The 6 Most Unwarranted Banned Musical Acts

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This collection of banned songs and artists exposes some of the most ludicrous and biased decisions ever made by radio stations, corporations, and our government.

6. The Kingsmen- "Louie Louie" -banned 1963

I guess the world just wasn't ready for the enigma that was "Louie Louie." In 1963, The Kingsmen's raucous cover of the Richard Berry song was released, and rose to the top of the charts within two weeks. The mind-blowing success of this energetic classic was due in part to the quickly circulating rumors that the song's lyrics contained profanity and depictions of graphic sexual acts. The reason the rumors were unfounded is because no one could actually understand what vocalist Jack Ely was singing. About half the song is completely unintelligible to the average ear, and if you've heard it yourself, you'll understand why claims of obscenity are all but wild guesses. Yet despite no proof of any wrongdoing, a hybrid of parental paranoia and "Louie Louie's” notoriety amongst teens caused many radio stations to simply ban the song. In fact, Indiana's governor, Mathew Welsh, made it his personal duty to forbid "Louie Louie" from being played. If only these minor league fascists had done a little research about the song before crucifying it. The original lyrics, written by Richard Berry (and completely coherent), tell a simple tale of a sailor returning to land to see his lady, sans any vulgarities or profanities. Some argued that The Kingsmen intentionally altered the original words to depict things more graphic in nature. But if unconfirmed gossip was to become the foundation on which to base drastic decisions, then this country wouldn't last until next Christmas. Here's another way to look at it: if unintelligible equaled obscenity, the majority of Bob Dylan's catalogue would only be found on the black market.

5. Bob Dylan-All Songs-banned 1968

In 1968, a radio station in El Paso, Texas, banned all records by Bob Dylan from its playlist. Why? The station managers found it too difficult to understand Dylan's lyrics, and therefore assumed they contained offensive material. Too difficult to understand the lyrics…. I'm curious, when did coherent lyrics become the criteria to determine what's allowed to be played and what's not? An artist's most precious tool is the freedom of self expression, and it's a sad day when some lazy executives in El Paso don't care enough about that right to think of a more rational solution than just hastily banning your work. Oh, and the station continued to play cover versions of Dylan's songs (god these people were idiots).

4. The Beatles-banned 1966

Two of the most intensely controversial subjects known to man are Religion and Art, and nothing sets people off like an artist bashing religion. In a 1966 interview with journalist Maureen Cleave, Beatles member John Lennon remarked that“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now.” However true his statement may or may not have been, Lennon was met with an opponent even he could not tackle: the Bible-Belt. This mythical creature has been known to swallow whole ships of free-thinkers, and consume entire armies of vocal atheists, with room still left for dessert. As John's comments made their way into the United States, many members of the Bible-Belt took it upon themselves to boycott The Beatles. Many Southern radio stations began refusing to play Beatles songs, and the nuttier individuals began burning Beatles’ albums. I can just imagine it now: masses of enraged Christian extremists gathered around a roaring bonfire, waving pitchforks and torches, hurling record after record of the once loved pop band into the hungry flames. Although I wasn't there, I'll be willing to bet that the same fanatic lunacy that first greeted The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show would be found at this primitive gathering. Nevertheless, the Fahrenheit 451 reenactment failed miserably, as now The Beatles are regarded as one of the greatest bands in history. Good old George Harrison even made light of the ridiculous situation by saying “They’ve got to buy them before they can burn them." God bless you George.

3. 2 Live Crew-Album "As Nasty As They Wanna Be"-banned in 1990

As the eighties came to end, the more refined members of the American public were probably in an optimistic mindset, eager to see how their cookie cutter life style would play out in the upcoming decade. Too bad 2 Live Crew came around and took a proverbial dump on their dreams. In 1990, Crew's third album, "As Nasty As They Wanna Be," escaped from its cage and wreaked havoc on the sexually repressed citizens of this country. Their first single, aptly titled "Me So Horny," caused so much controversy that the album was officially banned from being sold. But some retailers in Florida's Dade County decided not to goose step to this dystopian philosophy. One retailer in particular, Charles Freeman, was arrested after selling the album to an undercover policeman, and some members of 2 Live Crew were actually prosecuted for simply performing the songs off their album live (they were eventually acquitted). Thankfully, in 1992, the obscenity ruling against the album was overturned by a Court of Appeals, and now we can all enjoy the lovely sounds of Fresh Kid Ice as he tells us about all the "baby dolls" he's banged.

2. 166 songs-banned on September 12^th, 2001

The September 11^th attacks shook us out of our blissful slumber and woke us up to a multitude of issues, one of which (at least for me) was the alarmingly autocratic state of radio. Thanks to the mass deregulation of media that the Telecommunications Act imposed in 1996, the conglomerate Clear Channel has taken over the world of radio and gutted it of any actual quality. The day after the attacks, Clear Channel sent out a list of 166 "potentially offensive" songs that radio stations were not to play in light of the recent tragedy. Songs like Notorious B.I.G's "Juicy" has Biggie rapping "Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade," and titles like "Tuesday's Gone" and "Crash Into Me" were regrettably timely, and justly taken off the air. But Clear Channel's decision to ban John Lennon's "Imagine" for its communist ideals, and Rage Against The Machine's entire output for their perceived anti-governmental views, was not only somewhat politically biased, but a violation of the artist's right to be heard. Clear Channel may have been aiming for compassion, but its directive just came off as lazy and prejudicial. It took an event like 9/11 to momentarily bring us together and acknowledge our freedoms, but it appears that Clear Channel's administration used the catastrophe to further their own agenda, and force their own viewpoints on a rattled and frightened public.

1. Dixie Chicks-All songs-banned in 2003

For proof of our country's hypocrisy, look no further than the Dixie Chicks. In 2003, during a live performance in London, Dixie Chicks member Natalie Maines announced to the audience: "we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.” This act of free speech spurred Clear Channel (in the hot seat again) to ban all music by the Dixie Chicks from their radio stations. Clear Channel's director Gail Austin explained that “Out of respect for our troops, our city and our listeners, [we] have taken the Dixie Chicks off our playlists.” Well Gail, you're quite the benevolent one. Do you even know what you and your company stand for? Let's lay out some facts. The heads of Clear Channel are conservative, and for the most part that means they support George Bush and his administration. Bush and his compadres decided to go to war with Iraq for the outward reason of destroying terrorism and bringing democracy. In the early days of the war, the media bombarded us with tales of the horrors the Iraqi people were living with. There was no freedom. Citizens were not afforded the liberties we fortunate Americans possessed. They couldn't vote. They couldn't speak out against the government without fear of punishment and death; they lived in a state of panic. But we were going to change all that. We were going to save them, rid them of their fears, create a new life for the Iraqis. We were going to bring them democracy! The same democracy that, in our country, punished the Dixie Chicks for speaking out against their government. For criticizing their president. The same democracy that labeled them traitors, chastising them for doing the very thing we were fighting for, and dying for. The reason that this travesty takes the number one spot is because it most effectively highlights how truly backwards this country is. The sad truth is that most people don't even realize that the things they believe in are the things they are against.