Overview
In this lesson, we will consider several musical responses that occurred in the wake of September 11, 2001. One corporation banned songs that it thought would be controversial or upsetting, igniting accusations of censorship. Several country musicians recorded anthems that promised revenge on those who had wronged the United States, and these songs were received with varying degrees of acceptance by listeners and by other musicians. Finally, the outspoken members of one band found themselves at odds with both corporations and their fellow country musicians when they criticized President George W. Bush. The controversies presented in this lesson raise questions about free speech, censorship, and the effects music can have in response to tragedy.
Objectives
- Recall the music that Clear Channel suggested that its radio stations not play after 9/11
- Recall the musical responses of several country music artists in response to the events of 9/11
- Recall the controversies surrounding the Dixie Chicks and their statements about other musicians and the American president
The Post-9/11 Clear Channel Memorandum
In the wake of 9/11, a newly invigorated patriotism swept the country. Corporate radio played a significant role in determining exactly how that patriotism could be expressed, however. Clear Channel Communications, the largest radio chain in the United States, issued a list of songs to its nearly 1200 member stations that were considered "lyrically questionable." According to Clear Channel and its executives, the compiled list was created out of compassion for the victims' families who might find the lyrics particularly painful. Examining the songs on this list offers an interesting opportunity to consider which songs were considered controversial and why those songs were thought to be so controversial by Clear Channel.
The list contained 165 songs, many of which explicitly addressed death in the lyrics, such as Buddy Holly and the Crickets' "That'll Be the Day ♫" (1957) and R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) ♫" (1987). Other songs spoke specifically about violence, such as Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath ♫" (1973) and U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday ♫" (1983). Clear Channel also prohibited several songs about airplanes and New York, including Peter, Paul, and Mary's rendition of "Leaving on a Jet Plane ♫" (1969) and the Drifters' "On Broadway ♫" (1963), which was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and produced by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. Further, a number of songs about grief, grieving, and loneliness also appeared on the list, such as Peter, Paul, and Mary's rendition of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind ♫" (1963) and Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water ♫" (1970).
Clear Channel's list included popular music from many different genres and time periods, although no country songs appeared on the list and Rage Against the Machine was the only group whose entire output was banned. Clear Channel also prohibited certain songs about togetherness, unity, and resolution, such as Martha and the Vandellas' Motown song "Dancing in the Street ♫" (1964) and John Lennon's "Imagine ♫" (1971). Other songs on the list seem to have little connection to any of the above themes, such as the Surfaris' instrumental song "Wipe Out ♫" (1963) and the Beatles' "A Day in the Life ♫" (1967). Although Clear Channel did not ban these songs outright, they did strongly suggest to their affiliates that the songs were inappropriate.
"Depending on your political orientation, the Dixie Chicks are either the great defenders of free speech or American traitors."
