2000
During his annual State of the Union speech in January, President Bill Clinton calls for a voluntary, uniform ratings system for the entertainment industry.
Police officers in Northwood, Ohio, order 14-year-old Daniel Shellhammer 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 tear the shirt off his back and arrest him if he does not comply.
Police in New Iberia, Louisiana, close down a roller skating rink in February, and seize more than 60 CDs, after a fight broke out in the rink's parking lot. Police accused the rink's management of instigating the incident by playing music over the rink's PA system. Amongst the confiscated CDs are Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and the popular tunes "The Chicken Dance," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "The Hokey Pokey," and "Jingle Bells."
A private school in San Antonio, Texas, suspends four students for attending a Backstreet Boys concert in March. The students are suspended for one day for violating a school policy forbidding "involvement in inappropriate music [or] dancing."
Tennessee's state Senate and General Assembly consider the "Tennessee 21st Century Media Market Responsibility Act of 2000," which requires state's Department of Children's Services to screen movies, video games, and music. The legislation also calls for a ratings system for all violent entertainment media which decides on the appropriateness of material for young people.
After airing the video for over a month, MTV requests edits in the video for the Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch." The request comes after complaints from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
The rap group The Murderers see their album Irv Gotti Presents The Murderers delayed three times over their label's concerns about the album's themes.Students at the University of Maryland and University of Wisconsin ask for the cancellation of performances by the Bloodhound Gang over lyric content of an unreleased song. The song, entitled, "Yellow Fever," details the protagonist's desire to have sex with Asian women.
The New York Fraternal Order of Police places Bruce Springsteen on its boycott list, and calls for the cancellation of his New York performances, after Springsteen debuts a song about the shooting of Amadou Diallo entitled, "American Skin."
In August, two Michigan concerts of the Up in Smoke tour (staring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Eminem) cause police intervention over violent and sexual imagery. During the concert, a video is shown featuring a robbery and partially-naked women.
The Federal Trade Commission holds hearings before the U.S. Senate contending that the entertainment industry (including record companies) should be regulated and sanctioned for deliberately marketing violent and sexual content to children.
Loud Records succumbs to pressure from national video outlets to remove images of nooses around the necks of Dead Prez in the clip for their song “They Schools.” Group member M-1 objected, saying “This represents our people, poor and oppressed, trying to claim their right to a fair and just life. The U.S. education system has been the primary force behind the miseducation of our people.”
Ten University of Illinois students lobby the institution to cancel an on-campus concert by the Anger Management Tour because the concert tour features rapper Eminem. According to a spokesperson for the students, “We believe that [Eminem’s] lyrics are a form of harassment categorically on the basis of sexual orientation and sex.”
Circuit City announces it will put a cardboard sleeve around Marilyn Manson’s Holy Wood CD in its 622 stores. The cover features a painting of singer Manson, crucified and gored. The cardboard cover-up features a picture of Manson’s face taken from the original cover.
Two New Jersey state senators introduce a bill requiring a mandatory parental advisory sticker on CDs that advocate suicide, incest, bestiality, sadomasochism, rape or involuntary sexual penetration, murder, morbid violence, ethnic, racial intimidation, the use of illegal drugs or the excessive or illegal use of alcohol. Under the law, any artist that discusses these themes, and does not have a mandatory sticker, will be subject to fines and imprisonment.
The Bloodhound Gang cancel a demand that certain elements of their concert be removed from the Boise show. The band received a six-page fax from the show’s promoter, Bravo Entertainment, detailing the offensive elements to be removed.
Circuit City pulls the Free the West Memphis Three benefit CD after receiving complaints from the group Parents of Murdered Children. Transworld Entertainment (which owns Strawberries, Camelot, Coconuts, and Record Town) also pulls the CD.
2001A Connecticut state senator announces his intention to initiate legislation to ban sale of some music to children under 18. Senator John Kissel justifies his action saying “Many of these cassettes and CDs are replete with hate speech and calls to violence.”
Connecticut U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman introduces legislation that would fine music companies $11,000 a day for marketing CDs with “Parental Advisory” stickers to minors.
After a performance in Daytona Beach, Florida, the city’s mayor announces he will do everything possible to ensure rapper Eminem does not perform in the city again. The mayor was upset by the use of profanity and drug references during the concert.
A federal court ruled that a student is not permitted to wear an Insane Clown Posse t-shirt to school, saying it is disruptive. The school principal says the t-shirt is not the issue, but the philosophies the band represents.
Members of the Harvest Assembly of God Church in Butler County, Pennsylvania, burn a collection of books, tapes, and CDs. Music included in the burning: REM, Joe Walsh, Foreigner, AC/DC, and Pearl Jam, among others. Said one church member, “We thought we wouldn’t be loyal to God by listening to them.”
MTV pulls the video for Madonna’s “What It Feels Like for a Girl” because of the video’s depiction of violence.
Police in Galveston, Texas, handcuff rapper L-Burna, aka Layzie Bone, for reciting explicit lyrics to his entourage outside their hotel. Galveston has laws against public profanity.
Amother in Montgomery County, Maryland, sues AOL Time Warner and Trick Daddy because a CD labled “Clean” contained profanity. She charges the rapper and his label misrepresent the product to consumers.
A Denver, Colorado, group called Citizens for Peace and Respect, with the support of the state’s governor and congressman, rally against a local appearance by Marilyn Manson. In the wake of the 1999 Columbine shootings, it was widely (and incorrectly) believed that Manson’s music inspired the killings.
A promoter in Jackson, Tennessee, pulls the plug on a concert by Juvenile because of profane lyrics, saying it is not appropriate for children. No refunds are offered.
Producers of Late Night with David Letterman cancel an appearance by singer Ani DiFranco after she refuses to drop plans to perform the song “Subdivision.” The song deals with racism and white flight to the suburbs.
MTV decides to air the popular tune “Because I Got High”—but only in certain day parts because of its drug theme. The network says it will not air the video during its popular teen show, “Total Request Live.”
Police in Fall River, Massachusetts, shut down a concert by Prognosis Negative for vulgar language and lyrics against police, claiming the community festival where the band is performing is “family-oriented.” Festival organizers vow the musicians will not play at the festival again, even as members of other bands.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) releases its second report on the marketing of violent entertainment to children, reserving its strongest language for the music industry. According to the FTC, teenagers have no trouble buying CDs with “Parental Advisory” labels, and advertisements for these releases are regularly featured in media that cater to young people. In the report, the FTC recommends that the music industry enforce its policies about underage purchase of stickered CDs and cease advertising in media with a "substantial" youth audience. According to the FTC, the industry’s attitudes towards both are woefully inadequate and meaningless.
The FCC fines KBOO, a community radio station in Portland, Oregon, for playing a song by poet Sarah Jones and DJ Vadim entitled "Your Revolution." The song, a send-up of the Gil Scott-Heron classic "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" condemns rappers for demanding an equal society for themselves, yet still filling their music with misogynistic lyrics. The FCC agrees with an anonymous complainant that the song’s lyrics are profane.
The Federal Communications Commission fines two radio stations for playing Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady.” While WZEE is fined for airing the original (unedited) version, KKMG in Colorado is fined for playing a profanity-free radio edit.
Under pressure from Italian-American organizations, the Denver House of Blues and Opera Colorado cancel a musical performance by Dominic Chianese. In addition to being a folk music performer, Chianese is an actor in the HBO series The Sopranos, which offends some members of the Italian community.
AOL removes posts from a political discussion boards that contain quotes from Bruce Springsteen lyrics—saying the lyrics quoted violate its “Terms of Service” prohibition against vulgarity. The lyrics AOL objected to: “Bobby said he’d pull out, Bobby stayed in,” from the song “Spare Parts” as well as “Jenny’s fingers were in the cake” from “Spirit In The Night.”
In the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks many musicians change song titles or lyrics to avoid controversy. These artists include Dave Matthews nixed plans to release “When the World Ends” as his next single, Bush changing the title of their single from “Speed Kills” to “The People That We Love,” the Cranberries pulling their video for “Analyse” because of its repeated images of skyscrapers and airplanes, Dream Theater changing the artwork from their three-disc live album to remove its renditions of burning New York buildings, Sheryl Crow rewriting several lyrics for her upcoming album, and The Strokes removing the song “New York City Cops” from the U.S. Version of their album Is This It.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence forbids “Danny Boy” and other secular songs from being performed during funeral masses.
Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, Clear Channel Communications, the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, releases a list of more than 150 "lyrically questionable"songs that station's may want to pull from their playlists. Few songs portray explicit violence, but most have metaphoric themes that ring a bit too close to the tragedies. The list, containing music from almost every genre in popular music, includes Sugar Ray's "Fly," "Jet Airliner" by Steve Miller, Nine Inch Nails'; "Head Like a Hole," AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" and "Highway to Hell," Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot," "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas, Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire," REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know It," "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel, Dave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me," "Nowhere to Run" by Martha & the Vandellas, and all songs by Rage Against The Machine. View the list of songs.
2002Administrators at schools in Bethesda, Maryland, and Los Angeles, California move to ban “freak dancing” at school functions, which they consider disruptive and vulgar.
BMG Music Group releases the first enhanced Parental Advisory stickers that contain additional warnings about strong language, violent content and sexual content. The first disc stickered with the new label is Lady May’s May Day.
Steve Earle’s song “John Walker Blues” ignited calls for its censorship in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Post two months before its release. The song looks at events through Walker’s eyes, yet does not endorse Walker’s actions or fate, nor does it take any ideological stance on Walker’s beliefs. According to Nashville talk radio host Steve Gill, “Earle runs the risk of becoming the Jane Fonda of the war on terrorism by embracing John Walker and his Tali-buddies.”
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