Music Censorship
Essay Preview: Music Censorship
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MUSIC CENSORSHIP, 1950 till now
1952 The Weavers are blacklisted due to the leftist political beliefs and associations of several members.
In 1953 six counties in South Carolina pass legislation outlawing jukebox operation anytime when within hearing distance of a church. During 1954 Stephen Foster songs are edited for radio to remove words such as “massa” and “darky.” For radio airplay the perceived drug reference “I get no kick from cocaine,” is changed to “I get perfume from Spain.” in Cole Porters classic “I Get a Kick out of you.”
In 1955 Former radio deejay Pat Boone begins a career by releasing “sanitized” versions of black R&B hits. Boones versions of these songs often contain edited lyrics: such as substituting “drinkin Coca Cola” for “drinkin wine” in T-Bone Walkers “Stormy Monday” and “Pretty little Susie is the girl for me” instead of “Boys, dont you know what she do to me” in Little Richards “Tutti Fruitti.”
During 1956 ABC Radio Network bans Billie Holidays rendition of Cole Porters “Love for Sale” from all of its stations because of its prostitution theme. Stations continue to play instrumental versions of the song.
The Parks Department in San Antonio, Texas, removes all rock and roll records from jukeboxes located at city swimming pools, terming it “jumpy, hot stuff” that is unsuitable for teens.
… 1957 Producers of the Ed Sullivan Show instruct cameramen to show Elvis Presley only from the waist up on his third and final appearance on the program on January 7th.
Fearing the effects of the “hedonistic, tribal rhythms” of rock and roll music, in March Chicagos Cardinal Stritch bans popular music from all Catholic-run schools.
1958
The Mutual Broadcasting System drops all rock and roll records from its network music programs, calling it “distorted, monotonous, noisy music.”
1962 New York Bishop Burke forbids Catholic school students from dancing to “The Twist.” Burke considers R&B music, and its associated dances, to be lewd and un-Christian.
1963 The FBI begins collecting data on folk singers Phil Ochs. Ochs is one of several popular musicians to be tracked by the FBI during their careers (Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie).
Bob Dylan refuses to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show in February after producers tell him he cannot sing “Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues.” Dylan is never invited to perform on the show again.
… 1965 …
Cleveland Mayor Ralph Locher bans all rock concerts in the city following a Rolling Stones performance.
The Barry McGuire song “Eve of Destruction” is pulled from retail stores and radio stations across the country after some groups complain that it is nihilistic and could promote suicidal feelings amongst teens.
… 1966 …
A statement by John Lennon in March, comparing the popularity of the Beatles to that of Jesus Christ, results in wide-spread Beatles record burnings and protests. Lennons comments regarding what he perceives as a decrease in Christianitys popularity with teens are taken out of context. He says, “Were more popular than Jesus now.”
In June, Capitol Records recalls all copies of the Beatles Yesterday And Today album following complaints over the albums gory cover art. The “butcher” cover depicts the four Beatles wearing white smocks and covered with decapitated baby dolls and raw meat.
Police attempt to shut down a James Brown concert, alleging the singers dancing is obscene.
… 1967 The Rolling Stones agree to alter the lyrics to “Lets Spend The Night Together” for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in January. Producers request that singer Mick Jagger alter the title phrase to “Lets spend some time together.”
Producers of the Ed Sullivan Show request that Jim Morrison change the lyrics to “Light My Fire” for The Doors September appearance on the program. Morrison initially agrees to alter the lyric “Girl we couldnt get much higher” to a more innocuous phrase. During the live performance, Morrison sings the original lyric. The band is not invited back on the program.
1968 An El Paso, Texas, radio station bans all songs performed by Bob Dylan because they cannot understand the folk singers lyrics. The station continues to play recordings of Dylan songs performed by other artists with clearer diction.
The Doors single “Unknown Soldier” is banned from airplay at many radio stations because of its anti-war theme.
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 Belafontes arm (Clark is white and Belafonte is black).
After being invited by the Smothers Brothers to perform his anti-Vietnam anthem “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” on their TV show, Pete Seeger is edited out of the program by the censors at CBS television.
1969 In January, New York police seize 30,000 copies of John Lennon and Yoko Onos Two Virgins album.
In September, the local Roman Catholic Diocese runs a two-page ad spread in the Seattle Post Intelligencer calling for the criminal prosecution of rock musicians and for bans against “rock festivals and their drug-sex-rock-squalor culture.”
In July, one-half of the countrys Top 40 stations refuse to play “The Ballad of John and Yoko” because they feel that the lyrics are blasphemous. The songs lyrics contain references to Christ and crucifixion.
… 1970 …
A group known as the Movement to Restore Democracy calls for the banning of rock music to end the spread of Socialism in America.
Claiming that he fears the