I can imagine the corporate meeting in the boardroom where they selected which songs to censor... "Suits" reading from their playlist and saying "Oh No! We can't broadcast the Youngbloods – Get Together because that's obviously Islamic terrorist propaganda!"
Right after the attacks, though, many media companies began censoring art deemed insensitive or anti-American, for fear of offending or upsetting the traumatized nation. One such entity was media corporation Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia), who, three days after the attack, sent a memo to its 1,100+ radio stations with a list of songs that they deemed “lyrically questionable” and insensitive to play following the 9/11 attacks.
The reasons for Clear Channel putting some of these songs on their memorandum are pretty obvious — the entire Rage Against The Machine catalog, for example, was most likely banned because their music was overly critical of America. However, some of the motives behind certain songs’ inclusion now seem ridiculous. The Bangles’ Walk Like An Egyptian, for example, was added for having references to the Middle East. It should be noted, too, that some DJs chose to play these songs, but that they were adamantly urged not to do so.
Here are all of the songs Clear Channel wanted skipped over.
3 Doors Down – Duck and Run
311 – Down
AC/DC – Shot Down in Flames
AC/DC – Shoot to Thrill
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds
AC/DC – Highway to Hell
AC/DC – Safe in New York City
AC/DC – TNT
AC/DC – Hell’s BellsAd Libs – The Boy from New York City
Alanis Morissette – Ironic
Alice in Chains – Rooster
Alice in Chains – Sea of Sorrow
Alice in Chains – Down in a Hole
Alice in Chains – Them Bones
Alien Ant Farm – Smooth Criminal
Animals – We Gotta Get Out of This Place
Arthur Brown – Fire
Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian
Barenaked Ladies – Falling for the First Time
Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction
Beastie Boys – Sure Shot
Beastie Boys – Sabotage
The Beatles – A Day in the Life
The Beatles – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
The Beatles – Ticket To Ride
The Beatles – Obla Di, Obla Da
Billy Joel – Only the Good Die Young
Black Sabbath – War Pigs
Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Blood Sweat and Tears – And When I Die
Blue Oyster Cult – Burnin’ For You
Bob Dylan / Guns N’ Roses – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Bobby Darin – Mack the Knife
Boston – Smokin’
Brooklyn Bridge – Worst That Could Happen
Bruce Springsteen – I’m On Fire
Bruce Springsteen – Goin’ Down
Bruce Springstein – War
Buddy Holly and the Crickets – That’ll Be the Day
Bush – Speed Kills
Carole King – I Feel the Earth Move
Cat Stevens – Peace Train
Cat Stevens – Morning Has Broken
Chi-Lites – Have You Seen Her
The Clash – Rock the Casbah
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Travelin’ Band
The Cult – Fire Woman
Dave Clark Five – Bits and Pieces
Dave Matthews Band – Crash Into Me
Dio – Holy Diver
Don McLean – American Pie
The Doors – The End
Drifters – On Broadway
Drowning Pool – Bodies
Edwin Starr – War
Elton John – Benny & The Jets
Elton John – Daniel
Elton John – Rocket Man
Elvis – (You’re the) Devil in Disguise
Everclear – Santa Monica
Filter – Hey Man, Nice Shot
Fontella Bass – Rescue Me
Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly
Jimi Hendrix – Hey Joe
Frank Sinatra – New York, New York
Fuel – Bad Day
The Gap Band – You Dropped a Bomb On Me
Godsmack – Bad Religion
Green Day – Brain Stew
Happenings – See You in September
Herman’s Hermits – Wonderful World
Hollies – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
J. Frank Wilson – Last Kiss
Jackson Brown – Doctor My Eyes
James Taylor – Fire and Rain
Jan and Dean – Dead Man’s Curve
Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls of Fire
Jimi Hendrix – Hey Joe
John Lennon – Imagine
John Mellencamp – Crumbling Down
John Mellencamp – I’m On Fire
John Parr – St. Elmo’s Fire
Judas Priest – Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
Kansas – Dust in the Wind
Korn – Falling Away From Me
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away
Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff
Local H – Bound for the Floor
Los Bravos – Black is Black
Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Tuesday’s Gone
Martha & the Vandellas – Nowhere to Run
Martha & the Vandellas – Dancing in the Streets
Megadeth – Dread and the Fugitive
Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
Metallica – Seek and Destroy
Metallica – Harvester or Sorrow
Metallica – Enter Sandman
Metallica – Fade to Black
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels – Devil with the Blue Dress
Mudvayne – Death Blooms
Neil Diamond – America
Nina – 99 Luft Balloons/99 Red Balloons
Nine Inch Nails – Head Like a Hole
Norman Greenbaum – Spirit in the Sky
Oingo Boingo – Dead Man’s Party
Ozzy Osbourne – Suicide Solution
Paper Lace – The Night Chicago Died
Pat Benatar – Hit Me with Your Best Shot
Pat Benatar – Love is a Battlefield
Paul McCartney and Wings – Live and Let Die
Peter Gabriel – When You’re Falling
Peter and Gordon – I Go To Pieces
Peter and Gordon – A World Without Love
Peter Paul and Mary – Blowin’ in the Wind
Peter Paul and Mary – Leavin’ on a Jet Plane
Petula Clark – A Sign of the Times
Phil Collins – In the Air Tonight
Pink Floyd – Run Like Hell
Pink Floyd – Mother
P.O.D. – Boom
Pretenders – My City Was Gone
Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
Queen – Killer Queen
All Rage Against The Machine songs
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Aeroplane
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge
R.E.M. – It’s the End of the World as We Know It
Rickey Nelson – Travelin’ Man
Rolling Stones – Ruby Tuesday
Saliva – Click Click Boom
Sam Cooke – Wonderful World
Santana – Evil Ways
Savage Garden – Crash and Burn
Shelly Fabares – Johnny Angel
Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
Skeeter Davis – End of the World
Slipknot – Left Behind
Slipknot – Wait and Bleed
Smashing Pumpkins – Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Soundgarden – Blow Up the Outside World
Soundgarden – Fell on Black Days
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
Steam – Na Na Na Na Hey Hey
Steve Miller – Jet Airliner
Stone Temple Pilots – Big Bang Baby
Stone Temple Pilots – Dead and Bloated
Sugar Ray – Fly
Surfaris – Wipeou
System Of A Down – Chop Suey!
Talking Heads – Burning Down the House
Temple of the Dog – Say Hello to Heaven
Third Eye Blind – Jumper
Three Degrees – When Will I See You Again
Tom Petty – Free Fallin’
Tool – Intolerance
Tramps – Disco Inferno
U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
Van Halen – Dancing In The Street
Van Halen – Jump
Yager and Evans – In the Year 2525
Youngbloods – Get Together
Zombies – She’s Not There
311 – Down
AC/DC – Shot Down in Flames
AC/DC – Shoot to Thrill
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds
AC/DC – Highway to Hell
AC/DC – Safe in New York City
AC/DC – TNT
AC/DC – Hell’s BellsAd Libs – The Boy from New York City
Alanis Morissette – Ironic
Alice in Chains – Rooster
Alice in Chains – Sea of Sorrow
Alice in Chains – Down in a Hole
Alice in Chains – Them Bones
Alien Ant Farm – Smooth Criminal
Animals – We Gotta Get Out of This Place
Arthur Brown – Fire
Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian
Barenaked Ladies – Falling for the First Time
Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction
Beastie Boys – Sure Shot
Beastie Boys – Sabotage
The Beatles – A Day in the Life
The Beatles – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
The Beatles – Ticket To Ride
The Beatles – Obla Di, Obla Da
Billy Joel – Only the Good Die Young
Black Sabbath – War Pigs
Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Blood Sweat and Tears – And When I Die
Blue Oyster Cult – Burnin’ For You
Bob Dylan / Guns N’ Roses – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Bobby Darin – Mack the Knife
Boston – Smokin’
Brooklyn Bridge – Worst That Could Happen
Bruce Springsteen – I’m On Fire
Bruce Springsteen – Goin’ Down
Bruce Springstein – War
Buddy Holly and the Crickets – That’ll Be the Day
Bush – Speed Kills
Carole King – I Feel the Earth Move
Cat Stevens – Peace Train
Cat Stevens – Morning Has Broken
Chi-Lites – Have You Seen Her
The Clash – Rock the Casbah
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Travelin’ Band
The Cult – Fire Woman
Dave Clark Five – Bits and Pieces
Dave Matthews Band – Crash Into Me
Dio – Holy Diver
Don McLean – American Pie
The Doors – The End
Drifters – On Broadway
Drowning Pool – Bodies
Edwin Starr – War
Elton John – Benny & The Jets
Elton John – Daniel
Elton John – Rocket Man
Elvis – (You’re the) Devil in Disguise
Everclear – Santa Monica
Filter – Hey Man, Nice Shot
Fontella Bass – Rescue Me
Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly
Jimi Hendrix – Hey Joe
Frank Sinatra – New York, New York
Fuel – Bad Day
The Gap Band – You Dropped a Bomb On Me
Godsmack – Bad Religion
Green Day – Brain Stew
Happenings – See You in September
Herman’s Hermits – Wonderful World
Hollies – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
J. Frank Wilson – Last Kiss
Jackson Brown – Doctor My Eyes
James Taylor – Fire and Rain
Jan and Dean – Dead Man’s Curve
Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls of Fire
Jimi Hendrix – Hey Joe
John Lennon – Imagine
John Mellencamp – Crumbling Down
John Mellencamp – I’m On Fire
John Parr – St. Elmo’s Fire
Judas Priest – Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
Kansas – Dust in the Wind
Korn – Falling Away From Me
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away
Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff
Local H – Bound for the Floor
Los Bravos – Black is Black
Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Tuesday’s Gone
Martha & the Vandellas – Nowhere to Run
Martha & the Vandellas – Dancing in the Streets
Megadeth – Dread and the Fugitive
Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
Metallica – Seek and Destroy
Metallica – Harvester or Sorrow
Metallica – Enter Sandman
Metallica – Fade to Black
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels – Devil with the Blue Dress
Mudvayne – Death Blooms
Neil Diamond – America
Nina – 99 Luft Balloons/99 Red Balloons
Nine Inch Nails – Head Like a Hole
Norman Greenbaum – Spirit in the Sky
Oingo Boingo – Dead Man’s Party
Ozzy Osbourne – Suicide Solution
Paper Lace – The Night Chicago Died
Pat Benatar – Hit Me with Your Best Shot
Pat Benatar – Love is a Battlefield
Paul McCartney and Wings – Live and Let Die
Peter Gabriel – When You’re Falling
Peter and Gordon – I Go To Pieces
Peter and Gordon – A World Without Love
Peter Paul and Mary – Blowin’ in the Wind
Peter Paul and Mary – Leavin’ on a Jet Plane
Petula Clark – A Sign of the Times
Phil Collins – In the Air Tonight
Pink Floyd – Run Like Hell
Pink Floyd – Mother
P.O.D. – Boom
Pretenders – My City Was Gone
Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
Queen – Killer Queen
All Rage Against The Machine songs
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Aeroplane
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge
R.E.M. – It’s the End of the World as We Know It
Rickey Nelson – Travelin’ Man
Rolling Stones – Ruby Tuesday
Saliva – Click Click Boom
Sam Cooke – Wonderful World
Santana – Evil Ways
Savage Garden – Crash and Burn
Shelly Fabares – Johnny Angel
Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
Skeeter Davis – End of the World
Slipknot – Left Behind
Slipknot – Wait and Bleed
Smashing Pumpkins – Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Soundgarden – Blow Up the Outside World
Soundgarden – Fell on Black Days
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
Steam – Na Na Na Na Hey Hey
Steve Miller – Jet Airliner
Stone Temple Pilots – Big Bang Baby
Stone Temple Pilots – Dead and Bloated
Sugar Ray – Fly
Surfaris – Wipeou
System Of A Down – Chop Suey!
Talking Heads – Burning Down the House
Temple of the Dog – Say Hello to Heaven
Third Eye Blind – Jumper
Three Degrees – When Will I See You Again
Tom Petty – Free Fallin’
Tool – Intolerance
Tramps – Disco Inferno
U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
Van Halen – Dancing In The Street
Van Halen – Jump
Yager and Evans – In the Year 2525
Youngbloods – Get Together
Zombies – She’s Not There