Censorship on MTV

Censorship on MTV has been the subject of debate for years. MTV, the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., has come under criticism for being too politically correct and sensitive, censoring too much of their programming. MTV altered or removed shows from the channel's schedule and music videos were censored, moved to late-night rotation, or banned entirely from the channel.

Political correctness

MTV came under criticism for being too politically correct and sensitive when it came to censorship. This was most prevalent in the eventual decline of the hit show Jackass. The creators of Jackass often felt that MTV's producers did not let the show run its free course due to the excessive restraints placed on the Jackass team.

MTV's influence also affected its famous animated program, Beavis and Butt-head. In the wake of controversy that followed a child burning down his house after allegedly watching the show, "producers moved the show from its original 7 p.m. time slot to a late-night, 11 p.m. slot. Also, Beavis' tendency to flick a lighter and scream the word "fire" was removed from new episodes, and controversial scenes were removed from existing episodes before rebroadcast.^[1] Some of the edits were so extensive that when series creator Mike Judge compiled his Collection DVDs he found out that "some of those episodes may not even exist actually in their original form".^[2]

The Parents Television Council has argued that much of the censored material on MTV is easily discernible because of the context in which it is presented.^[3][4]

The Parents Television Council is also concerned about what messages are being communicated to young viewers through the lens and language of the reality television played on MTV. The finding suggests a horribly unrealistic portrayal of "reality" with harsh, demeaning and sexualized dialogue.^[5] While women were usually the receiver of the slandering language, they also were more likely than men to be negative to themselves and to other women.

Religion and race

In the 1980s, parent-media watchdog groups such as the PMRC criticized MTV over certain music videos that were claimed to have explicit imagery of Satanism.The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was first formed in 1984 around the collective outrage of four women known for their ties to Washington political life. All women had personal ties with profane music as they did not want their children to be exposed to it.^[6] MTV has developed a strict policy on refusal to air videos that may depict devil worship or anti-religious bigotry.^[7] This led MTV to ban the videos for "Jesus Christ Pose" by Soundgarden^[8] and "Megalomaniac" by Incubus.^[9]

Usually, all racial slurs are censored on MTV music videos^[10] and programming.^[11] In recent years, MTV has emphasized racial tolerance and diversity awareness for people of all races and creeds.^[12] But in the 1980s it was hard to see African Americans on MTV. Viewers began to take notice of the lack of ethnic diversity in American artists that received airtime, as did artists such as David Bowie and the late Rick James. James had his "Super Freak" video rejected by MTV, and pushed for two years for more black videos to be shown on the network.^[13]

When MTV executives were questioned they simply stated that MTV was a rock music channel, and there were very few African Americans in that music scene.^[14] Said Buzz Brindle, who at the time was the MTV director of music programming, "It was difficult for MTV to find African-American artists whose music fit the channel's format that leaned toward rock at the outset." ^[13]

In 1983 after some convincing, MTV executives agreed to air Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" which became a record breaking hit and paved the way for many other black artists to have their music videos played on MTV. This also changed MTV from not only being a rock music channel, but accepting pop into its music horizons.^[15]

Censored music videos

Videos moved to late-night or obscure rotation

To deal with criticism over risque content in certain videos, MTV moved certain videos to late-night rotation in censored format. Such videos included "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher and "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot.^[7]

In February 2004, following the controversial Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in which performer Justin Timberlake caused the exposure of a breast of co-performer Janet Jackson, MTV made several efforts to limit daytime rotation of music videos that it felt had too much sexual content to be shown following the controversy. Such videos included "This Love" by Maroon 5, "Splash Waterfalls" by Ludacris, "The Jump Off" by Lil' Kim, "Toxic" by Britney Spears, "I Miss You" by Blink-182, "Salt Shaker" by Ying Yang Twins, and "Hotel" by Cassidy. Additionally, the video for "Megalomaniac" by Incubus was pushed back not because of sexual content but because of depictions of German leader Adolf Hitler and people drinking oil.^[9] Madonna's "Erotica" was aired on MTV only after midnight because of its sexual and dark scenes. In an interview, Madonna said she agreed with MTV's attitude about the video: “I know that the themes I'm exploring in the video are not for children, so I understand that they can't play it earlier.” The video "Pumped up Kicks" was censored, removing "gun" and "bullet" from the song's chorus. Also, the video for "Smack My Bitch Up" by The Prodigy was initially given late-night rotation on MTV's 120 Minutes due to a fistfight, sexual scenes and allegedly misogynistic language in the lyrics^[16] but was removed from rotation after one week, a decision supported by the feminist group National Organization for Women.^[17] The song "Étienne" by Guesch Patti was moved to late-night rotation in MTV Europe due to a striptease scene.^[18] The video "Prison Sex" by Tool was shown only on MTV's former rock-oriented digital cable channel MTVX due to sexual and violent content,^[19] but went on to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in 1995 for Best Special Effects.^[20] Alleged glorification of gun violence led MTV to show an edited version of the video "99 Problems" by Jay-Z only between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.^[21] Only MTV2 would play the Public Enemy video "Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need" because it contained a line "free Mumia."^[22][23]

Banned music videos

From MTV in the United States

• "18 and Life" (Skid Row) – replaced with a second version
• "45" (Shinedown) – ban requested by the band itself.
• "A Tout Le Monde" (Megadeth) – despite Dave Mustaine stating the song was not about suicide, the music video was banned nevertheless due to the questionable lyrics.^[24]
• "Agenda Suicide" (The Faint)^[25]
• "Alejandro" (Lady Gaga) – aired on MTV Hits
• "American Life" (Madonna) – replaced with a second version^[26]
• "Amsterdam" (Van Halen) – although the lyrics involving drug use were edited out for the video, MTV still refused to show it.
• "Arise" (Sepultura) – banned for apocalyptic religious imagery, including crucified figures wearing gas masks.^[27]
• "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon" (Marilyn Manson)
• "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" (Twisted Sister) – banned for showing zombies in a school engaging in suggestive acts.^[28]
• "Blame It On Me" (George Ezra) Replaced with another version on Palladia and MTV2 because of an explicit warning in the beginning, because of graphic content. Gun violence and a kid shooting George with an arrow are in the video. Fuse still shows the original version, being a friend channel.
• "Body Language" (Queen) – due to its content, this was the first video to be banned from MTV.^[29]
• "Boiler" (Limp Bizkit) - the video contained a scene showing couples having sex in bed and a gruesome scene where a man's head rips off
• "Born to Die" (Lana Del Rey) – the video contained a scene in which Del Rey is killed in a car crash
• "By The Time I Get To Arizona" (Public Enemy) – banned since January 1992 due to its reference of political assassination (the video featured a politician who dies of poisoning and where the Governor of Arizona is killed by a car bomb), in this case, the Governor of the State of Arizona for not recognizing Martin Luther King Day.
• "California" (Wax) – banned only during the daytime for depicting a man running in slow motion while engulfed in flames
• "Cat Pete Afternoon" (Patrick Johnson Five) – banned for sex and nudity.
• "Chris Benoit" (Insane Clown Posse) – banned since September 2012 due to the controversy of the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide. The video has not appeared on MTV.
• "Closer" (Nine Inch Nails) – banned for graphic content in the lyrics involving sex and for the music video containing nudity, a monkey tied to a cross, and other content; was shown on MTV2 (late at night) for a lineup of the most controversial music videos.
• "Cocoon" (Björk)
• "Coma White" (Marilyn Manson)
• "Constance" (Mr. J. Medeiros)
• "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" (Sophie B. Hawkins) – banned due to erotic content and replaced with the more well-known second version.
• "Debbie Gibson is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child" (Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper)
• "Erotica" (Madonna) – banned before midnight but later seen in the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Door to Door".^[30]
• "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)" (Eamon) – no longer appearing on YouTube and MTV.
• "Fuck You" (Cee Lo Green) – banned alongside the clean version ("Forget You") due to strong lyrics.
• "Geek Stink Breath" (Green Day) – banned before late night hours due to graphic scenes of tooth pulling, and because the song's subject matter revolved around methamphetamine abuse. An edited video is shown internationally.
• "Ghost Ride It" (Mistah F.A.B.)^[31]
• "Girls, Girls, Girls" (Mötley Crüe) – replaced by a second version
• "Girls on Film" (Duran Duran) – original version banned for containing female nudity and sexual acts.
• "Happiness in Slavery" (Nine Inch Nails) – banned for showing a naked man being sexually aroused by a machine, which then tortures him to death via mutilations and stabbings.
• "Hey, Mister" (Custom)
• "Hot in the City" (Billy Idol)
• "Hurricane" (Thirty Seconds to Mars) – aired on MTV2, still heavily edited^[32]
• "I Want to Break Free" (Queen)  – originally aired on MTV but banned due to cross dressing and the song hinting at homosexuality.
• "I'll Save You All My Kisses" (Dead or Alive)
• "In My Darkest Hour" (Megadeth) – banned for alleged suicide references.^[33]
• "Janie's Got A Gun" (Aerosmith) – banned because it featured violent scenes and alleged incest sexual abuse.
• "Jeremy" (Pearl Jam) – banned for alleged suicide references.
• "Jesus Christ Pose" (Soundgarden) – banned for depicting a blindfolded girl and a mechanical skeleton on a cross, followed by several crosses that flashed repeatedly from upright to inverted positions.^[8]
• "Justify My Love" (Madonna) – banned for containing explicit imagery of sadomasochism, voyeurism, and bisexuality, which lead to the subject of a major media controversy in 1990.^[34]
• "Lacquer Head" (Primus) – banned for lyrics describing minors using drugs; the music video also featured a kid watching TV while a devilish creature administers some gasoline to the kid, who then explodes into a frenzy (with the creature riding on him) and ultimately crashing in to a wall, burning to ashes.^[35]
• "Low" (Foo Fighters)
• "M+M's" (blink-182) – replaced with a second version^[36]
• "Madhouse" (Anthrax) – banned because it showed people smoking and people with mental illnesses
• "Nobody Knows Kelli" (Young Black Teenagers)
• "Pagan Poetry" (Björk) – eventually shown in unedited form on MTV2 in a presentation of the "20 Most Controversial Music Videos".
• "Prison Sex" (Tool) – banned for depictions of child molestation and abuse, but it was later shown in the Beavis and Butt-head episode, "Career Day".
• "Quote Unquote" (Mr. Bungle) – banned for showing disturbing, scary content such as clowns being hanged (later shown on MTV2's 120 Metal Minutes).
• "Reckoning Day" (Megadeth)^[37]
• "Refuse/Resist" (Sepultura) – banned for showing violence including riots and disorder.
• "Riptide" (Vance Joy) replaced with another version.
• "S&M" (Rihanna) – banned due to strong sexually-oriented imagery and lyrics. The video was also restricted to adults only on YouTube for the same reason. It was replaced with a re-edit after its ban.
• "(s)AINT" (Marilyn Manson) – banned for showing graphic content including nudity, sex, drug use, and self-harm.
• "She" (Tyler the Creator)
• "She's a Bitch" (Missy Elliott) – banned since December 1999, never appearing on MTV.
• "Sinner" (Drowning Pool)
• "Six, Six, Six" (DeGarmo and Key)^[38]
• "Smack My Bitch Up" (The Prodigy) – banned for depicting violence, drugs, and extreme nudity including graphic sex^[39]
• "Spit It Out" (Slipknot)
• "Straight Outta Compton" (N.W.A.) – rejected due to excessive violence.
• "Sunshowers" (M.I.A.)^[40]
• "Swing, Swing" (The All-American Rejects) – aired with a censored version
• "The Final Solution: Slavery's Back in Effect" (Sister Souljah)—banned because of inflammatory imagery, which included overt depictions of guns and bullets
• "The Hate that Hate Produced" (Sister Souljah)—banned because of inflammatory imagery, which included overt depictions of guns, bullets, Klansmen, and racial unrest
• "The Impaler" (Winds of Plague)
• "The Ledge" (The Replacements) – banned due to the lyrics involving suicide.
• "The Price of Beauty" (Suicide Silence)^[41]
• "This Note's For You" (Neil Young) – banned due to products being mentioned by name, though it aired on Canada's MuchMusic. Later put into the channel's rotation after a backlash.
• "Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)" (Enrique Iglesias) [Including "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" - Clean Version of The Song]
• "Tormented Mind" (Burning Human)^[42]
• "Worlock" (Skinny Puppy) – banned for copyright infringement and graphic violence.
• "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Madonna)^[34]
• "Wild Night Tonight" (Skafish)
• "Wish You Were Here" (Incubus) – replaced by a second version
• "War All the Time" (Thursday)
• "You're All I Need" (Mötley Crüe) – banned due to a graphic scene where a guy kills his wife. An edited version of the video aired, removing the murder.
• "You Are What You Is" (Frank Zappa) – banned for depicting the execution of a Ronald Reagan look-alike in an electric chair, but later shown during the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Canoe" (though they switch it to The Europeans' "The Animal Song" after a while, then switch back to "You Are What You Is").

From MTV in Europe

• "Bombs" (Faithless)
• "Bück dich" (Rammstein)
• "My Favourite Game" (The Cardigans) - Was later replaced by endings three and five.^[43]
• "The Way" (Ariana Grande) - Deemed too sexual for TV

See also

• Censorship of music

References

Further reading

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