Because of many controversial issues at the turn of the 20th century, such as prohibition, racism, and women's liberation, many songs were outlawed.
While the true banning and censoring of songs didn't really begin until the 1950's, there was a certain amount of discouragement when it came to certain messages in music. A hundred years ago it was much more difficult to regulate what people were playing and listening to, especially in underground clubs and speakeasies. However, because of prohibition there were many protests songs that were "not allowed." People wrote, in music, about there resentment for the laws. Sometimes in very subtle ways, with phrases featuring moonshine or other colloquial terms, and sometimes very obviously. A lot of these songs were, like the alcohol they were about, prohibited.
Protest songs are still around today, although banning music is not something we still do. Instead, there is censorship. A lot of popular music today is not anywhere near what would be deemed appropriate a hundred years ago. There is much less subtly and a much freer use of terms that are not exactly polite.
So, to make it "clean" we censor music. Bleeping out bad words, or changing the phrasing here or there.
So much of modern music is full of references to alcohol or sex or drugs that it has become a distinct part of our culture.
Where once music that mentioned alcohol was forbidden, it is now a common occurrence.
While the true banning and censoring of songs didn't really begin until the 1950's, there was a certain amount of discouragement when it came to certain messages in music. A hundred years ago it was much more difficult to regulate what people were playing and listening to, especially in underground clubs and speakeasies. However, because of prohibition there were many protests songs that were "not allowed." People wrote, in music, about there resentment for the laws. Sometimes in very subtle ways, with phrases featuring moonshine or other colloquial terms, and sometimes very obviously. A lot of these songs were, like the alcohol they were about, prohibited.
Protest songs are still around today, although banning music is not something we still do. Instead, there is censorship. A lot of popular music today is not anywhere near what would be deemed appropriate a hundred years ago. There is much less subtly and a much freer use of terms that are not exactly polite.
So, to make it "clean" we censor music. Bleeping out bad words, or changing the phrasing here or there.
So much of modern music is full of references to alcohol or sex or drugs that it has become a distinct part of our culture.
Where once music that mentioned alcohol was forbidden, it is now a common occurrence.
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