I came across the most interesting factoid regarding music recently and felt like sharing it with you. In the days immediately following the September 11th 2001 attacks in New York and Washington Clear Channel Communications, a company that owned 1,200 radio stations at the time, issued a memo strongly suggesting that certain songs not be played due to them being “lyrically questionable”.
During the time immediately after the attacks, many television and radio stations altered normal programming in response to the events, and the rumor spread that Clear Channel and its subsidiaries had established a list of songs with lyrics Clear Channel deemed “questionable”. The list was not a demand not to play the songs listed, but rather a suggestion that they “might not want to play these songs.”
The list contains 165 songs, including all songs by Rage Against the Machine as well as certain songs recorded by multiple artists (for example “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan and the same song by Guns N’ Roses). The list features many artists from the 60’s to then present day 2000’s, many are obvious choices and may have deserved a temporary veto, out of respect, but some are curious choices at best.
I’ve listed almost all 165 songs and will highlight the ones that seem like odd choices, however, now some 13 years past the event I may be too far separated from that day to see the need to consider these songs “lyrically questionable”. It was a very different time then, nerves were on edge.
The 2001 Clear Channel Memorandum List of “lyrically questionable” Songs
All songs by Rage Against the Machine
Duck and Run – The Better Life
Down – 311
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – AC/DC
Hells Bells – Back In Black
Highway to Hell – AC/DC
Safe In New York City – Stiff Upper Lip
Shoot to Thrill – Back In Black
Shot Down In Flames – Highway to Hell
T.N.T. – High Voltage
Media Devour 