Banned Songs/ The Dixie Chicks is Nothing New!

Nobody 'banned' the Chicks, did they?

I had some short friends, who got sincerely irate at "Short People". I just thought it was a goofy song. But, I was tall....

Some people compared this Dixie Chicks hunt with the hunt for Commies in '50s.

Paul Robeson.

After his visit to the USSR the U.S. Department of State revoked his passport, ensuring that he would remain in the United States. He also was black-listed by concert managers.

But he fought back. He sung on the U.S./Canadian border because of the restriction from leaving the country or gave a concert to union workers in Wales by way of the telephone.

Robeson believed that as an American citizen you should fight for what you believe in and suffered many consequences because of it. Becoming blacklisted, being prohibited from traveling outside of the United States, and effectively having his career relegated into oblivion were the most significant of the many consequences he endured.

From his "Freedom train"
You tell me, cause freedom ain't freedom when a man ain't free.

Well they have apologised and agreed to go nude! All for it myself, though I can't actually make any connection between 1. Razz the President; and 2. Get your gear off on the cover of a national publication. As Ozzy Osbourne and Michael Jackson also seem to upset a lot of folks I hope this trend doesn't spread.

Phoenix: The first time I heard "Nobody" was in the movie "The Seven Little Foys" and it was sung by Bob Hope. I loved that song and later had recordings of it by Phil Harris, Perry Como and Bing Crosby. It has a rather interesting background. "Nobody" was made famous by Bert Williams ,who wrote the music, while he was still a member of the vaudeville team of Williams and Walker. He interpolated it in "Ziegfeld Follies of 1910" when he became the first black performer to star with white performers in a Broadway musical. In 1976, "Nobody" was performed by Avon Long in "Bubbling Brown Sugar".

Another song written in the thirties that was originally banned from being played on the radio was "Paradise". The censors said that the humming sections, were liable to "arouse the listener's prurient interest". (lol) Bing, Sinatra and Nat King Cole all had hits with the song in the fifties and sixties. Does anyone here remember?

Paradise

And then she holds my hand
mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm
And then I understand
Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm
Her eyes afire with one desire
Then a heavenly kiss; Could I resist?

And then I dim the light-
Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm
And then I hold her tight-
Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm
One kiss, one fond caress,
Will lead the way to happiness
She takes me to paradise.

And when I dim the light,
Mm-mm-mm-mm, she's willing,
And when I hold her tight,
Mm-mm-mm-mm, it's thrilling.
Her kiss, each fond caress,
They lead the way to happiness.
She takes me to paradise.

Raggedyaggie- Of course I remember. When I saw your lyrics, I was singing along!

Purient interest! I wonder about what the folks who banned this would think of today's songs!

If they were alive today, it would be the instrumental period. No lyrics permitted.

"Dreamed of a reefer bout five feet long,
Mighty mezz, but not too strong,
You'll be high, but not for long,
When you's a viper".

Wouldn't get that on the radio today now.

Holy Modal Rounders "Mobile Line Gonna Carry Me Away from the Curse of the Bullfrog Blues."

bbc radio banned "celebrate (the day after you)" of curtis mayfield and the blow monkeys, when it came out before the 87 elections (the "you" being margaret thatcher). it was a pretty tame enough song, too. only valid reason to ban it would have been that it was sung by the blow monkeys. i mean, i know curtis was a bit of an idealist, but you gotta care a lot about politics to stoop to singing with the blow monkeys.

actually, i think the beeb's gotta pretty bad track record in banning songs. of course, i cant think of any right now. but i seem to remember there were songs that got into the top 10 without ever being played on radio 1.

Banned by the BBC

Actually, there's different kinds of banned, though. There's songs in the not-being-played, period category for different reasons, of course (politics, sex). And there's the songs of which only an edited version reached airtime. But there's also been 'times of exception', during which entire categories of music were temporarily banned from the airwaves. The site linked above also lists (separately), for example, all the songs DJ's were recommended not to play during the Gulf War. I remember a same kind of list was drafted here after September 11. Sympathetic enough idea, perhaps, except those lists are always drafted so broadly they invoke ridicule.

Some funny examples in that site, btw. I mean, that "God save the queen/and her fascist regime" would be banned in England in 1977 - you would only expect that. But "We call it aciiiieeeed" - in 1988?! <shakes head>

(Damn, now I'm stuck here humming "aciiieeed .... we call it aciiiieeeed ...").

I seem to remember The Prodigy's "Smack my Bitch Up" was blacklisted as well, wasn't it? And I'm sure NWA's "**** Tha Police" didnt get much airplay stateside ...

Anastasia is always saying about songs that are or were hits here, "that would never happen in America". Not so much banned outright, just - would never become a hit cause the track or the video wouldnt be played. Like, in the eighties there was this euro-trash pop hit, called "Boys Boys Boys (I'm Looking for a Good Time)", by this bimbo Italian singer. Now the thiing was that in the video, said Sabrina was happily bouncing up and down in a swimming pool - to the point where her bikini top had slid off just enough to see her nipples. Big hit. There's a lot of 15-year old boys with enough cash, y'know. "Would never happen in America". Same with the Malcolm McLaren-launched Bowwowwow bringing out their first album with 15-year old singer Annabella Lwin posing nude in a piss-take of "Dejeuner sur l'herbe". Actually, that wouldnt happen here anymore either, I guess.

Browsed and found that, actually, in Tennessee you could be arrested for just selling NWA's "Straight Outta Compton". Man. See http://ericnuzum.com/banned/nineties.html.