Banning music for the purpose of enforcing morality is called Music Censorship. Banning or censorship of popular music began in early 40s to about the 70s with the progression of Rock and Roll and R&B. Music inspires a form of emotion that at a simple level helps to provide amusement and the power to cause major innovations in culture. Music’s influence frightens some individuals that are scared of the change to morals and attitudes. Censoring of music has made a form of expression banned. Some reasons for why music has been censored include traditional morals, racism, generational differences, and fear of change.
Influential music is often modified to be more suitable in an attempt to enforce conservative values. The banning of music in America started to advance during the 50s, when original values started to unwrap. Giving your unquestioning obedience to people of authority, and keeping conservative values was what the censorship was intended on helping preserve. The introduction of Rock and Roll brought youth to see a chance to change their mind set on topics relating to traditional morality. Technological advances also played an important role in the molding of the moral tug of war in the 50s. During the 20s the era seen some issues against jazz musicians but radio wasn’t as popular yet. In the 50s, the radio granted listeners to genres of music that fought conservative morals and started the beginning of music censorship. Powerful figures tried to decide what would be accepted for people and for society. Drugs, violence, and sex are topics political leaders tried to control. By the end of the 50s political leaders seen many people of society, mostly adolescent teens begin showing different beliefs about these issues. Sex and drugs were not taboo and unheard of, but were common to being seen and flaunted. This change in difference started to change the conservative moral order in many ways of society.
Race has played a significant role in music censorship as well. During the 50s and early 60s a different type of music and blues rose up into the music scene. R&B music included talking about sex, different drugs, and similar topics that were unheard of in other types of acceptable music. R&B was mostly common by African American musicians and was listened to mostly by African American people. When the audience broadened to include Caucasian youths this was an issue for mostly Caucasians, who thought of R&B music as a negative influence that corrupted the youth as well as adults and increased unacceptable morals. This went on to making the moral authorities take to action. During 1955, Houston’s Juvenile Delinquency and Crime Commission prohibited multiple songs made by African American artists being played. Racially started music censorship was not only seen in this era. Recently similar events to the past include MTV choosing not to show videos from many African American artists in the beginning of the show. While being interviewed, David Bowie abruptly asked, “Why are there no African American artists on the network?” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” from the album Thriller, released in 1983, is recognized as being the first African American video played on MTV on a regular basis. The debate can be made that racial motivations also played a major role in the FBI’s 1989 letter to the rap group N.W.A. The F.B.I.’s motive was to tell the MCs that their song “Fuck Tha Police” was not liked by the government. N.W.A. fans argue that the MCs