record, "Double Shot Of My Baby's Love", after many radio stations refuse to play the original because it contained the phrase, "The worst hangover I ever had." The live recording of the second edition became a Rock 'n' Roll classic.
The first of many controversies that John Lennon would be involved in started in March of 1966, when he told a reporter that "the way (some fans) carry on, it's like we're more popular than Jesus Christ". Thousands of Beatle records are smashed and burned at rallies across America and some radio stations refuse to play their music. Lennon would later apologize, claiming that he was mis-quoted.
Van Morrison's group, Them had their song "Gloria" banned by Chicago radio station WLS for objectionable lyrics. The song was covered by Chicago's The Shadows Of Knight, who took the song into the national Top Ten after changing the words slightly, from "She comes to my room, just about midnight" to "She comes around here, just about midnight."
When calls for censorship of Lou Christie's "Rhapsody in the Rain," started, the singer agreed to change the lyrics and the song went on to be another in a long series of hits for him.
A recording engineer named Jerry Samuels, who billed himself as Napoleon XIV, hit the top of the Billboard chart with a novelty song called "They're Coming to Take me Away, Ha-Haaa!" The record was banned by many U.S. radio stations because it seemed to make fun of the insane.
The Byrds' "Eight Miles High" was banned by many US radio stations because programmers thought the word "high" was a drug reference. The band claimed it was inspired by an airplane flight where singer Gene Clark asked guitarist Roger McGuinn how high up they were. McGuinn told him six miles. Clark later said that when he wrote the song, he changed the six to eight because the Beatles had "Eight Days A Week" on the charts.
Peter And Gordon's song "Lady Godiva" was banned by the mayor of Coventry, England, who said that the song was obscene. Coventry is the home town of the real Lady Godiva, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets to protest oppressive taxation under her husband's rule.
Several radio stations in the U.S. refused to play The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" because they considered the use of the word "God" to be blasphemous.
1967
Australian radio officials decided that the word "bloody" in The Royal Guardsmen's "Snoopy Vs The Red Baron" was offensive to its listeners and blanked it out. The record was number one down under for five weeks in February.
The BBC bans The Beatles' "A Day In The Life" and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" from its airwaves, claiming they contained explicit drug references.
Because of its vague reference to masturbation, many radio stations ban The Who's single "Pictures of Lily".
The Rolling Stones appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was in jeopardy until Mick Jaggar promised to change the words of "Let's Spend The Night Together" to "Let's spend some time together." When the line came up during the performance, Mick mumbled the words.
Sonny And Cher are barred from Pasadena, California's Tournament of Roses Parade for supporting some Sunset Strip rioters.
Radio programmers refuse to air Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" because the lyrics refer to premarital sex and an interracial relationship. Believe it or not, when the song was written, interracial marriage was still illegal in seventeen states. Morrison then recorded an alternative version with more acceptable lyrics and the song became his first solo hit in the U.S., where it reached #10.
When The Doors' are booked to appear onThe Ed Sullivan Show, producers insist that Jim Morrison change the lyrics to "Light My Fire". Morrison agreed to alter the lyric "Girl we couldn't get much higher", but during the live performance, Morrison sings the original words.
Sponsors go into an uproar and threaten to pull support after a television program shows interracial touching. During the taping of a duet between Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte, Clark lays her hand on Belafonte's arm (Clark is White and Belafonte is Black).
"Society's Child" by Janis Ian is banned by some US radio stations because the lyrics refereed to interracial dating. Many other stations felt differently and the song rose to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" was banned by the BBC for suggestive lyrics, for the line "Boy you've been a naughty girl and let your knickers down."
Fresh off the world-wide success of "Friday On My Mind", The Easybeats had a follow-up single called "Heaven And Hell" banned from U.S. radio because of the title and a mild sexual reference in the song. (Hell is knowing that your face has gone red, Discovering someone else in your bed.)
Pearls Before Swine's song "Miss Morse" was banned in New York when it was discovered that lead singer Tom Rapp was singing a sexual reference in Morse code. After disc jockey Murray The K played the record on the air, local Boy Scouts correctly interpreted the chorus and phoned in a complaint.
A Denver band called The Rainy Daze saw their song "That Acapulco Gold" catch on locally. The newly formed UNI label bought the national distribution rights and before long, the single had climbed to #70 on the Hot 100 chart. Programmers soon caught on to the song's pro-marijuana theme and the 45 was quickly pulled from radio station play lists across the country.
1968
An El Paso, Texas radio station deletes all records by Bob Dylan from its play list because it is too difficult to understand the lyrics. They do however continue to play other artists covering Dylan's material.
Chicago mayor Richard Daley ordered local radio stations to not play the Rolling Stones' single "Street Fighting Man" during the National Democratic Convention in anticipation of the rioting that did occur during the convention. The ban gave the song huge publicity, air play and sales.
After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4th, 1968, many Top-40 radio stations in the U.S. refuse to play Gordon Lightfoot's "Black Day In July", a song about the 1967 race riots in Detroit, saying they fear the lyrics will ignite violence.
In November, the U.K. book and record chain W.H. Smiths refused to display The Jimi Hendrix Experience album "Electric Ladyland" due to the naked girls featured on the sleeve. The album was later made available as two albums with changed artwork.
"Give a Damn" by Spanky And Our Gang was released as a single in the Summer of 1968, and in spite of being banned in several states because of the profanity in its title, still managed to reach #43 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also performed live on an episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, resulting in CBS' Standards and Practices division receiving numerous complaints about the song's title being used during "family viewing hours". One such complaint reportedly came from Richard Nixon.
England's BBC banned The Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" because they thought that "gun" a phallic symbol. John Lennon would later say that he took the title from an American gun magazine. "I thought it was a fantastic, insane thing to say," he said. "A warm gun means that you just shot something."
1969
The Doors' Jim Morrison is arrested for indecent exposure after he asks the audience, "Do you wanna see my cock?", and gives them the full Monty, during a Miami concert.
30,000 copies of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album, "Two Virgins" are seized by Newark police when the records arrive at the airport. The vice squad shuts down a retailer carrying the album, which shows the couple naked on the cover.
Detroit's MC5 are forced to replace a live version the song, "Kick Out the Jams" from the album of the same name because it contains explicit lyrics (the song's introduction contained the phrase "Kick out the jams, m*therf*ckers!").
Concern over political and drug references in songs by Jefferson Airplane cause their record label to delay release of their "Volunteers" album. The band solves the dilemma by leaving the record label and forming their own.
Despite its status as the number one selling single in the country, many U.S. radio stations refuse to play "The Ballad of John and Yoko", because the song's lyrics contain references to Christ and the Crucifixion. ("Christ, you know it ain't easy")
Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ric Grech and Ginger Baker saw their debut album, "Blind Faith" banned by several retailers because the cover showed a naked 11 year old girl. Atco Records was forced to issue two different covers, although the 'clean' version doesn't sell nearly as well.
A song called "Try It" by The Standells was banned by Texan radio chain mogul Gordon McLendon, a Christian fundamentalist, who considered the song's lyrics to be obscene. Actually the lyrics by today's standards were pretty tame. Even though the record was the number one seller in many markets, including Los Angeles, most of the radio stations followed McLendon's lead and refused to play it. The group even debated the Texan on Art Linkletter's Let's Talk TV show, and by most accounts defeated him handily by pointing out his hypocrisy. But it was all to no avail. The song died, and so did the group's popularity and hopes of another hit record.
For a time, "Come Together" by The Beatles was banned by the BBC, as they believed the song's reference to "shoot[ing] Coca-Cola" could be construed as a cocaine reference.
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus" was banned in several European countries and denounced by the Vatican after rumors spread that the couple had actually recorded themselves having sex. If that were the case, Gainsbourg dead panned, he hoped "It would have been a long-playing record." Despite a lack of air play, the record sold over four million copies.
1970
The BBC threatened to ban Free's newly released single "All Right Now" unless engineer Roger Beale provided them with a tape of the solo vocal track. They thought that the lyric "Let's move before they raise the parking rate" was "Let's move before they raise the f*cking rate"!
Fearing more violence following the shooting deaths of students at Kent State University, Ohio Governor James Rhodes orders radio stations to ban the song "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young. The ban made the record more popular than ever and sales grew stronger. No further violence was reported.
MGM records, under the leadership of President and future lieutenant governor of California, Mike Curb, cancels the recording contracts of eighteen of their acts because they believe the performers promote hard drugs in their songs. Among those who were dropped were night club performers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormet. Interestingly, they kept Eric Burdon And War, who made drug references in several of their songs.
Jefferson Airplane is fined $1,000 for onstage profanity in Oklahoma City.
Joe McDonald of Country Joe And The Fish is fined $500 for uttering an obscenity during a performance of his song "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag".
Janis Joplin is convicted of violating local obscenity laws during a performance in Tampa, Florida. She was fined $200.
President Richard Nixon tells radio broadcasters that Rock music lyrics should be screened for content. He further suggests that any music containing drug references be banned outright.
Two days after Jimi Hendrix played his feedback filled version of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Atlanta Pop Festival, Georgia Governor Lester Maddox says he will seek legislation to ban all Rock festivals in the state.
The BBC refuses to play The Kinks' "Lola" because the lyrics contain a reference to Coca-Cola and was in violation of their advertising policy. Ray Davies quickly re-recorded the piece to say "cherry cola", and the ban was lifted.
Three Dog Night caused a stir with the original cover of their album "It Ain't Easy", which showed all seven members of the band naked, with their private parts covered up. Following issues of the L.P. showed singers Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells sitting in front of a piano.
When The Funkadelic tried to tour England in support of their album "Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow", they were turned away from London's Royal Albert Hall, whose management said "Their style of music would not be accepted by patrons..." Promoters then tried to book the band into Strand Lyceum, but were told "We run a concert hall for music and musicians. We don't run a circus." Problems for the band began over their musical version of The Lord's Prayer and rumors that they ended their shows by appearing only in jock straps. Back home in America, "Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow" peaked at #11 on the R&B album chart and #92 on the Pop album chart.
1971
Frank Zappa's January performance of the score to his film 200 Motels at London's Royal Albert Hall is canceled because a representative of the venue found some of the lyrics obscene.
Officials in Illinois release a list of popular music that contain drug references. The list includes the popular children's song "Puff The Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine".
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sends all U.S. radio stations a telegram, threatening to revoke their licenses if they play Rock music that glorifies the use of drugs.
New York radio station WNBC banned the song "One Toke Over the Line" by Brewer And Shipley because of its alleged drug references. Other stations around the country follow suit. The composer of the tune, Tom Shipley, responds, "In this electronic age, pulling a record because of its lyrics is like the burning of books in the Thirties." Brewer And Shipley would also claim that "toke" meant "token", thus the line about "sittin' downtown at a railway station..."
In March, many U.S. radio stations and high schools ban the record "D.O.A." by the Texas band, Bloodrock. The song told the story of a dying teen involved in car crash (some say a plane crash). Despite a lack of airplay, the single still reached #36 on the Billboard chart.
The cover of Alice Cooper's album "Love It To Death", which showed a picture of the group with a stray thumb that some thought resembled a penis, is recalled and the offending digit is air brushed away.
Songwriter Rupert Holmes set out to write a song that would get banned from radio airplay and thus gain attention for a group he wanted to promote, The Buoys. The result was "Timothy", a tune about three boys trapped in a mine, one of whom was cannibalized. The song received limited airplay until program directors started listening to the lyrics. Some removed it from their play lists, while others added it. As the record started to gain notoriety, it shot up the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #17. Holmes plan had worked to perfection.
1972
Radio stations across the country ban John Denver's hit song "Rocky Mountain High," fearing that the song's "high" refers to drugs.
In early February, Chuck Berry achieved his first U.K. #1 single with a live recording of "My Ding-a-Ling", a song that morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse had unsuccessfully attempted to have banned.
On February 19th, Paul McCartney releases "Give Ireland Back to the Irish," his commentary about the Britain-Ireland conflict. The song is immediately banned by the BBC, but the notoriety the song receives from the banning only increases its popularity in England, and it soars into the Top Twenty.
In mid-April, one of John Lennon's most controversial singles, "Woman Is the Nigger Of The World" is released. The song actually reaches #57 on Billboard's Hot 100, despite virtually every radio station in the country refusing to play it.
In November, Paul McCartney's Wings release "Hi, Hi, Hi", which is banned from the BBC because of its "unsuitable lyrics." The song still managed to be a hit, reaching #5 in the U.K. and #10 in the U.S. early the next year.
1973
In March, the BBC banned all teenybopper acts appearing on the U.K. TV show, Top Of The Pops, after a riot following a David Cassidy performance.
BBC Radio refused to play Dr. Hook's "The Cover Of Rolling Stone" because it contained the name of a commercial publication (Rolling Stone magazine), and could therefore be considered advertising. A new version with the words "Rolling Stone" replaced with "Radio Times" was done, not by the group, but by various producers and executives at London's branch of CBS Records, who merely sang over the single master. Radio Times was the name of the weekly TV and Radio Guide published by the BBC.
While Curtis Mayfield is lip-synching a performance of his hit "Pusherman" for television's Soul Train, he learns that the show's producers have edited the song to delete drug references.
The Rolling Stones single "Star Star", from the "Goat's Head Soup" album, was banned from airplay on England's BBC because it contained the word "Star-f*cker" in the chorus. It's not just sung once, but the word is repeated a dozen times.
1974
Three Dog Night tried pushing the envelope again with the cover of their L.P. "Hard Labor", which showed a female creature giving birth to a record album. To keep retailers happy, the center of the picture was later covered by a large file folder.
1975
Loretta Lynn's country song, "The Pill" is banned by radio stations across the United States because of its references to birth control.
Reverend Charles Boykin of Tallahassee, Florida, conducts his own survey of 1,000 unwed mothers and determines that 984 became pregnant while listening to Rock music. The rest apparently were having sex.
A song called "Cortez the Killer" by Neil Young And Crazy Horse is banned in Spain. The tune is about Hernan Cortez, the Spanish conqueror of the Aztec Empire who is regarded as a hero in Spain.
The BBC refused to play Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby", noting that the singer simulated twenty-two orgasms in this Disco hit. Summer later spoke to the British publication The Guardian about the controversy. "Everyone's asking, 'Were you alone in the studio?'" she said. "Yes, I was alone in the studio. 'Did you touch yourself?' "Yes, well, actually, I had my hand on my knee."
1976
Rod Stewart's hit "Tonight's The Night" is removed from RKO radio play lists until the lyric "Spread your wings and let me come inside" is edited from the song.
Following a series of arrests and incidents in the U.K., The Sex Pistols have trouble obtaining work permits to tour in the United States, because officials thought the band's music lacked artistic value. The group was eventually allowed to briefly tour the U.S.
1977
According to the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Disco music promotes promiscuity and drug use and he calls for its removal from U.S. radio stations. This is the same Jesse Jackson who admitted in January, 2001 that he fathered a child out of wedlock, behind the back of his wife of thirty-eight years, and their five children.
On June 3rd, Led Zeppelin had just started a concert at Tampa Stadium when it was cut short by a powerful thunder storm. An audience riot followed, with police ultimately using tear gas to disperse the crowd. Local authorities banned concerts at the venue for over a year and vowed that Led Zeppelin would never be allowed to return.
Jefferson Starship was prevented from staging a free concert in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, because of a city by-law against the use of electronic instruments. The ban was lifted two years later.
Two weeks after signing The Sex Pistols, Virgin Records releases "God Save the Queen" to coincide with Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee celebration in June. The tune is banned from British airplay because of its "treasonous sentiments." Nonetheless, it becomes Number One in the U.K., listed in some reports with a blank line where the title should be.
Lou Reed was banned from appearing at The London Palladium because of his punk image.
A Cincinnati band called Ram Jam released a single called "Black Betty", which had civil rights groups, the N.A.A.C.P. and C.O.R.E., calling for a boycott of the song because it insulted Black women. Despite the controversy, the song still reached number 18 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in September.
Firefall's 1977 follow-up to "You Are The Woman" was a song called "Cinderella", which was climbing the Billboard chart and had reached #34 when it suddenly disappeared. Women's groups started objecting to its controversial lyrics that told the story of a girl who wants the fairy tale ending, but when she gets pregnant, her boyfriend kicks her out to raise their son on her own.
1978
The staff at England's EMI record pressing plant refused to press copies of The Buzzcocks forthcoming release "What Do I Get" because of the title of the B-side track, "Oh Sh*t".
Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" was banned in Boston and New Jersey after several religious groups deemed the lyrics anti-Catholic.
1979
The New Wave band, Blondie was forced to replace some of the words to their number one hit "Heart Of Glass" to gain air-play on U.S. Top 40 radio. The words "Once I had a love and it was a gas / Soon found out, I had a heart of glass" were inserted over top of the original words "Once I had a love and it was a gas / Soon turned out to be a pain in the *ss".
1980
A group of Des Moines, Iowa teenagers are lead by Minister Art Diaz in a record burning rally at the First Assembly Church of God. The burnt offerings included albums by The Beatles, Ravi Shankar, Peter Frampton, and even the soundtrack to the movie Grease. A few months later in Keoku, Iowa, a similar burning takes place when a church group sets fire to the work of The Carpenters, John Denver, and Perry Como.
Pink Floyd's hit single "Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)", with its chorus of kids chanting "We Don't Need No Education". is banned by the South African government. Black children, upset about inferior education, adopt the song as their anthem. The government says the song is "prejudicial to the safety of the state."
1981
Olivia Newton John's hit "Physical" is banned from radio stations in Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah because its sexual innuendoes were found unsuitable for their Mormon audiences.
1983
A Baptist youth minister from Emporia, Virginia, named Roger Wilcher, petitions city council to remove MTV from the local cable system.
1984
Bruce Springsteen's monster hit album, "Born In The U.S.A." comes under fire from critics, after some say that the cover depicts "The Boss" urinating on Old Glory.
BBC Radio 1 announced a ban on "Relax", by Frankie Goes To Hollywood after DJ Mike Read called it 'obscene'. A BBC-TV ban also followed. The song went on become a #1 and spent a total of forty-eight weeks on the U.K. chart.
1985
The most prominent group in the history of music censorship, the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center), was formed in Washington, DC by Tipper Gore (wife of then-senator Al Gore) and Susan Baker. The PRMC's primary focus was getting record companies to monitor and rate their artists' releases with a system similar to the MPAA system for movies. Their efforts sparked a renewed interest by a variety of groups to censor music and lyrics that lasted for more than five years.
On March 26th, radio stations in South Africa banned all of Stevie Wonder's records after he dedicated the Oscar he had won the night before at The Academy Awards to Nelson Mandela.
An ultra-conservative group led by the since disgraced Reverend Jimmy Swaggert, persuades Wal-Mart to discontinue selling Rock 'n' roll magazines such as Rolling Stone, Hard Rock, Spin, and Tiger Beat.
A Mormon bishop and apartment complex owner, Leo Weidner, bans MTV from his tenant's apartments in Provo, Utah. Although he later admits that he has never seen a music video, Weidner claimed that they are "pornographic" and says they are harmful to his tenants.
Record company presidents and CEOs are contacted by The PMRC, requesting a rating system for music lyrics and imagery. The letter specifically targets music by AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Cyndi Lauper, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Madonna, Mary Jane Girls, Mercyful Fate, Motley Crue, Prince, Sheena Easton, Twisted Sister, Vanity, Venom, and W.A.S.P.
1986
Frank Zappa's album, "Jazz from Hell" has an "explicit lyrics" warning sticker put on it by Meyer Music Markets, even though the album is entirely instrumental.
1987
In Callaway, Florida, a record clerk is arrested for selling a copy of 2 Live Crew's album, "2 Live Is What We Are" to a fourteen year old boy.
George Michael's single "I Want Your Sex" is removed from the play lists of radio stations in Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Denver, and New York, because of its explicit sexual content. It is also banned in Britain by the BBC.
Heavy metal icon Ozzy Ozbourne is unsuccessfully sued by the parents of a 19-year-old boy who claimed their son committed suicide after listening to Ozbourne's song "Suicide Solution".
The Beastie Boys become the first act censored on American Bandstand. After being told they could only lip-synch to their Rap song "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)", the group tried to deliberately sabotage the program when one of the members explicitly grabbed his crotch. That scene was cut from the show.
Jello Biafra, leader of the punk group The Dead Kennedys is acquitted of distributing pornography. The case involved the artwork by H.R. Giger, featured on the band's "Frankenchrist" album. Biafra was prosecuted after an attorney's daughter bought a copy of the record for her brother as a Christmas present. Copies of the album were seized and destroyed.
An Alternative Rock band from Scotland called Jesus and Mary Chain are banned by CBS executives from appearing on the U.S .version of Top Of The Pops for refusing to be billed as JAMC.
1988
Prince's album, "Love Sexy" is removed from store shelves because the record's cover contains a nude, yet unrevealing, photograph of Prince.
In July, MTV bans Neil Young's video "This Note Is For You", which parodied Corporate Rock by showing a Michael Jackson look-alike whose hair catches fire. The ban would soon be lifted and the video was put into heavy rotation, resulting in it eventually winning the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video of the Year in 1989.
1989
Bon Jovi's Billboard #9 hit, "Living In Sin", and the video that went with it, were banned by MTV due to the allusions of sex scenes between and young girl and her boyfriend.
Religious groups are offended by the new Pepsi commercial set to Madonna's song "Like A Prayer". The ad campaign is quickly dropped.
Los Angeles radio station KDAY in Los Angeles, pulls "Truly Yours" by Kool G. Rap and D.J. Polo, from rotation after protests from the gay community. The lyrics to the song use several homo phobic slurs.
In New Iberia, Louisiana, the City Council passed an emergency ordinance saying that records falling under the state's definition of obscenity be removed from the view of unmarried people under the age of 17. Violation carries a penalty of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
After the singer/songwriter formerly known as Cat Stevens endorses an Iranian death threat on writer Salman Rushdie, many radio station remove his songs from their playlists. KFI talk host Tom Leykis holds a Cat Stevens record smashing party.
Missouri adopts legislature prohibiting the sale of records with questionable content that do not have parental warning labels and the lyrics printed on the album cover. Similar legislation is considered in Maryland, Delaware, Florida and Kansas.
1990
Madonna's raunchy video to her song "Justify My Love", which showed her in various states of undress, engaging in naughty acts with men, was banned by MTV. But the move backfired and interest in the clip sky-rocketed. Over 260,000 VHS copies of the video were sold and the song spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Twenty-one U.S. states introduce bills that prohibit the sale of records containing "lyrics that are violent, sexually explicit or perverse."
Four hundred Trans World retail stores announce that they will require proof of age before selling records with warning stickers, to minors. Disc Jockey, another record store chain says that it simply will not carry any record that has the warning sticker.
A Tennessee judge rules that 2 Live Crew's "Nasty As They Wanna Be" and N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" are obscene under state law. Conviction for selling these records could bring fines from $10,000 to $100,000, depending upon the involvement of minors in the offense.
A Nebraska radio station starts a boycott of k.d. lang records because of her anti-meat beliefs. Their action is largely symbolic, since the station rarely if ever played the Canadian singer's records.
In one of the most famous cases of music censorship, police in Dade County, Florida set up a sting to arrest three retailers selling copies of a record by 2 Live Crew to children under the age of 18. Objections to 2 Live Crew started with the break-thru of their hit "Me So H*rny". Similar prosecutions regarding the band's record sales happen in Alabama and Tennessee. No prosecutions result in standing convictions. Members of 2 Live Crew were also prosecuted for performing the material live in concert.
Members of the Rap group N.W.A. receive a letter from the FBI saying the agency did not appreciate the song "F*ck The Police". Law enforcement groups all over the country agree.
A Florida grand jury determines that four Rap albums (including "Freedom of Speech" by Ice-T) are legally obscene. Area retailers quickly pull the records from the shelves to avoid prosecution.
Metal band Judas Priest is sued by the family of two young men. The families contend that hidden" messages in the band's "Stained Class" record prompted them to beat and choke one of their mothers, walk around town exposing themselves, and steal money.
Representatives of the Italian Catholic Church announce they'll attempt to put a stop to Madonna's concerts in Rome because of her alleged inappropriate use of crucifixes and sacred symbols. The group was successful in halting the shows.
1991
The Bangles' 1986 hit, "Walk Like an Egyptian" was included in a list of records to be avoided that was drawn up by the BBC, as the Gulf War was going on at the time.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich tells Broadcasting & Cable magazine that he strongly encourages advertisers to pull all advertisements on radio stations that broadcast Rap music.
1994
Police in Jacksonville, Florida, arrest singer Marilyn Manson for violating the Adult Entertainment Code. Police believed that Manson was inserting a dildo into his @nus while urinating on the audience.
The Smashing Pumpkins were banned from appearing on BBC TV's Top Of The Pops because of the lyrics of their current hit single "Disarm".
Marilyn Manson was barred from performing in Utah after their front man ripped apart the Book of Mormon onstage during a Salt Lake City concert.
Tom Petty's "You Don't Know How It Feels" drew a lot of bad press for its drug-related theme. MTV edited the word "roll" out of "let's roll another joint" and distorted the word "joint."
1995
Michael Jackson changes the lyrics to his song "They Don't Care About Us", following protests that the record is anti-Semitic.
1996
Sheryl Crow's self-titled second album is dropped from Wal-Mart shelves because one of the songs contains an unflattering comment about the giant retailer's gun sales policy.
1997
Florida legislator John Grant pushes through an initiative to withhold $104,000 in Florida Department of Education funding for public radio station WMNF. Grant's objection noted that the station frequently aired programming he felt was inappropriate for a publicly supported station. Objectionable material included on-air praise for Kurt Cobain, and heavy air play of a social-protest song "Wasteland" by singer Iris DeMent (containing the lyric "We got CEOs makin' 200 times the workers' pay, but they'll fight like hell against raisin' the minimum wage.")
Because he was wearing a Marilyn Manson tee shirt, 18-year-old John Schroder is arrested in a New Braunfels, Texas, grocery store and charged with making an obscene display.
Oklahoma City Council is urged by group calling themselves the Oklahomans for Children and Families, to cancel a lease with a concert promoter who is planning a Marilyn Manson concert at the State Fairgrounds.
In Oxford, Mississippi, the three owners of Lyric Hall are arrested and sentenced to six months in jail for booking a performance by 2 Live Crew.
A band called The Crucif*cks and their label, Alternative Tentacles, are sued by the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, for featuring a photo of a dead policeman on the cover of the band's album, "Our Will Be Done".
A Marilyn Manson concert is canceled by city officials in Richmond, Virginia, because they feel the his songs promote sexual assault, murder, and self-mutilation.
"The Great Milenko" by Insane Clown Posse, is removed from store shelves because of the album's lyrical content, just hours after it was issued. The group is quickly dropped from their recording contract and the band's label, Hollywood Records, is dumped by their parent company, Disney, even though company officials had known of the album's content for nearly a year.
Texas lawmakers pass a law prohibiting state-employee pension funds from investing any money in record companies whose music "explicitly describes, glamorizes or advocates" violence, besti@lity, gang activity or the denigration of females." The Employees Retirement System of Texas currently has $7.2 million (of its $15.2 billion portfolio) invested in Seagram, the owner of Universal Music Group, home of Interscope Records.)
Officials at Giant Stadium in New Jersey refuse to host the Ozzfest, because one of the performing acts was the controversial band Marilyn Manson. The courts disagree, saying the public facility had to be available on a content neutral basis.
The Techno band Prodigy found their new single, "Smack My Bitch Up" resulted in their album being pulled from K-Mart and Wal-Mart store shelves. The album had been out for almost six months before the single was released. Chain stores that banned the record had themselves sold more than 150,000 copies of the record without receiving a single customer complaint.
A U.K. group called Denim had their single "Summer Smash" pulled from record store shelves in Great Britain by EMI after the August 31st car crash that killed Princes Diana.
1998
Eric Van Hoven, an 18-year-old from Zeeland High School in Holland, Michigan, is suspended for wearing a tee shirt promoting the band Korn, even though the shirt contains no images or words except the band's name.
At a conference sponsored by Crime Prevention Resource Center in Fort Worth, Texas, representatives of several local police departments advocate the forced hospitalization of Marilyn Manson fans, and recommend the classification of Goth Rock fans as street gangs.
At Fort Zumwalt North High School in St. Louis, the school band is forbidden from playing the Jefferson Airplane hit "White Rabbit" because of drug references in the song's lyrics, even though the band's version of the song is entirely instrumental.
1999
The school library at Kettle Moraine High School in Wales, Wisconsin, requires all students to show ID in order to view Rolling Stone magazine. Even though a child of any age could purchase it at local stores, the school board decides that students must be 18 years of age to look at the magazine's contents.
A Portsmouth, New Hampshire school superintendent forbids students from wearing Marilyn Manson tee shirts or any other Goth attire.
Ministry's "Dark Side of the Spoon" is removed from K-Mart shelves because of objections to the album's cover, which shows an nude, overweight woman, wearing a dunce hat and facing a chalkboard.
Musical artists who support a new trial for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal are targeted by the national Fraternal Order of Police in a mass boycott. Rage Against The Machine and The Beastie Boys are specific targets, but the association also planed to keep an updated list on its website.
The song, "Slow Motion" by Third Eye Blind was removed from the band's second album, "Blue". The group agreed to the removal song, which contained multiple references to violence, drugs and youth murders similar to the Columbine shootings earlier in the year.
Eminem's song "My Name Is" was dropped by The National Football League for a series of four commercials because they felt the song was too controversial, even though the made-for-TV versions contained none of the original lyrics.
2000
14-year-old Daniel Shellhammer is ordered by police officers in Northwood, Ohio, to remove his shirt, which features slogans for the Rap group Insane Clown Posse. The officers inform Shellhammer that Insane Clown Posse clothing is banned in Ohio and that they will rip the shirt off his back and arrest him if he does not comply.
A roller skating rink in New Iberia, Louisiana is closed down by police, and more than 60 CDs are seized after a fight broke out in the rink's parking lot. Police said the rink's management sparked the incident by playing music over the rink's PA system. Among the confiscated CDs are "The Chicken Dance", "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", "The Hokey Pokey", and "Jingle Bells".
Four students at a private school in San Antonio, Texas, are suspended for one day, for attending a Backstreet Boys concert. The students were said to be violating a school policy forbidding "involvement in inappropriate music [or] dancing."
Bruce Springsteen is placed on the boycott list of The New York Fraternal Order of Police. They called for the cancellation of his New York performances after The Boss sang a song about the shooting of Amadou Diallo called, "American Skin".
Police intervened in the middle the "Up In Smoke Tour" (staring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Eminem) because during the concert, a video is shown that featured a robbery and partially-naked women.
The U.S. Senate heard arguments by The Federal Trade Commission that maintained that the entertainment industry, including record companies, should be regulated and sanctioned for deliberately marketing violent and sexual content to children.
2001
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Group in Scotland ran a petition in an attempt to pressure the promoters of the Glasgow Green festival into banning Eminem and Marilyn Manson, claiming that "the violent lyrics of Eminem and the disgusting stage show of Marilyn Manson" are "totally unacceptable."
Clear Channel Communications, the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, compiled an advisory list of songs which stations might wish to avoid playing in the short term following the terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center and The Pentagon. Although their stations were not banned from playing any recording, their list included tracks that "should be played only after great thought." Individual program directors added many of their own songs to the list, which included such Classic Rock standards as:
Steve Miller "Jet Airliner"
Van Halen "Jump"
Queen "Another One Bites the Dust"
Queen "Killer Queen"
Pat Benatar "Hit Me with Your Best Shot"
Kansas "Dust in the Wind"
Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"
The Beatles "A Day in the Life"
The Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
The Beatles "Ticket To Ride"
The Beatles "Obla Di, Obla Da"
Bob Dylan "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Arthur Brown "Fire"
Paul McCartney and Wings "Live and Let Die"
Billy Joel "Only the Good Die Young"
Barry McGuire "Eve of Destruction"
Steam "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey"
Drifters "On Broadway"
Shelly Fabares "Johnny Angel"
Los Bravos "Black is Black"
Peter and Gordon "I Go To Pieces"
Peter and Gordon "A World Without Love"
Elvis "(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
Zombies "She's Not There"
Elton John "Benny & The Jets"
Elton John "Daniel"
Elton John "Rocket Man"
Jerry Lee Lewis "Great Balls of Fire"
Santana "Evil Ways"
Louis Armstrong "What A Wonderful World"
Youngbloods "Get Together"
Ad Libs "The Boy from New York City"
Peter Paul and Mary "Blowin' in the Wind"
Peter Paul and Mary "Leavin' on a Jet Plane"
Rolling Stones "Ruby Tuesday"
Simon And Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Happenings "See You in September"
Carole King "I Feel the Earth Move"
Yager and Evans "In the Year 2525"
Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky"
Brooklyn Bridgevv "Worst That Could Happen"
Three Degrees "When Will I See You Again"
Cat Stevens "Peace Train"
Cat Stevens "Morning Has Broken"
Jan and Dean "Dead Man's Curve"
Martha & the Vandellas "Nowhere to Run"
Martha and the Vandellas/Van Halen "Dancing in the Streets"
Hollies "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"
San Cooke / Herman Hermits, "Wonderful World"
Petula Clark "A Sign of the Times"
Don McLean "American Pie"
J. Frank Wilson "Last Kiss"
Buddy Holly and the Crickets "That'll Be the Day"
John Lennon "Imagine"
Bobby Darin "Mack the Knife"
Surfaris "Wipeout"
Blood Sweat and Tears "And When I Die"
Dave Clark Five "Bits and Pieces"
Tramps "Disco Inferno"
Paper Lace "The Night Chicago Died"
Frank Sinatra "New York, New York"
Creedence Clearwater Revival "Travelin' Band"
Neil Diamond "America"
Tom Petty "Free Fallin'"
Bruce Springsteen "I'm On Fire"
Bruce Springsteen "Goin' Down"
Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight"
Chi-Lites "Have You Seen Her"
Animals "We Gotta Get Out of This Place"
Fontella Bass "Rescue Me"
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels "Devil with the Blue Dress"
James Taylor "Fire and Rain"
Edwin Starr "War"
Lynyrd Skynyrd "Tuesday's Gone"
2002
A song about money and its corrupting effects on Rock music called "The Last DJ" by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers kicked up considerable controversy, with some U.S. radio stations seeing the song as a slap in the face and banning it from air play.
2003
In November, a New Jersey Classic Rock station removed all Jethro Tull songs from their playlist after Tull front man Ian Anderson made some comments regarding the American flag in the Asbury Park Press. In the article, Anderson said, "I hate to see the American flag hanging out of every bloody station wagon, out of every SUV, every little Midwestern house in some residential area. It's easy to confuse patriotism with nationalism. Flag waving ain't gonna do it." The station's program director said that the decision was brought on by their listeners, who voted "99 percent in favor of the ban."
Many radio stations across North America, including Florida's WKZY, as well as Toronto's CHFI and CHUM, pulled Michael Jackson's songs from their play list after the singer was arrested on suspicion of child molestation. Television network CBS announced that they were postponing a Jackson music special that was set to air.
When Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines told an audience that she was ashamed that President George W. Bush's was from Texas, over 260 radio stations stopped playing the band's music.
2005
In May, coffee shop chain Starbucks, which stocked CDs at its branches in the U.S., banned the sale of Bruce Springsteen's latest album "Devils and Dust" over concerns about its adult content.
2009
Classic Rock station Eagle 106.9 in Birmingham, Alabama edited the lyrics of the Eagles’ song "Life in the Fast Lane" by changing "We've been up and down this highway, haven't seen a godd@mn thing," with the "god" snipped off the "d@mn" and replaced by lyric-free music. The station manager justified the move by saying "people find it offensive."
2011
Dire Straits' 1985 tune "Money for Nothing" was deemed unacceptable for radio play by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council who said that the use of the word "f@ggot" in the song contravenes the human rights clauses of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code. The song has been aired countless times since its release and won the Grammy for the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with a Vocal in 1985 at the 28th annual Grammy Awards.
Lady Gaga's single "Born This Way" was edited by Malaysian radio to remove lyrics that break the country's rules on promoting homosexuality. The offensive lyrics were: No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track, baby. A spokesman for the country's top radio operator, AMP Radio Networks, said that "the issue of being gay, lesbian or bisexual is still considered as a taboo by general Malaysians."
2012
The liquor control board in Montreal, Quebec, told incoming managers of a bar called Le Pionnier, or The Pioneer, to outlaw Rap and Hip-Hop music if they wanted any hope of acquiring a license to serve alcohol. A spokeswoman for the liquor board said the action is "normal" and went on to say, "We are the guardians of the permits - a permit is not a right, it's a privilege."
A song called "Die Young" by Ke$ha was removed from radio station playlists across North America following the Newtown, Connecticut school massacre.
2013
The BBC would only play a clip of "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" after anti-Margaret Thatcher campaigners sent it soaring into the U.K. Top Ten following the death of the former prime minister. Calling it "distasteful," Britain's public broadcaster refused to air the entire track from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
David Bowie's video "The Next Day" was briefly removed from YouTube after protests by America's Catholic League, who were upset that it implied corrupt Cardinals, philandering priests, and showed a Christ-like Bowie figure. The clip was quickly reinstated, with a spokesperson explaining that it was taken down by mistake.
2014
Two radio stations in San Francisco, KFOG and KOIT, refused to play the popular song "Royals" by New Zealand artist Lorde during the duration of the World Series between the Giants and the Kansas City Royals. KFOG's program director said they didn't want to play a song that repeatedly says "Royals" while rooting for the hometown team. The KOIT program director claimed that listeners called for the ban.
2015
A DJ at a bar in Westfield, Massachusetts was charged with disorderly conduct for playing part of N.W.A's "F*ck tha Police" while law enforcement worked to clear the over crowded venue. He was later found guilty and ordered to pay a $50 fine.
2017
Radio station HITS 105 in Texarkana, Texas, banned Madonna's music from its airwaves in response to the Material Girl's comments at the Women's March on Washington where she said she had thought "an awful lot about blowing up the White House." She also repeatedly used the f-bomb on live TV during the speech. The station's management released a statement that said in part, "It just feels wrong to us to be playing Madonna songs and paying her royalties when the artist has shown un-American sentiments.
Beijing's Culture Bureau banned Canadian Pop star Justin Bieber from performing in China, saying "In order to maintain order in the Chinese market and purify the Chinese performance environment, it is not suitable to bring in badly behaved entertainers."
2018
Frank Loesser's 1944 song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was suspended from airplay by a couple of U.S. radio stations as well as Canada's CBC streaming service because some listeners objected to the lyrics that suggest a man is trying to persuade a woman to stay the night even though she says she really should go. Eventually, all media outlets relented and reinstated the song, after which it climbed into the Top 10 of Billboard's digital sales chart for the week of December 22, 2018, with a 70% increase in downloads.
Vancouver based Rock band Hedley were dropped by their management team, blacklisted by dozens of radio stations, and shunned by musicians booked as tour openers after several reports of inappropriate encounters with young, female fans began to surface. In February, 2018 the group announced they were taking an "indefinite hiatus" to work on their problems.
2019
Three major radio stations in Montreal, Canada stopped playing Michael Jackson's music after child-molestation allegations against the late singer aired in a March 3rd HBO documentary. A spokeswoman for the parent company that owned the stations said the action was a response to listener reactions to the documentary.
Elton John's biopic Rocketman was banned from release in Samoa due to its depiction of homosexuality. Samoa's principal censor, Leiataua Niuapu Faaui, told the editors of the Samoa Observer that the film's homosexual content clashed with the country's strong Christian beliefs and violated its laws, including the 2013 Crimes Act, under which s@domy is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
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