Clear Channel bans Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," John Lennon's "Imagine," and "all Rage Against The Machine songs"

September 17, 2001 1:58 PM

Clear Channel bans Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," John Lennon's "Imagine," and "all Rage Against The Machine songs" (which I am sure they have wanted to do for awhile), but not The Cure's "Killing An Arab" or anything by Twisted Sister. Sounds a bit fishy to me. Clear Channel owns over 1,170 radio stations. [from FuckedCompany.com]
posted by tranquileye (68 comments total)

Okay... this is perhaps, like much on FC, a hoax of some sort, but it is entertaining nonetheless.
posted by tranquileye at 2:01 PM on September 17, 2001

the local alternative flavor of clear channel here in modesto, CA switched to a 'pay and play' format...you donate money, they play whatever song you want. They have raised about $178,000 so far...any other stations doing this?

as far as the cure goes, i doubt any corporate radio stations even HAVE that song.
posted by th3ph17 at 2:04 PM on September 17, 2001

Since when is Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" is "questionable content"? Are they just aiming for a total secularization of the playlist?
posted by Allen Varney at 2:07 PM on September 17, 2001

What's the context? The link only has the list and mentions "questionable content?"

I never thought I'd see . . .

System of a Down "Chop Suey!"
and
Rickey Nelson "Travelin' Man"

. . . within two items of each other on any list of music.

But then again, given recent events, there's a lot of things I never thought I'd see.
posted by fpatrick at 2:07 PM on September 17, 2001

what am I missing about why they would ban "Lucy in the Sky"? is it simply the reference to a person in the sky? that seems like a pretty weak link to the attack.
posted by justkurt at 2:09 PM on September 17, 2001

Springsteen's song is hard to link to these events too, except for the title. So then they should ban everything from Great Balls of Fire to Lake of Fire to R.E.M.'s The One I Love since the refrain is a dragged out "fire."
posted by edlundart at 2:13 PM on September 17, 2001

Being a sick bastard, I compiled in my head a WTC Top 40. I have never posted it anywhere, though, so I guess I'm not that sick. I have to take my hat off to these guys though. I'm ROFL at the thought that a bunch of poor CC schlubs had to sit around and think up 100+ songs to ban. Some of their choices are sure pathetic, too, with connections so tenuous that only people truly looking for something to complain about could find anything wrong with them. Any song with the word "Tuesday" in it? (Can I at least play "Voices Carry?") Any song about NYC? CAROLE KING?!?

Anyway, since it isn't on Clear Channel's list, I should at least mention the number one song on my list was "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls. They manged to guess most of my other choices, sadly.
posted by aaron at 2:15 PM on September 17, 2001

I just hope that they ban Britney, *NSync, etc, on general principles.
posted by davidmsc at 2:16 PM on September 17, 2001

Clear Channel flat out, is the worst thing to happen to radio in the free world, ever. Thank the Telecom Bill folks.
posted by canoeguide at 2:18 PM on September 17, 2001

It seems legit, here's the entire list
posted by owillis at 2:26 PM on September 17, 2001

what am I missing about why they would ban "Lucy in the Sky"?

It is a song about drugs. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
posted by jpoulos at 2:53 PM on September 17, 2001

Wow. Someone wants to censor Nena's "99 Luftballons"?!

Some of these are beyond laughable:

Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". yeah, we wouldn't want anyone hearig the lyrics "Mama take these guns off of me/I can't shoot them anymore."

And Sunday Bloody Sunday?! You may as well ban The Star Spangled Banner...I mean it does talk about Rockets Red Glare and Bombs Bursting In Air!

Does anyone, anywhere voluntarily listen to Dio?

And does anyone have a good reason why "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" is on this list?

Or "I Go To Pieces"? Man! How about Patsy Cline: "I Fall to Pieces"?

The whole thing is totally ridiculous.
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:54 PM on September 17, 2001

Some of us live where there still exists a few independent radio stations, and a list put forth from headquarters does not silence a potentially dissident voice, no matter how innocuous that voice may seem.

Some of us live where there exists an independent press that dare speak the word of caution or even restraint, and give it more respect than "treason."

Some of us can go to a bookstore and find a magazine that questions the war fever, and may even provide thoughtful, in-depth analysis of what fuels the chaos that burns, our money and their oil.

However, none of us live where there exists several independent radio stations/bookstores/television stations/newspapers. Our news and access to information (excepting the internet) is controlled by the AP and the big three media conglomerates. We are fed what we are to believe. A previous poster was right about 1984.


We are being set up.
posted by Sr_Cluba at 3:00 PM on September 17, 2001

Oh, I get it now, jpoulos -- the terrorists were on DRUGS when they crashed the planes. thanks for clearing that up.
posted by justkurt at 3:02 PM on September 17, 2001

As for the Cure defense! It is, of course, based lyrically on the Camus novel, The Stranger. The CD cover has this sticker that says, "the song KILLING AN ARAB has absolutely no racist overtones whatsoever. it is a song which decries the existence of all prejudice and consequent violence. the cure condemn its use in furthering anti-Arab feelings." That is all from Cure fan central You may resume normal programming.
posted by sixdifferentways at 3:02 PM on September 17, 2001

Why ban 'Imagine?' Is that not a song for PEACE?

Imagine
John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

posted by tamim at 3:03 PM on September 17, 2001

"Sunday Bloody Sunday?"

They can't read a calandar!
posted by DBAPaul at 3:05 PM on September 17, 2001

Tamim, reread these lyrics:

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too"

Many authorities don't support that message, and it kind of goes against potential efforts to stir up the people into killing thousands of innocent Afghan citizens.
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:07 PM on September 17, 2001

I was unpleasantly surprised to see "Imagine" too. We need it now more than ever, if people would only listen to the words... Maybe they axed it for the line "above us only sky"? And if so, how weak is that?

Kafkaesque's comment is not-implausible and utterly horrifying: censorship of messages of peace in the name of bloodthirsty propaganda?

This new world of the last week horrifies me no end.
posted by Sapphireblue at 3:15 PM on September 17, 2001

I think it was just wonderful how John Lennon and Yoko gave away all their possessions, lived penniless and opened their central park west apartment to the homeless of NYC. it was quite a testament to their deeply felt convictions. touching, really.
posted by commie-bastad at 3:15 PM on September 17, 2001

Someone wants to censor Nena's "99 Luftballons"

That is odd. I saw it quoted on a memorial sign here in New York's Union Square. And Lennon's "Imagine" is everywhere.
posted by Mo Nickels at 3:19 PM on September 17, 2001

Not a single Clear Channel station exists in the Seattle area ... You can search their DB for stations.

They Produce Dr Laura and Rush Limbaugh. Somebody might be trying to foment an end-around boycott with a hoax.
posted by Dillenger69 at 3:19 PM on September 17, 2001

Imagine surprised me too. I've always seen it as such a nice, happy, beautiful song with a peaceful vision.
posted by tomorama at 3:22 PM on September 17, 2001

Actually, I am no huge fan of John Lennon's music or the song Imagine. I do like its message, but the damn song is everywhere, memorializing everything, until I find the oversaturation rendering its message meaningless.

Which is a shame.
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:30 PM on September 17, 2001

My guess is CC banned "Imagine" because they didn't want to have their stations flooded with thousands of furious callers convinced the stations were trying to make a statement that "peace (that is, not responding to the attacks at all) is more important than protecting our freedom and safety." That plus the sad fact that songs like "Imagine" have long since been adopted by the pseudopeacenik "the US had it coming" crowd.
posted by aaron at 3:34 PM on September 17, 2001

They can't ban Twisted Sister. The lead singer is the morning DJ on our local Clear Channel station.
posted by smackfu at 3:40 PM on September 17, 2001

I think it was just wonderful how John Lennon and Yoko gave away all their possessions, lived penniless and opened their central park west apartment to the homeless of NYC. it was quite a testament to their deeply felt convictions. touching, really.


I've always seen this song's message as a being a lofty but unattainable goal. The song is called imagine, not go out and do this. Hypocrites? Sure, then again what well known and wealthy person isn't?

Personally, I'd like to see "imagine there's no celebrities" in there too. Maybe that would be too radical for Lennon.
posted by skallas at 3:42 PM on September 17, 2001

I think that one of the more controversial ideas in "Imagine," or what people have discussed in the past, is the thought that the world would be better without religion. That may be a touchy subject right now (even more so than on any other day). It is at least touchy enough for me to avoid posting any thoughts on it.
posted by edlundart at 3:47 PM on September 17, 2001

So then they should ban everything from Great Balls of Fire

Um, they did ban Great Balls of Fire. However, Hendrix's Fire didn't make the list.

Anyway, some of the songs are credited to the wrong artists. As far as I know, Mellencamp did not record I'm on Fire, and Black Sabbath didn't do Suicide Solution (Ozzy did). Makes me doubt the authenticity....
posted by ry at 3:52 PM on September 17, 2001

"It is a song about drugs. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

You sure?
posted by CrayDrygu at 4:14 PM on September 17, 2001

"It is a song about drugs. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

To think they missed this classic:

Lake Shore Drive – Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah
posted by skallas at 4:20 PM on September 17, 2001

thanks for clearing that up.

I don't see anything anywhere that says these songs were banned due to the events of last week. I guess I was a dumbass for not assuming that. But, as others have suggested, what do some of the other songs have to do with hijacking?
posted by jpoulos at 4:35 PM on September 17, 2001

one of their stations here in dallas is playing the new live song with the entire recording of the woman from san francisco calling her husband to say goodbye dubbed over it and then sound bites from him. i find that in extremely poor taste and called to tell them that if i heard it again i would never listen to their station and i would make it my personal crusade to get as many other dallasites as possible to also boycott the station.

i don't know about you, but i wouldn't want my last words dubbed over some crappy song and played every hour on the hour.

i don't know what their motivation is. why can't they just play the songs and dedicate them to the victims? i can't imagine that people enjoy listening to that.
posted by centrs at 4:54 PM on September 17, 2001

the one that has me scratching my head in wonderment is Louis Armstrong "What A Wonderful World." To me that that song is filled with all the sweet images of what is GOOD in this world.
posted by ShawnString at 5:08 PM on September 17, 2001

i emailed someone i know who works for a clearchannel station to ask if this list is real, their response was Yes belive it or not.....But most of us have said no to corporate. I thought that was pretty cool.
posted by th3ph17 at 5:15 PM on September 17, 2001

Ditto ShawnString. What negative images is that song supposed to convey?

It seems like this is more of a warning list for "wacky" DJs who might play one of those songs as a tasteless joke. --Play any of these songs and expect a penalty.

If they really didn't want to offend anyone, they might as well not play any song that even refers to NYC in the first place.

I guess some songs were never deemed suitable for airplay in the first place...

And how about that song by They Might Be Giants, "I'll Sink Manhattan"?
posted by Down10 at 5:32 PM on September 17, 2001

Not that this was one of his big hits, but I'm surprised that Bruce Springsteen's song "Darlington County" wasn't on there...there's a line in it that goes something like "Our dads each own one of the World Trade Centers."

I'm also surprised not to see Talking Heads' "Life During Wartime" or "Psycho Killer," or Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly." But I too have no idea why some of those songs are on there.
posted by SisterHavana at 5:33 PM on September 17, 2001

Why ban Shelly Fabares "Johnny Angel"? What does that song have in common with the others?
posted by bjgeiger at 5:49 PM on September 17, 2001

I'm really hoping that this gets taken care of soon. I'm sure a lot of recording companies, not to mention artists, are going to be mightily angry that their songs are being "banned". Music is the one thing I have that isn't being turned into propaganda (the current Live song and Lee Greenwood not withstanding) and it pains me to think I'll never hear these songs on the radio again.

Argh. First the erasure of the WTC from movies and TV, and now this. Might as well erase your deceased relatives from past family photos, as I heard once. *sigh*
posted by KoPi_42 at 5:59 PM on September 17, 2001

Check this out....

"99 Red Balloons"

You and I in a little toy shop
buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, "Something's out there"
Floating in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by.

99 red balloons floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
As 99 red balloons go by.

99 Decision Street, 99 ministers meet
To worry, worry, super-scurry
Call out the troops now in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it boys, this is war
The president is on the line
As 99 red balloons go by.


99 dreams I have had
In every one a red balloon
It's all over and I'm standin' pretty
In the dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenier
Just to prove the world was here...
And here it is, a red balloon
I think of you and let it go.


Hmmmmm......
posted by Espoo2 at 6:43 PM on September 17, 2001

as far as the cure goes, i doubt any corporate radio stations even HAVE that song.

But somehow DIO's Holy Diver is worth mentioning? LOL.
posted by glenwood at 6:50 PM on September 17, 2001

"the one that has me scratching my head in wonderment is Louis Armstrong "What A Wonderful World." To me that that song is filled with all the sweet images of what is GOOD in this world."

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The number of times I've listened in the past week to Louis Armstrong's voice remind me that it is, indeed, still a wonderful world...yeah..
posted by NsJen at 6:53 PM on September 17, 2001

[jpoulos, 15 years ago]: "Dude, Holy Diver ROCKS!"
posted by jpoulos at 7:21 PM on September 17, 2001

I have heard that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was a song written from a drawing that Julian Lennon did as a child. And the banning of "Imagine" is strangely familiar - anyone ever seen that episode of WKRP where they had a large influx of money from a religious organization who had "suggestions" for the station? Silliness.
posted by thunder at 7:23 PM on September 17, 2001

That's an odd list. Peace Train?

Can we add Lee Greenwood to that list?
posted by ColdChef at 7:38 PM on September 17, 2001

Mmmhmm, timely... :-)
posted by fooljay at 7:39 PM on September 17, 2001

i can speculate that peace train might have been banned because it was written and performed by cat stephens who vocally supports a lot of violent fundamentalist muslim causes. 10,000 maniacs stopped performing their cover live because of his position on salman rushdie and also had it removed from reprints of their album, "in my tribe".
posted by centrs at 7:48 PM on September 17, 2001

Centrs: Oh, that's a good point. I forgot about that. Damn.
posted by ColdChef at 8:15 PM on September 17, 2001

another thing...J. Frank Wilson's "Last Kiss" is on there, a really hard to find single, is on there, but Pearl Jam's version of the SAME song is not , and it is alot more avaliable. Silly list...
posted by ShawnString at 8:32 PM on September 17, 2001

Question: Is this legit, or just a joke? I still don't get Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. LSD has nothing to do with the attacks. I also don't get Bernie and the Jets. I always assumed the Jets were a band, and you can't understand any of the lyrics in that song anyway. And Travelin' Man? ?
posted by Charmian at 9:03 PM on September 17, 2001

Other songs I didn't see on the list: "New York City Boy," by the Pet Shop Boys. Also "Panic" by the Smiths and "Everyday Is Like Sunday" by Morrissey.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:29 PM on September 17, 2001

Here is the story about this action by Clear Channel on music site Launch.com
posted by SenshiNeko at 11:27 PM on September 17, 2001

John Lennon actually swore up and down that he didn't realize the initials of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" were LSD until somebody pointed it out to him.
Yeah, I didn't believe him either.
posted by Allen Varney at 11:35 PM on September 17, 2001

Does this mean that "Whoomp! (There It Is!)" will continue to be heard on Clear Channel stations around the country?

< really, really, dark humor >

Or will they make Tag Team change the title to "Whoomp! (There It Was!)"?

< / r, r d h >
posted by Vidiot at 1:43 AM on September 18, 2001

I was mystified by the labeling of some of those songs as "questionable" also. I racked my brain about the armstrong song and the best I could come up with was that it was in the movie "Good Morning Vietnam".

But The Beatles "Obla di, Obla da". Its about a guy raising a family. Questionable?

And Don MacLean "American Pie". Its about Buddy Holly. Questionable?
posted by ordermaster at 5:50 AM on September 18, 2001

"American Pie" was on that list? Jeez. Hilarious - what some morons will try to ban.

Surprised that, if they don't want NYC references, we don't see things like "Start Spreadin' the News" (I think that's the title, I've heard it called "New York, New York" also, heck I don't know, but you all KNOW what song I mean), or "The Girl From New York City" by The Beach Boys, or......you get the idea.
posted by Spirit_VW at 7:39 AM on September 18, 2001

"American Pie" is about the plane crash that killed Holly. That's why it's banned, I suppose.
posted by jpoulos at 9:16 AM on September 18, 2001

From the horse's mouth... My S.O. just got a response from a local clear channel station that features Greg Kihn (yeah, that Greg Kihn) as a d.j. - the email from his address said, "This list was merely speculative from an employee who was not in a position to mandate it as policy. It is not policy, and no stations are paying any attention to it. Thanks for listening."
posted by thunder at 10:56 AM on September 18, 2001

So, Frank singing "New York, New York" is out, but Christopher Cross singing "Best That You Could Do" is okay?

When you're between the moon and New York City...

Guideline or not...sheesh.
posted by RakDaddy at 11:09 AM on September 18, 2001

Wired is covering the list. Slate too. Clear Channel is trying to spin the hell out of this.
posted by owillis at 11:40 AM on September 18, 2001

but not The Cure's "Killing An Arab"

You can't ban a song you never had the guts to play on the air anyway.
posted by mikewas at 12:30 PM on September 18, 2001

They just issued a press release denying it.
posted by elvissinatra at 1:43 PM on September 18, 2001

It is the height of hypocracy to place any ban on any music particularly for the simplistic reason that the title may have any negative associations.
We live in a free society, dont we? Or maybe we dont really, and it is only a fantasy we are prepared to accept as long as any thing we might allow people to do follows certain prescriptions. This is the same kind of banishment that we so loudly find unreasonable in other cultures.

We should be strong enough to tolerate anything our society presents to us as some form of peaceful protest. We pride ourselves on freedoms that we find intolerable by their denial in other cultures.

Music is after all, a form of artistic expression. We are strong enough to allow even the worst form of artistic expression the strongest dissention, into our community, arent we?
banning of music was one way to bring truly home the overall intolerance of the Taliban to their oppressed people. They took great strength through their destruction of the one simple idea of music as a way to relieve pressures in their community, and their people have no comfort anymore in the simple idea that there may be music to soothe a savage beast.
without music, the beast savage becomes violent.
If we do respect those ideals of free speech then we must tolerate music we may not like, but at least allow people to enjoy it and give them the opportunity to enjoy it in peace

I mean I really dont like the anthemic songs myself, but I will never stop anyone from listening to them. I wish more people would listen to Mozart, because there is so much humanity underlying it, so much emotion and beauty that can be heard in it. But if I were to prevent people from listening to what they liked, how could I possibly offer them the chance to listen to some other music that might actually inspire and motivate them.

While I dont neccesarily agree with all the intents and emotions expressed by the music listened to by many young people, it is a good thing that they are able to listen to it. Sooner or later, people are able to recognise that there are other forms of music that may have deeper and more significant expressions that they may relate to, and that helps society, because some of them may actually take up music as a way to express themselves, instead of expressing themselves through destruction and desperation.

If we remove any music from our society, we give that music an "underground" value. In other words, it becomes something to value not for any sense of musical value, but simply because it has a proscripted value. It becomes like marijuana a thing to be taken merely because it has a societal taboo rather than any desire to take it for the actual effects of it.

We cannot proscribe society, we can only offer guidance. We should offer guidance from a perspective of tolerance, and measure, not from a sense of prohibition, because prohibition will only increase the desire to investigate, to test the limits.

At this time of testing Americas' resolve, surely it is time for America to show it's very resolve by being tolerant, by being open, by being expressive, and showing the world what it is that freedom is about.

If anything has been shown by history it is that by reducing access to anything only increases it's popularity.

I must admit at this point, I actually like RATM music, I think that they are pretty good at what they do, and I do like to put their music on at loud volume and dance (well, I shake more than dance) and it makes me feel good that there can be a voice that speaks loudly and diffidently in the USA.
To be perfectly honest, it is surprising that there are musicians who can find success of this level in the USA, where the dissidents are often swept under thecarpet
I want to try to find something positive to say about this.
But they have closed down their website, and our "freedoms: whatever the f**k that means - are being eroded.
Ok heres a positive. We still can write our thoughts onto the strange and wonderful internet. and we need to.
Keep on writing. Thats as positive as I can think.

any comments?
write to: [e-mail]
(you'll never silence the voice)
posted by Mihaly at 2:30 PM on September 18, 2001

then what about Huey Lewis' "Heart of Rock and Roll"? A song that mentions not only New York City, but DC and Oklahoma City as well.
posted by fakeplastic at 11:18 PM on September 18, 2001

The NYTimes has the story. It is real but "voluntary".
posted by owillis at 10:42 AM on September 19, 2001

The jiggy from snopes: http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/hoaxes/radio.htm
posted by GatorDavid at 11:00 AM on September 19, 2001

Can't BELIEVE that no one's mentioned Python's "Never Be Rude To An Arab"...
posted by Vidiot at 5:18 PM on September 19, 2001