Radio station KKMG of Colorado Springs was slapped with a $7,000 fine for playing Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” in 2000 due to a listener complaint to the FCC. Never mind that it was a radio edit and one of the rapper’s tamest tunes on his newly released LP.
Updated FCC guidelines issued just two months prior claimed innuendo, without expletives, can be considered subject to obscenity laws. The agency cited “unmistakable offensive references,” quoting the lyrics above and several other lines. Later, however, the FCC reversed the fine stating the song was “not patently offensive under contemporary community standards.” A Wisconsin radio station was also hit with a fine for playing the unedited version of “Slim Shady.” They paid the fine without appeal.
"(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones
When this song was first released in the U.K., only pirate radio stations would play it. In the U.S., “Satisfaction” topped the charts at No. 1 for four consecutive weeks. But its aggressive lyrics were censored on TV, partly because Mick Jagger’s gyrations on stage were considered lewd. The words, “I’m trying to make some girl,” got zapped. Following the 1965 ban in the U.K. for lyrics deemed too suggestive, the song rose to No. 1 on the U.K. charts as well. However, it was also criticized for “tasteless themes.”
Critics found anti-establishment tendencies in lyrics such as, “When I’m watchin’ my TV, and a man comes on and tells me / How white my shirts can be / But, he can’t be a man ’cause he doesn’t smoke / The same cigarettes as me.” Despite the denunciations, it’s the second greatest song of all time, according to Rolling Stone magazine. Devo, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, and Vanilla Ice have all released cover versions.
"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele
The controversy here seems to revolve around why radio stations censored Adele’s song. Broadcasters concerned the lyric might be, “I’ll lay your sh*t bare,” bleeped it out, just in case. To make things clear, Adele replaced the word in question with “stuff” during a TV performance.
What is certain, the ballad “Rolling in the Deep” was a massive sensation. The No. 1 hit song stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks.
"Cop Killer" by Body Count
“Cop Killer” is a song of vengeance and retribution by the hardcore rock band Body Count. Accompanying raps by Ice-T relish in vanquishing L.A.P.D. cops for killing his homies and rally against institutional police brutality. Needless to say, the explicit song faced a lot of heat from politicians and parent organizations nationwide. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle criticized it.
In response to the condemnation, Ice-T said, “I’ve become the hero of the people, and the more they attack me, the stronger I’ll get.” However, in response to the condemnation, Ice-T removed the song from the album. Reflecting, he found free speech means we can say what we want, “but you have to be prepared for the ramifications of what you say.” Song fact: Ice-T was inspired to write “Cop Killer” while singing the Talking Heads' song “Psycho Killer.”
"Light My Fire" by The Doors
In 1967, The Doors were eternally banned from The Ed Sullivan Show over one word. Before the live performance, a producer informed the band that the term “higher” suggested illegal substance use, and the lyric must be changed to a more appropriate word, like “better.” As the door closed, Jim Morrison, insulted by the ridiculous request to self-censor, declared, “We’re not changing a word.”
During the live performance, singing it exactly like the single, guitarist Robby Krieger grinned at Morrison’s noncompliance, but the CBS execs were incensed. They confronted Morrison saying he’ll never play on the show again. Morrison quipped, “Hey, man. We just did the Sullivan show.”