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.”
"The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem
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.
"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.”
"Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G.
Today, when “Juicy” plays on the radio, there’s an awkward silence in place of the line, “Blow up like the World Trade.” This is despite the fact the song was released years before the 9/11 tragedies. Notorious B.I.G. was referring to the 1993 World Trade Center disaster in the underground parking area that took six people's lives, but his metaphor “blow up” refers to explosive personal success and getting paid.
It wasn’t until after 9/11 that the song was censored for radio play. Notorious B.I.G., though some believe his lyric was prophetic, would never even know about the censorship of his song or the catastrophic event. Tragically, Biggie lost his life in 1997.
"Lola" by The Kinks
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the line “Well I’m not the world’s most masculine man / But I know what I am and I’m glad I’m a man / and so is Lola,” that caused the fuss. It was the BBC’s policy against product placement that forced The Kinks to rewrite part of their popular 1970 chart-topping song, “Lola.” The radio version replaced the “Coca-Cola” brand name reference with the words “cherry cola.”
Lead singer Ray Davies had to fly from N.Y. to London to sing the radio edit to get the song on the air. Song fact: Davies wrote this song in jest after the band’s manager went to a club and danced with a transvestite. He was so plastered that he didn’t notice “her” stubble growing back in the wee hours of the night.