PARENTAL ADVISORY: This Album Contains Free Speech

Censoring in music may range from the fact that the lyrics are offensive, or have many uses of profanity, all the way to the fact that what is being said is in opposition to local authorities and the government. From my point of view I think it is a good idea to censor uses of profanity for artists that have a young fan base. But from the other side of the music, from an artist’s viewpoint I do have the right to say what I want, and to speak my mind about certain issues. My personal favorite example of a musician speaking out against what the government was doing was Jimi Hendrix during Woodstock when he used heavy distortion and feedback to simulate bombs dropping, when he protested the Vietnam War.

The side of music that puzzles me though is the side that music that says something profound, music that takes a stand against things that go on in our country and in the world may be censored at times. Most of the time not censored by the government in particular but certain radio stations or entire groups of people protest and boycott the release of particular songs. For example, when the country group the Dixie Chicks spoke out openly against President George W. Bush, their fan bases down south did not take too well to their comments. Their CD’s were burned and their songs were boycotted from a number of radio stations. Going back further, In 1939 Billie Holiday made a song entitled “Strange Fruit” which talked about blacks being lynched. It was censored on every American Radio station.

http://www.freemuse.org/sw15937.asp