The American music scene underwent many changes during the 1990s including the introduction of grunge music and a rebirth of swing. However, the 1990s also became the decade when the infamous parental advisory label, as shown above, started appearing on cassette tapes and compact discs of popular music artists. The reason for the new label was to identify music that did not meet the "moral" American standards of music the Parents Music Resource Center set forth. This blog will identify music that was impacted by this label and how politics plays a role in censoring the music Americans listen to.
In the book Entertaining the Citizen: When politics and popular culture converge, Liesbet Van Zoonen said the PMRC was formed in 1985 as a way to "inform and educate, and provide parents with resources to know what their children are listening to" (p. 41). As the founding member of the PMRC, Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice President Al Gore, ultimately became the person responsible for the implementation of the warning labels. Many hard rock and rap groups in the early 1990s, such as Guns N Roses and 2 Live Crew, were targeted for their explicit lyrics. As part of a political statement against the PMRC and Tipper Gore, Warrant added a song to the end of their Cherry Pie album appropriately titled Ode to Tipper Gore.
Although this song is a bit over the top and has no musical value whatsoever, the parental advisory was a big deal to many bands in the early 1990s and a political statement like this seemed very appropriate for the circumstances.
Another music artist who has been targeted for his explicit lyrics and given the parental advisory sticker of disapproval is Eminem. Despite the fact nearly every other word in his lyrics contains some type of profanity, Eminem relates with a younger generation of white males, which, in his words, makes him more of a threat to corrupt the teens of America than the black rappers of this country. Below is a song from The Eminem Show album where Eminem explains his position as a rapper, but also does his own tribute to Tipper Gore at the end of the song.
Because of his questionable lyrics and often hatred filled comments, some of which could be heard in the above clip, Eminem's music has come under fire by several activist groups. Due to the first amendment, though, not much can be done to silence musicians like Eminem aside from slapping a parental advisory sticker on the album and playing a "clean" version of the songs on the radio airwaves.
According to Van Zoonen, the PMRC never intended to infringe upon the first amendment rights of musicians by implementing the parental advisory sticker. Their goal was based more on limiting the kinds of music children should listen to. "The PMRC typified children as having 'virgin minds' that need protection against the sleazy world of adult music" (Van Zoonen, p. 43). Although I'm sure the PMRC had good intentions with those thoughts, the teenagers in the below clips from a late 1980s episode of 20/20 feel much differently about the music they listen to. (This video is in 2 parts and is a little longer, but is worth watching to get the whole story.)
Although this episode seems to have been aired prior to the implementation of the parental advisory sticker, the influences of Tipper Gore wanting to censor the heavy metal bands of the 1980s was already evident. Parents and activists were also shown in the clips blaming musicians for making kids commit suicide because the lyrics of a song told them to do so. All the while the teens were saying they just like the music and don't really even pay that much attention to the lyrics. In my experience, kids and teens will listen to music they like and if an adult tells them not to listen to it, they will still find a way to get the music and listen to it regardless. It makes you wonder why the PMRC pushed so hard to get the parental advisory stickers in the first place.
I think the political agenda of trying to censor music with the parental advisory sticker is wrong and violates the musicians first amendment rights of free speech. Even though the stickers still exist, there doesn't seem to be as much attention paid to them and I'm sure one day they will simply go away. In the meantime, the freedom of speech still exists and until that is taken away, questionable lyrics will continue to be written.
