Recommendations: Censorship In Music

[SeanDMan]

Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd

Not only quite distinctive but also firmly nodded at by TV shows and what not down the years.

Shit right, I was trying to think of a Floyd video but for some reason my brain got stuck on High Hopes. The ABITW video is a classic, and I can't think of an image from a music video that stands out as much as those marching hammers.

[Bigal]

Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues was probably one of the earliest attempts at a music video (64-65), at least one that wasn't just a live performance of the song. It's very simple, but might be worth a look to show the evolution of the vid.

[Turbo Yannis]

Rabbit In The Headlights - Unkle

[Dingle]

I think it's Basement Jaxx, but either them or a similar band had a lot of videos that used a fair amount of effects in them.

As I mentioned on MSN, RAGE - Sleep now in the Fire had a HUGE effect, not so much as a video, but as a message in America.

[SeanDMan]

I was gonna mention that, but wasn't sure it fit the criteria. It's a bucket of awesome, though.

Low quality Youtube links:

Just, Pyramid Song, Rabbit In Your Headlights, Another Brick In The Wall, Smells Like Nirvana.

Oh yeah, and Learn To Fly.

Edited March 14, 2006 by SeanDMan

[Liam]

Cheers Sean, I needed possibly somewhere to get clips from...might need to find better quality ones, but Youtube makes sense. Legend!

And another one I can't believe I forgot....Rabbit In Your Headlights..class video.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Rabbit In The Headlights is a magnificent video, up there with the best (Y)

[SeanDMan]

YouTube is just a place to start, watch the videos, see if they fit. If they do, then look for better sources.

Legally, of course.

Take Me Out, This Fire (dig the facist imagery, natch).

[VerbalPuke]

I was thinking Rammstein's Du Hast and Engel were pretty cool videos. Du Hast especially, such a fun video to watch. Man, I miss listening to them.

Anyway, Green Jelly's Three Little Pigs was a fun video, with the wolf getting his shit ruined by the clay Rambo.

Busta Rhymes's video for Gimme Me Some More was also a good one during it's time. I can't describe it really, it was just odd.

[SeanDMan]

Of the Rammstein videos, I think Sonne is their best, with Links 2 3 4 and Ich Will being up there as really good too.

Amerika is not bad either.

[Mortis]

Of the Rammstein videos, I think Sonne is their best, with Links 2 3 4 and Ich Will being up there as really good too.

Amerika is not bad either.

[SeanDMan]

I think Amerika is good, but Ich Will is like a short movie almost, in the same way Sonne is, and Links is just indescribably awesome, if you haven't seen it, you wouldn't understand.

[Liam]

So, I've decided to do censorship in the music video instead.

I'm going to lookat it as a whole,and pick out a few videos in particular that were censored for whatever reasons ("Smack My Bitch Up", "Rabbit In Your Headlights", etc).

Now, what I'm struggling with is to find some decent quotes/references online about musical censorship. Without wanting people to do my work for me, if anyone could give me some decent links that talk about censorship in music, it would be much appreciated. I already have a few, but they are kinda loosely linked to what I am doing, so I could probably improve.

[Fanku Kaibutsu]

I recommend 'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails, several parts were blurred out, and some scenes were completely edited out, to be replaced by a "Scene Missing" card.

[Cactus Drags]

I'm sure the Two Tribes video was banned for the political overtones and whatnot. Relax was banned too. There was a Madonna one (I think it was What It Feels Like For A Girl) where she's basically urnning people over and stealing stuff, that caused quite a stir, as did her Bond theme video where she bleeds, MTV kicked up a fuss about it.

I'm drawing a blank on actual referece sites though, sorry.

Don't know if its relevant, but you could perhaps do a bit on where artists self-censor in videos. Like at a part in the song where they'd say goddamn or shit or something, they cover their mouths and whatnot. Perhaps not interesting in itself, but the whole argument of free speech versus censorship could be brought in...or something.

Edited April 11, 2006 by Dragsy Twenty Seven

[Liam]

I'm looking at Madonna pulling her "American Life" video as part of a look on self censorship, I think.

I'm going to look at "Relax" as a way of getting media interest through a "dodgy" video, as it was the second video that Frankie Goes To Hollywood did for the song which kicked up all the fuss, possibly meaning that they made it JUST for that purpose. I was also possibly going to look at "Two Tribes", linking it to "Relax" in so far as same band, same agenda (possibly).

Thanks for the help thus far, people.

[Ananas]

Weezer's "Hash Pipe" single having to be changed to "Half Pipe" in the US was pretty ridiculous.

[Fanku Kaibutsu]

It was changed? On the radio they said 'Hash Pipe' and on MTV, I thought they just bleeped the word 'hash'.

[K]

Might be interesting to note that George Formby's "When I'm Cleaning Windows" was censored by the BBC as early as 1940.

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4701758.stm

A well-known Lancashire comedian of the time was George Formby, who famously played the ukulele. He was extremely popular and even performed privately for the Royal Family.

Anything more harmless than his jokes and songs would be difficult to imagine. His best-known song was the ballad "When I'm Cleaning Windows." One day Formby was told that his windows weren't clean enough for the BBC.

Smut had been spotted in the lyrics and he was banned from singing the song on radio. His formidable wife, Beryl, took up the cudgels on his behalf and eventually "When I'm Cleaning Windows" was deemed pure enough for public consumption and restored to the Formby canon.

Apparently the lines that caused the trouble ran:

"The blushing bride she looks divine,

The bridegroom he is doing fine,

I'd rather have his job than mine,

When I'm cleaning windows."

Freedom of speech and expression have been back in the headlines. Some Muslims are upset because of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad printed in the Danish press last September and recently reprinted elsewhere in the European press.

Meanwhile civil libertarians are disturbed by the British government's attempts to make some intemperate religious statements illegal. I've reads articles and letters saying we're in danger of losing our traditional freedom of speech.

[livid]

The video for "Prayer" by Disturbed was banned because it showed New York being blown up shortly after 9/11 so they banned it. Not sure if that's something you want to add in there, but just thought I'd offer something that nobody's suggested yet.