Banned Rock and Roll Through the Years Quiz

Answer: Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues

"Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues" was originally scheduled to be a cut on Dylan's "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" album. Advance copies included the song but on the final pressing the song was eliminated. It would not appear on an album until the 1991 release of "The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991".

The album contained a rendition performed during a Carnegie Hall Concert in 1963. "Lay, Lady Lay" was not released until 1969, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" was a 1965 release and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" came out the following year.

In addition to the well known Elvis Presley gyrating hips controversy The Doors, The Rolling Stones and Bo Diddley were other artists involved with controversial appearances on the show. Diana Ross and The Supremes were allowed to sing "Love Child" without any problem.

Answer: Come Together

In 1969 the reference in "Come Together" to "Shooting Coca-Cola" was thought to be a reference to cocaine. Because there was drug controversy surrounding the lyrics to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", the song was also officially banned by the BBC when it was released.

Other Beatles tunes to be banned at one time by the BBC were "I Am the Walrus" and "A Day In The Life". John Lennon's "Imagine" was on the BBC's Gulf War blacklist. Surprisingly Ringo could "Get high with a little help from my friends" without a problem at the BBC.

The Rolling Stones were not spared from the censor's wrath at the BBC. "Let's Spend the Night Together" was banned in 1967. Cocaine was even controversial in 1956, when ABC Radio was successful in their attempt to have Cole Porter change his lyrics in "I Get a Kick Our of You" from "I get no kick from cocaine" to "I get perfume from Spain".

Answer: The lyrics violated advertising laws.

"Lola" was a single release from the 1970 Kinks album, "Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One". The original version contained the lyrics, "Coca-Cola", and the BBC removed it from their play list because it violated their rule against promoting commercial products in a song. Composer Ray Davies had to hastily reissue another version inserting the words "Cherry Cola".

When the lyrics were changed the song was returned to rotation. The song became a Kinks classic and allowed them to negotiate another record contract after previous record sales had been declining. Several artists have covered "Lola" including Don Fardon, The Raincoats and Bad Manners. "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a parody of the song substituting the word "Yoda" for "Lola".

Answer: White Christmas

The year 1957 was the same year that Elvis was only shown from the waist up on "The Ed Sullivan Show". His live acts generated controversy and many radio station managers believed that he didn't represent proper Christian values. Elvis released the first of his two Christmas albums in 1957 and the album immediately became the object of controversy.

Some stations, such as WCFL of Chicago, banned any recordings by Elvis. On December 12, 1957, Al Priddy joined the unemployment line for playing "White Christmas".

The manager of the station was quoted as saying "it's not in the spirit we associate with Christmas", even though "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)" were also included on Elvis' 1957 Christmas album.

Answer: Them

Them was an Irish group fronted by Van Morris ion. Morrison wrote "Gloria" and the song included the lyrics "she comes to my room, just about midnight". Ironically, a group from the Windy City called Shadows of Knight recorded a version of the song and changed the line to "she comes around here, just about midnight".

The song became a Top Ten hit. The Gants also recorded a version of the song but Shadows of Knight's version reached the airways first. In 2007 The version of "Gloria" that was released by Them and originally banned in Chicago found its way into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1969 Blind Faith had their eponymous debut album banned by retailers because of the photo of a young naked girl on the cover.

The British group The Pretty Things had their song "Don't Bring Me Down" banned in the US in 1964 for objectionable lyrics, but it got airplay in Britain.

In 1965 the BBC refused to play the Who release, "My Generation", because they deemed it offensive to people who stuttered.

Answer: Street Fighting Man

"Street Fighting Man" was a song from the Rolling Stones' 1968 album "Beggars Banquet". Mayor Daley was preparing for the Democratic Convention that was scheduled between August 26 and August 29. The country had endured riots after Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated and Sen. Robert Kennedy had been killed in June. Fearing the conventions could result in riots and having received threats of assassinations, Mayor Daley took every precaution he could to prevent and quell any violence. It was obviously his opinion that "Street Fighting Man" could have been a catalyst for violence.
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was not included in the rotation of many US radio stations in 1965 upon release because of suggestive lyrics. It still became one of the biggest summertime hits ever. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was recorded during the "Beggars Banquet" sessions but was not included on the LP. "Brown Sugar" was recorded by the Stones one week before their 1969 Altamont Speedway concert. A fan was killed by a member of the Hell's Angels security during the show.
In 1970 Ohio Governor James Rhodes banned the CSN song "Ohio" after the Kent State shooting.

Answer: Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn is also credited with writing "The Pill". It was her first solo release that year. She had previously released a duet with Conway Twitty earlier in 1975. "The Pill" peaked at Number Five on the Country Charts and made a dent in the Pop charts, reaching number 70. Lynn's first single, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl", was released in 1960, the same year that the birth control pill became commercially available. Six years later she had her first Country Number One with "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)". Loretta would continue to place a Country song on the Country Charts every year until 1984.

Answer: There was nudity on the cover.

The original album artwork depicted a group of nude women against a black background. Jimi wanted a photograph done by Linda Eastman of children in a park for the cover but his request was overlooked. The cover was redone with a psychedelic blurred photo of Jimi taken by Karl Ferris. Because of a mistake by a studio tech the album was almost released with the title "Electric Landlady." Jimi noticed the error at the last minute.

The album was Jimi's only Number One album on the US Billboard Album Chart. "Are You Experienced" peaked at Number Two. Other albums that caused controversy because of cover art were "Country Life" (1974) by Roxy Music, "Virgin Killer" (1977) by The Scorpions, Prince's "Lovesexy" (1988) and The Mamas and Papas' "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears" (1966) was recalled and changed because there was a toilet on the cover.

Answer: Brewer and Shipley

A steady gig that Brewer and Shipley played in Tarkio, Missouri, inspired the title of their 1970 "Tarkio" album. Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead played pedal steel on "Tarkio". The album contained their only major hit, "One Toke Over the Line". The song naturally drew criticism, even though the duo claimed that the word "toke" was an abbreviated reference to a subway token. President Nixon even called the duo "public miscreants" because of the song.

It was performed on "The Lawrence Welk Show" (1955) by Gail and Dale and referred to as a modern spiritual.

The banning of the song apparently made it more popular. "One Toke Over the Line" reached Number Ten in April, 1971.

Answer: He dedicated his Oscar to Nelson Mandela.

In 1985 Stevie Wonder was awarded an Academy Award for Best Song for writing and recording "I Just Called to Say I Love You". The song was from the 1984 Gene Wilder movie "The Woman in Red". During the ceremony he dedicated the Oscar to Nelson Mandela. That action prompted the response from the Government-owned South African radio stations. Wonder was arrested the same year for protesting against apartheid at the South African embassy on Valentines Day. Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote "We Are the World". Stevie was one of the many performers who sang on the all-star song.