Music is a compelling form of expression that has the power to merely entertain and/or cause cultural and political revolutionsbased on the contents of its lyrics and meaning.
This is why many governments and radio stations try to censor and suppress any controversial topics portrayed in music that may cause turmoil and corruption among the public.
These “controversial topics” that I will be going over include opposing moral values, violence, obscene language, religion, sexuality, and drugs.
Check under the cut for a more in-depth analysis of these main reasons for music censorship and how songs are censored, as well as my opinion on the issue.
Morality
The topics that fall into this category include violence, drug use, and sexuality. The government wants to control all forms of media to convey behaviors and messages that are “acceptable” so society would remain obedient and conservative. Drug use and violence are not acceptable since governments believe this content will influence its citizens to become unruly and criminal.
Profanity
Foul language and swear words are often censored from the air waves since radio stations believe it will promote obscenities to its listeners. Racial slurs, notably the “n-word,” are also regarded as cuss words because they may degrade and insult various ethnic groups; however, the “n-word” is becoming more prevalent, especially in rap/hip hop music genres, and may connotate a more positive meaning in certain situations.
How Are Songs Censored?
To comply to the rules set by various radio and television broadcasters, music labels or even the radio stations themselves will censor the controversial material (usually profanity). Sometimes the artist themselves modify the song with alternate lyrics or, more often, the songs are censored with the techniques below:
Re-sampling – The offensive word is overridden by similar sounding vocals and music.
Re-singing – The offensive phrase or word is replaced with more appropiate/”acceptable” lyrics.
Repeating – The word before the profanity is repeated in place of the obscenity.
Cutting – The offensive phrases are completely trimmed out of the song
Distorting – Often used in hip hop, the profanities are distorted by shifting the pitch down or by other means.
Examples
One song that has received major worldwide controversy and censorship is the Madonna song “Like a Prayer” from her 1989 album Like a Prayer. The music video was condemned by The American Family Association and The Vatican for “blasphemous” imagery. Pope John Paul II also encouraged the boycott of Madonna’s concerts after the song’s release. Madonna was banned from Egypt and faced restrictions in Russia.
Another song that sparked a lot of controversy was the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This song was widely believed to be clever, crafty acronym for the drug LSD. The result of this “discovery/coincidence” was the BBC banning the song from being played on British radio.
My Opinion
I am strongly against the censorship of music because we are granted the freedom of speech. Music is our way to express our emotions and opinions. We cannot be silenced for our different views, even if it may not be popular among the public. The lyrics and meanings of songs should not be changed or blocked to fit the “norms” and “expectations” of society. Music is one of the purest art forms and should remain unrestricted and unaltered by our governments and radio stations.
Works Cited
Lehigh, “Music Censorship.” First Amendment Site. Lehigh. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.<http://www.lehigh.edu/~infirst/musiccensorship.html>.
Morrison, Oliver. “Turn That Down! 40 Banned and Censored Songs.” National Coalition Against Censorship. National Coalition Against Censorship, 03 Mar. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
<http://ncac.org/blog/turn-that-down-40-banned-and-censored-songs>.
“Music.” National Coalition Against Censorship. National Coalition Against Censorship. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
<http://ncac.org/issue/music>.
Opening Ears and Eyes 