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- Iain Grant
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
For jail bait songs, nothing comes close to Benny Mardones 'into the night'.. "She's just 16 years old... leave her alone, they say..."
and then "Thank heaven for little girls" or Ringo's "you're sixteen.. you're beautiful..." "Don't stand so close to me"... "I'm on fire"... Cherry Pie.. I will be your father figure... So many I ran out of "s.
Dicky Doo wrote:
Consider the song "Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka (and Elton John.) I can't imagine the lyrics, "The bitch is in her smile" being played anywhere in the years prior. Yet that was a huge hit in high rotation. Rules ease with the times.
. Coming from Neil Sedaka, it was kind of a surprise, given the number of squeaky-clean goody-goody hits he had throughout the '60s. Elton John must've rubbed off on him with his hit from the year before, "The Bitch is Back".
PJ
"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" took jail-bait to another level
D.D.
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.
- RadioActive
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
On the subject of jail bait, how about Peter & Gordon's semi-novelty hit "Lady Godiva," about the protestor who rode naked through the streets. It begins:
"Seventeen.
A beauty queen,
She made a ride
That caused a scene in the town."
Don't think this was ever banned, but it certainly conjured up some unusual mind pictures!
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Thread Starter- Doug Thompson
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
Then there are the hit songs that music radio has played for 50+ years that contain the F' word that nobody banned.
Songs like "Hey Jude". At the 2:57 mark, just after the lyric "Remember to let her under your skin" you can hear Paul McCartney clearly say 'Oh, F**king Hell". It's been there all along since it was first released in 1968.
Then there's The Who's "Who Are You". at 2:11 right in the lyric, Roger Daltry sings "Who the F**k are you?". I know CHUM FM played it uncensored as did many stations.
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- Paul Jeffries
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
Then there's The Who's "Who Are You". at 2:11 right in the lyric, Roger Daltry sings "Who the F**k are you?". I know CHUM FM played it uncensored as did many stations.
I remember 1050 CHUM played the LP version minus the offending bars back in the day. A very well-done edit, I do recall.
PJ
ClassicHitsOnline.com...The place where all the cool tunes hang out!
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
Not sure how I missed this one. "The Ballad of John & Yoko," a big solo hit by John Lennon, got the hook on some radio stations for his use of the name "Christ" and references to the former Beatle's crucifixion.
How 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' Sparked Radio Bans Due to Controversial Lyrics
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Thread Starter- Shorty Wave
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
Not sure how I missed this one. "The Ballad of John & Yoko," a big solo hit by John Lennon, got the hook on some radio stations for his use of the name "Christ" and references to the former Beatle's crucifixion.
How 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' Sparked Radio Bans Due to Controversial Lyrics
I remember this fairly well as I was 9 at the time and my older cousin played this song off the White Album for me and then explained to me why it wasn’t getting airplay. It is the first time I had heard of a song being banned on the radio but kind of got it as a kid who went to an Anglican boarding school with too much religion! Christ you know it wasn’t easy!
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
What is it with radio stations banning fairly innocent records?
Here are two more examples. In 1971, Melanie Safka wrote a #1 hit about roller skating, "Brand New Key," after having a meal at McDonalds. It became her most famous song. But some stations banned this otherwise innocent little ditty because they thought there was a sexual innuendo between Melanie's skates and a boy having "the key." Fortunately, it wasn't enough to keep the song from going to the top of the Billboard charts.
1971 Folk Song, Written in 15 Minutes in New Jersey, Is Still a Beloved Hit 55 Years Later
Another tune that was verboten on some stations, but also soared to the top position, came in 1959, when Bobby Darin recorded "Mack The Knife," a classic based on a poem by Bertold Brecht. Many stations dropped the tune because it was about a (fictional) killer. Again, it didn't stop it from being a hit.
1959 Pop Standard, Banned by New York Radio, Won Bobby Darin Record of the Year
Today, almost anything goes, with swearing and scatalogical lyrics often being heard on some FM stations. But back then, it was tempting to strike up the 'ban." Listeners managed to find them anyway.
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
What is it with radio stations banning fairly innocent records?
Here are two more examples. In 1971, Melanie Safka wrote a #1 hit about roller skating, "Brand New Key," after having a meal at McDonalds. It became her most famous song. But some stations banned this otherwise innocent little ditty because they thought there was a sexual innuendo between Melanie's skates and a boy having "the key." Fortunately, it wasn't enough to keep the song from going to the top of the Billboard charts.
1971 Folk Song, Written in 15 Minutes in New Jersey, Is Still a Beloved Hit 55 Years Later
Another tune that was verboten on some stations, but also soared to the top position, came in 1959, when Bobby Darin recorded "Mack The Knife," a classic based on a poem by Bertold Brecht. Many stations dropped the tune because it was about a (fictional) killer. Again, it didn't stop it from being a hit.
1959 Pop Standard, Banned by New York Radio, Won Bobby Darin Record of the Year
Today, almost anything goes, with swearing and scatalogical lyrics often being heard on some FM stations. But back then, it was tempting to strike up the 'ban." Listeners managed to find them anyway.
Oh it still happens today. On the 1979 Charlie Daniels hit The Devil Went Down To Georgia, some stations play the original "Son of a Bitch" while others play the more family friendly "Son of a Gun" version. I have heard both.
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
What is it with radio stations banning fairly innocent records?
Here are two more examples. In 1971, Melanie Safka wrote a #1 hit about roller skating, "Brand New Key," after having a meal at McDonalds. It became her most famous song. But some stations banned this otherwise innocent little ditty because they thought there was a sexual innuendo between Melanie's skates and a boy having "the key." Fortunately, it wasn't enough to keep the song from going to the top of the Billboard charts.
1971 Folk Song, Written in 15 Minutes in New Jersey, Is Still a Beloved Hit 55 Years Later
Another tune that was verboten on some stations, but also soared to the top position, came in 1959, when Bobby Darin recorded "Mack The Knife," a classic based on a poem by Bertold Brecht. Many stations dropped the tune because it was about a (fictional) killer. Again, it didn't stop it from being a hit.
1959 Pop Standard, Banned by New York Radio, Won Bobby Darin Record of the Year
Today, almost anything goes, with swearing and scatalogical lyrics often being heard on some FM stations. But back then, it was tempting to strike up the 'ban." Listeners managed to find them anyway.Oh it still happens today. On the 1979 Charlie Daniels hit The Devil Went Down To Georgia, some stations play the original "Son of a Bitch" while others play the more family friendly "Son of a Gun" version. I have heard both.
Same with Jimmy Buffett's classic "Changes In Attitudes, Changes In Latitudes."
In the real version he says "Good times and riches and son of a bitches, I've seen more than I can recall."
In the radio version, which I don't think is the one that gets played anymore, the lines were resung to "Good times and riches, some bruises and stitches." And that was in 1977, when things were loosening up on the airwaves.
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Thread Starter- kevjo
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
I'll pay fifteen Canadian dollars to the station that plays Kneecap's cover of 'Come On Ye Black and Tan'.
Surprised no one has remembered "Johnny Are You Queer" by Josie Cotton. In 1982 it got considerable airplay on CHUM-AM in addition to a few other stations.
- Chrisphen
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Re: Songs That Were Banned On The Radio
I'll pay fifteen Canadian dollars to the station that plays Kneecap's cover of 'Come On Ye Black and Tan'.
Surprised no one has remembered "Johnny Are You Queer" by Josie Cotton. In 1982 it got considerable airplay on CHUM-AM in addition to a few other stations.
Interesting. I did not know that.
The Go Gos did a splendid version of it back when they were punk.
Edit: There's always 'I Wanna be a Homosexual' by Screeching Weasel. I played it from time to time in my college radio days.
Last edited by Chrisphen (Today 7:33 pm)