The BBC And Censorship

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has always played an important role in hosting and promoting rock artists of the day. They did it through airplay and live performances by artists from both sides of the Atlantic; however, while the BBC played many songs, there were some songs they played differently, or in some cases refused to play.
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The Kinks Lola

 This has got to be the biggest one folks. This 1971 smash hit by The Kinks (essentially about meeting a transgeder in a club) is most remembered for its opening verse: "I met her at a club down in Old Soho where you drink champagne and the taste is like Coca-Cola." In this line, "Coca-Cola," or "Coke" is often associated by the Brits with cocaine. As such, the BBC played an alternate version replacing "Coca-Cola" with "Cherry-Cola." Even here in the US, there are many classic rock stations that play the song like that and the Kinks have used "Cherry-Cola" in their live renditions.

Paul McCartney & Wings

 Out of the ashes of The Beatles arose a project by Sir Paul featuring is wife Linda, and Denny Laine of Moody Blues fame. Wings were slow to take off and issued a number of singles in the early 70s that were not played. Two of their particular ones were Hi, Hi, Hi, about...you guessed it - getting high, and Give Ireland Back to the Irish about the same Bloody Sunday event Bono and the Boys sang about a dozen years later. As for the former, the Beebs (as it was nicknamed back then), opted to play the b-side C'Moon, while not playing the latter whatsoever. In fact, the BBC did not play many political rock songs, especially not around the time of the Gulf War, such as the Animals' We Gotta Get Out of This Place, or Barry McGuire's 1965 hit, Eve of Destruction.

As such, in 1972, Macca and company recorded Mary Had a LIttle Lamb. The move resulted in middle fingers from critics as they thought the song was done because of the BBVC's latest bans on their music, but Macca clearly said the intent was to record a children's song to get some "younger" fans.

Even the Fab Four has had their share of songs banned. Come Together (again for "Coca-Cola"), A Day in the LIfe, for its supposed reference to drugs, particularly because of the line "I'd love to turn you on." and Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds; you guessed it for an LSD reference in the title Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

Now folks I'd like to clear this up. I've made a post some time back about this misinterpreted classics, but this one was certainly NOT about LSD. In fact, the inspiration for this record came from a picture John Lennon's son, Jullian, brought home from school showing a girl. Lennon composed the song late that very night.

Other songs?

 As a rule of thumb, any sexual or drug references, implied or speculated, were up for ban. These include George Michael's I Want your Sex, Mott the Hoople's All the Young Dudes, and The Cure's Killing an Arab - especially during the Gulf War. The Police 1981 hit, Invisible Sun, was also banned for political reasons.


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