Dangerous censorship or ????

Yesterdays news #1

Starbucks drops Springsteen's new album
Big News Network - Thursday 5th May, 2005 (UPI)

Gourmet coffee house Starbucks reportedly has declined to sell Bruce Springsteen's new album, Devils & Dust because of a song about anal sex.

Reno, as the song is titled, earned the chart-topping album released last week on Columbia Records, a parental warning label, Newsweek magazine reported.

The tune narrates a visit with a Guatemalan prostitute, including descriptions of the anal sex and the amount charged -- $250.

Starbucks declined to respond to the magazine's report.

The song is not about anal sex if anyone bothered listening to the lyrics.

Yesterdays news #2

Band banned from performing 'Louie Louie'
May 5, 2005
Associated Press

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — A pop culture controversy that has simmered for decades came to a head when a middle school marching band was told not to perform "Louie Louie."

Benton Harbor Superintendent Paula Dawning cited the song's allegedly raunchy lyrics in ordering the McCord Middle School band not to perform it in Saturday's Grand Floral Parade, held as part of the Blossomtime Festival.

In a letter sent home with McCord students, Dawning said "Louie Louie" was not appropriate for Benton Harbor students to play while representing the district - even though the marching band wasn't going to sing it.

Band members and parents complained to the Board of Education at its Tuesday meeting that it was too late to learn another song, The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reported.

"It's very stressful for us to try to come up with new songs for the band," eighth-grader Laurice Martin told the board. "We're trying to learn the songs from last year, but some of us weren't in the band last year."

Dawning said that if a majority of parents supports their children playing the song, she will reconsider her decision.

"It was not that I knew at the beginning and said nothing," Dawning said. "I normally count on the staff to make reliable decisions. I found out because a parent called, concerned about the song being played."

"Louie Louie," written by Richard Berry in 1956, is one of the most recorded songs in history. The best-known, most notorious version was a hit in 1963 for the Kingsmen; the FBI spent two years investigating the lyrics before declaring they not only were not obscene but also were "unintelligible at any speed."

You gotta be kidding me

Kathleen

Starbucks sells CD's?

What is the song about then, Kathleen? And why did they think it's about anal sex? Not that I can be bothered if the song actually was about anal sex - who cares?

isn't the secret garden about a prostitute?

you guys are going pretty mad with censorship this week apparently. i saw the louie louie thign elsewhere and MTV US has banned British sea poweers new single because it has the lien "wetter and wetter" in it.

land of the free eh?

Here are the lyrics copied from Bruce's official page. BTW on the Storytellers show he laughed about it being considered "Adult material" He called it a love song.

She took off her stockings, I held them to my face.
She had your ankles, I felt filled with grace.
"Two hundred dollars straight in,
Two-fifty up the ass," she smiled and said.
She unbuckled my belt, pulled back her hair,
And sat in front of me on the bed.
She said, "Honey how's that feel, do you want me to go slow?"
My eyes drifted out the window, down to the road below.

I felt my stomach tighten. The sun bloodied the sky
And sliced through the hotel blinds. I closed my eyes.
Sunlight on the Amatitlan, sunlight streaming thru your hair.
In the Valle de dos Rios, smell of mock orange filled the air.
We rode with the vaqueros, down into cool rivers of green.
I was sure the work and that smile coming out 'neath your hat
Was all I'd ever need.
Somehow all you ever need's, never really quite enough you know.
You and I, Maria, we learned it's so.

She slipped me out of her mouth, "You're ready," she said.
She took off her bra and panties, wet her finger, slipped it inside her,
And crawled over me on the bed.
She poured me another whisky,
Said, "Here's to the best you ever had."
We laughed and made a toast.
It wasn't the best I ever had,
Not even close.

This guy was obviously in love with someone else at the time - is this a crime?

Land of the free - Ha - not recently. This stuff is making me crazy

Kathleen

WTF ? it's not about Anal sex .. or I can't read english ... why on earth do Starbucks has to talk about a cd contents they sell coffee right ? and is it important to know what a coffee sellers think about Bruce cd ? this is just pathetic ... is Starbuck Coffee a censor ?

well there's an obvious line about payign $250 for a bit of anal debauchery and I doubt there's any other way you could take it than saying it's about a prossie but still.

she is just saying how much it cost not that they do it and the song IS NOT about that ... it's about sex but honestly it's not about anal sex and still like you said who cares ... why a coffee shop THINK that it's its role to say something about it ..

yeah it;s about sex if a somewhat deviant form of it ie paying a pro.

but in all fairness. Starbucks operate in a free state and can play or not play whatever they want even if it is seen as stupid.

I can imagine alot of people in the US boycotting them if they didn't ban it.

Yeah but ONE line that is taken out of context. The song is not "about" anal sex, nor is it glorifying it. By the time you get to the end of the song you could read it as being disappointed or disillusioned with prostitution. Maybe I'm being too sensitive because I am against censorship in any form.
And Starbucks (in this country) showcases a few albums near their checkout counter which boosts record sales. Starbucks originally approached Bruces record company themselves.

I was in High School when Louie Louie came out (by the Kingsman anyway). I don't recall a single problem here in Jersey at the time.

Kathleen

Kinda strange a country where the KKK can have their own TV station but you can't hear tunes with some possibly dodgy lines.

The only tune I can think of being banned over here was Frankie's relax. i know there's a couple more but we generally let the people themselves decide what they should be offended by or not