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Period: Jan 1, 1300 to
Major Events in Music Censorship History
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Jan 1, 1324
Papal Decree Issued
In 1324 John XXII issued the papal decree Docta sanctorum patrum, which banned more rhythmically animated music. This decree was printed and was recognized as legally binding. -
Jan 1, 1519
Banning of Love Songs
In 1519, the priest Desiderius Erasmus banned "obscene love songs." He said that these types of songs were fit only for the dances of harlots and minstrels that had made their way into the House of God. -
Jan 1, 1562
Council of Trent Issue Decree
In 1562, the Council of Trent issued a decree that banned many works that may be deemed obscene. This decree was issued because authorities wanted to protect the purity of the people of the church. -
Radio Act of 1927
This act prohibited “the use of obscene, indecent, or profane language on radio," and was extremely significant because it was one of the first major acts that was related to radio censorship, and it would eventually lead to the establishment of the Federal Communications Commission in 1934. -
Federal Communications Commission Created
The purpose of the FCC was to monitor interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. They had to ensure that most communication was monitored so that illegal and obscene material was not broadcast. -
Memphis Police Censor Music
In Memphis in 1948, police officers went around to record stores and confiscated or destroyed music that they deemed too obscene. This was a much more violent method of censoring music than previous events in America. -
Broadcast Music Inc. Censors Music
Broadcast Music Inc. is a performing rights organization that collects license fees for musicicans and pays royalties to them. BMI was created in the 1930s, and by the 1940s most musicans relied on them for licensing. In 1955, BMI denied licenses to over 100 songs because their content was objectionable, effectively censoring them. -
Elvis Appears on Ed Sullivan
Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time in 1956 and while not censored on what he could say, he was filmed from the waist up because his style of dancing was deemed offensive. -
Bob Dylan Censored by the Ed Sullivan Show
Dylan was set to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1963, but hours before his performance, he was asked to play a different song than the one he had planned on performing. Refusing to change songs, Dylan left and never appeared on the show.Surprisingly, Dylan gained more popularity than he likely would have if he performed because people like that he had acted as a rebel and counter-culture hero. -
The Doors Censored by the Ed Sullivan Show
The Doors were also set to perform in 1967, and were told they needed to censor the line "girl, we couldn't get much higher" from their song. They agreed but performed without changing the line. The shows producers were outraged and they were blacklisted from the show. -
Rolling Stones Censored by the Ed Sullivan Show
The Rolling Stones had been on the show several times, but for their 1967 performance they were asked to change some of the lyrics in their song "Let's Spend the Night Together." Unlike Dylan, they agreed to censor the lyrics while on the show. -
Jimi Hendrix Banned from BBC
Hendrix was set to perform two of his songs on BBC, but after the halfway through the second song he decided to play a version of "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream. His performance was cut off and he was subsequently banned from BBC. -
Radio Act of 1927 Used to Punish Radio Station
During a Jerry Garcia interview on a Pennsylvania radio station, mentions to sex were made. The FCC fined the station, and this event was significant because it was the first time the Radio Act had been used to punish a station. -
Supreme Court Rules on FCC Restrictions
During the 1978 case Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation, the Supreme Court argued whether the FCC could censor indecent material. The court ruled five to four that the FCC had the power to censor things that were deemed indecent but not obscene. -
Parents Music Resource Center
Formed in 1985, the PMRC was created to fight against obscene music. Tipper Gore was offended by a Prince album her daughter had, so she formed the organization with three other women and they were responsible for the parental advisory sticker that's still on albums today. -
BBC Bans Songs Related to The Gulf War
When the first Gulf War began, the BBC decided to ban 67 songs from being played on the radio. They believed that the songs were offensive and upsetting to the public so they removed them from radio stations.
