2001 Clear Channel memorandum
The 2001 Clear Channel memorandum is a controversial document distributed by Clear Channel Communications shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks to the more than 1,200 radio stations they owned. The memo contained a long list of what the memo termed "lyrically questionable" songs.[1]
During the time immediately after the attacks, many television and radio stations altered normal programming in response to the events, and the rumor spread that Clear Channel and its subsidiaries had established a list of songs with lyrics Clear Channel deemed "questionable" and that stations might not want to play after the attacks. The list was made public by the independent newsletter Hits Daily Double, which is not affiliated with Clear Channel.[2]Snopes.com did research on the subject and concluded that the list did exist as a suggestion for radio stations but noted that it was not an outright ban on the songs in question.[3] The compiled list was the subject of much media attention around the time of its release.[3]
The list contains 165 songs, including all songs by Rage Against the Machine as well as certain songs recorded by multiple artists (for example "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan and the same song by Guns N' Roses).[4] In some cases, only certain versions of songs were included on the list. For example, the cover of "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm is on the list while the original Michael Jackson recording is not. Similarly, J. Frank Wilson's version of "Last Kiss" is included, but Pearl Jam's cover is not.
List of songs
- ^ "When You're Falling" is listed as being by Peter Gabriel, but is actually by Afro Celt Sound System, with Gabriel as guest vocalist.
- ^ The original name of the song was "Speed Kills", but following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bush renamed the song "The People That We Love".
- ^ "Suicide Solution" is listed as being by Black Sabbath, but is actually by Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of Black Sabbath.
References
- ^ Wishnia, Steven (October 24, 2001). "Bad Transmission: Clear Channel's Hit List". Reviews. LiP magazine. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ Dutton, Jeremy & Puchert, William. (October 10, 2001). "Music industry responds to terrorism". Zephyr. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
- ^ a b "Radio, Radio". Snopes.com. September 18, 2001. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
- ^ Truitt, Eliza (September 17, 2001). "It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It". Slate.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007. Slate published what it claimed was a copy of the list.
Further reading
- Bertin, Michael (November 30, 2001). "Imagine: The music business in a post-911 world". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
- "Clear Channel Says National "Banned Playlist" Does Not Exist" (Press release). Clear Channel Communications, Inc. September 18, 2001. Archived from the original on August 14, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
- Friedlander, Paul; Peter Mill (2006). Rock and Roll: A Social History. Basic Books. pp. 309–310. ISBN 0-8133-4306-2.
- Klinenberg, Eric (2007). Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media. Macmillan. ISBN 0-8050-7819-3.
- Kolodzy, Janet (2006). Convergence Journalism: Writing and Reporting Across the News Media. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-7425-3886-9.
- Milner, Andrew (2004). Literature, Culture And Society. Routledge. pp. 154–155. ISBN 0-415-30785-6.
- Strauss, Neil (November 19, 2001). "The Pop Life; After the Horror, Radio Stations Pull Some Songs". Arts (The New York Times). Retrieved August 4, 2008.
