In the 1960s, the song, "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen was investigated by the FBI because folks suspected that its nearly incomprehensible lyrics must be pornographic. Alas, it was a harmless song concerning a homesick Jamaican sailor singing about how much he missed his girlfriend to a bartender named Louie. :-).
In the 60s, we couldn’t sing This Land is Your Land in elementary school because it was communist propaganda for state ownership of property. Then in Junior High we couldn’t sing Puff the Magic Dragon because it was about marijuana. The former was essentially true and the latter not.
Local control means we get varied views in the classroom. In the late 60s/early 70s we sang This Land is Your Land as part of America's Songbook throughout my school years on base. Our grade's contribution to the musical concert one year was the Battle Hymn of the Republic (the Marine Corps song) and This Land is Your Land on recorders. I grew up on a military base in the southwest. Same experience with Puff the Magic Dragon!
Lemon Pound Cake is a great track: guaranteed to make you smile. In your list of protest songs, you left out the Clash’ ‘Rockin the Casbah’, which was a song against the Ayatollah’s crackdown on Iranian musicians (music is haram, or unclean under sharia. I suppose, at best, they’re allowed to hear it, it’s just forbidden to enjoy it).
Old enough to remember when Luke and the 2 Live Crew were banned in Florida for obscenity. Their next song, became one of their biggest hits with “Banned in the USA” made to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”
Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” theme seemed to attract a number of novelty tongue in cheek protest songs generally. Here’s Cheech and Chong dealing with the immigration issue in the ‘80s with “Born in East L.A.” Substitute INS for ICE and you can recreate it almost verbatim. https://youtu.be/LMfYNqJgO8Y?si=SO1h75DC_MyPVDrA
Dear Greg: RE: Music and censorship:
In the 1960s, the song, "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen was investigated by the FBI because folks suspected that its nearly incomprehensible lyrics must be pornographic. Alas, it was a harmless song concerning a homesick Jamaican sailor singing about how much he missed his girlfriend to a bartender named Louie. :-).
All the best,
Rich McNally
In the 60s, we couldn’t sing This Land is Your Land in elementary school because it was communist propaganda for state ownership of property. Then in Junior High we couldn’t sing Puff the Magic Dragon because it was about marijuana. The former was essentially true and the latter not.
Local control means we get varied views in the classroom. In the late 60s/early 70s we sang This Land is Your Land as part of America's Songbook throughout my school years on base. Our grade's contribution to the musical concert one year was the Battle Hymn of the Republic (the Marine Corps song) and This Land is Your Land on recorders. I grew up on a military base in the southwest. Same experience with Puff the Magic Dragon!
Lemon Pound Cake is a great track: guaranteed to make you smile. In your list of protest songs, you left out the Clash’ ‘Rockin the Casbah’, which was a song against the Ayatollah’s crackdown on Iranian musicians (music is haram, or unclean under sharia. I suppose, at best, they’re allowed to hear it, it’s just forbidden to enjoy it).
Never thought about the Tipper Sticker being the musical equivalent of the Streisand Effect, but yeah.
In other news: Just in time for America's 250th, the UK's Ofcom tries some "taxation without representation" over 4chan.
Add "Silent Running" by Mike and the Mechanics... "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" by Bruce Cockburn.
Old enough to remember when Luke and the 2 Live Crew were banned in Florida for obscenity. Their next song, became one of their biggest hits with “Banned in the USA” made to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”
https://youtu.be/zKjXF5a3R9g
They sucked, though
Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” theme seemed to attract a number of novelty tongue in cheek protest songs generally. Here’s Cheech and Chong dealing with the immigration issue in the ‘80s with “Born in East L.A.” Substitute INS for ICE and you can recreate it almost verbatim. https://youtu.be/LMfYNqJgO8Y?si=SO1h75DC_MyPVDrA
“ just to buy a loaf of bread and a box of s’mores”🎵
https://purpleamerica.substack.com/p/my-ode-to-afroman