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Mon 31 Mar, 2003 09:05 pm
On another thread, people were discussing the fact that many radio stations were banning the playing of the Dixie Chicks CDs, on account of a remark made by one of the performers.
Then I realized that the Dixie Chicks were not the first to be banned from radio play.
I can remember two songs that were banned when I was a kid. One of them was Come on a My House, sung by Rosemary Clooney. The thought was that it was insulting to Italian Americans.
Another one, which is one of MY all time favorites, is "Theyre Coming to Take Me Away", which people thought made fun of mental illness. I thought that it was a howl, and still do.
A third song that I remember being banned was "Nobody", sung by Bing Crosby. It was thought that the song gave a wrong message to kids.
http://www.b-unique.net/music/a/tophits/51/
http://wavthis.com/T.html
Do you remember any other songs that have been banned over the years?
Some stations banned "Is That All There Is?" by Peggy Lee.
"Little Egypt" by The Coasters was banned in Corpus Christi.
Lena Horne's song "Now" was kept off the radio despite the fact it had stronger sales at first than anything she'd recorded. Of course it died, not being played.
There was a song called "Slipping Around" by a man with a dismal voice, Floyd Tilman. The dj we listened to refused to play it.
Pat Boone recorded an album of songs the ilk of "Stairway to Heaven". He immediately lost his religious tv program until he made the right suck up moves and got it back.
others later
and of course the Dylan Rainy Day Women got him banned from nearly every radio station in America
Phoenix
I'd never thaught someone besides me remembered that song by Napoleon XIV ... and liked it! (In those pre-historic times, we were a couple more here: so my favourite was the B-side - that song backwards.)
[There's a real-player version on this site (and the text):
http://it.stlawu.edu/~x0tsing/takeaway.htm )
More here:
A Brief History of Banned Music in the United States
Eight Miles High by the Byrds was banned in some places.
I think the song was called "God Country and My Baby" by Johnny Burnette. It was banned in the 60s because officials felt it might be too inflammatory towrd the Vietnam War.
I thought of two. This one was banned because it was insulting to Italians. I actually heard it on the radio about 3 weeks ago for the first time in about 21 years.
SHADDUP YOU FACE - Joe Dolce
'Allo, I'm-a Giuseppe, I got-a something special-a for you, ready
Uno, duo, tre, quatro
When I was a boy, just about the eighth-a grade
Mama used to say don't stay out-a late
With the bad-a boys, always shoot-a pool
Giuseppe going to flunk-a school
Boy, it make-a me sick, all the t'ing I gotta do
I can't-a get-a no kicks, always got to follow rules
Boy, it make-a me sick, just to make-a lousy bucks
Got to feel-a like a fool and-a mama used to say all-a time
What's-a matter you Hey! Gotta no respect
What-a you t'ink you do? Why you look-a so sad
It's-a not so bad, it's-a nice-a place
Ah, shaddap-a you face
That's-a my mama, I can remember
Big accordion solo
Ah! Play dat again, Really nice, really nice
Soon-a come-a day, gonna be a big-a star
Den I make-a TV shows and-a movies
Get-a myself a new car, but still I be myself
I don't want-a to change a t'ing, still a-dance and a-sing
I t'ink about-a mama, she used to say
What's-a matter you Hey! Gotta no respect
What-a you t'ink you do Why you look-a so sad
It's-a not so bad, it's-a nice-a place
Ah, shaddap-a you face
Mama, she said it all-a da time
What's-a matter you Hey Gotta no respect
What-a you t'ink you do Why you look-a so sad
It's-a not so bad, it's-a nice-a place
Ah, shaddap-a you face
That s-a my mama
Hello, everybody!
'At's out-a dere in-a radio and-a TV land
Did you know I had a big-a hit-a song in-a Italy with-a disc
Shaddap-a you face
I sing-a dis-a song, all-a my fans applaud
Dey clap-a da hands, dat-a make me feel-a so good
You ought to learn-a dis-a song, it's-a real-a simple
See, I sing: what's-a matter you You sing Hey
Den I sing-a da rest and den at de end, we can all-a sing:
Ah, Shaddap-a you face! O.k., let's-a try it, really big
Uno, duo, tre, quatro
What's-a matter you Hey Gotta no respect Hey
What-a you t'ink you Hey do Why you look-a so sad Hey
It's-a not so bad Hey it's-a nice-a place
Ah, shaddap-a you face
OK one more-a time for mama
What's-a matter you Hey Gotta no respect Hey
What-a you t'ink you Hey do Why you look-a so sad Hey
It's-a not so bad Hey it's-a nice-a place
Ah, shaddap-a you face
There's also this one that was banned because it was offensive to the vertically challenged. I've never heard it since and that was also about 20 years ago.
Short People - Randy Newman
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
To live
They got little hands
Little eyes
They walk around
Tellin' great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
Well, I don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
`Round here
Short People are just the same
As you and I
(A Fool Such As I)
All men are brothers
Until the day they die
(It's A Wonderful World)
Short People got nobody
Short People got nobody
Short People got nobody
To love
They got little baby legs
That stand so low
You got to pick 'em up
Just to say hello
They got little cars
That go beep, beep, beep
They got little voices
Goin' peep, peep, peep
They got grubby little fingers
And dirty little minds
They're gonna get you every time
Well, I don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
'Round here
Walter- I have a tape called "Risque Rhythm- Nasty 50s R&B - Some of them are pretty raw.
2 Live Crew was banned all over the place.
And if post their lyrics, I'll be the one getting banned.
The Dixie Chicks are #1 this week.
http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/country.jsp
Ahead of Toby Keith, even.
Once again, the freepers make a lot of noise, but accomplish very little.
I never liked the Chicks (Dixie, that is), but I bought a couple of their CDs a week or two back.
Johnny Cash covered that "Nobody" on Solitary Man.
The Clash's double album "Sandinista" was banned for a while, though I can't remember if it was in the U.S. or the U.K. (something tells me U.K.), and banned for purely political reasons, at that. No profanity, no sex, no drugs, nothing. Just criticism of American foreign policy.
What a very interesting thread!
I can't think of any banned songs right off the bat but I know that Ed Sullivan made the Rolling Stones changes the lyrics from "Let's spend the night together" to "Let's spend some time together" for their appearance on his show.
Many stations wouldn't play the Stones' "Some Girls" because of the line "Black girls just want to get f****ed all night". Eventually, they edited out the words and played the song.
Speaking of Ed Sullivan, he once invited Bob Dylan to perform on his show, but, when Dylan insisted on singing "John Birch Society Paranoid Blues" he was not allowed to go on.
If I didn't already have all the Dixie Chicks CD's, I would buy them all.
Edgar
I'm happy to hear that you bought some :-D
I don't play them; just look at them.
k"
Don't forget John "We're bigger than Jesus Christ" Lennon. They didn't just BAN them, the had Nazi-style burnings. Great for sales I understand.
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