How countries use music as a weapon of control

Countries have banned songs, artists, and album covers for decades (Picture: Michael McCarthy)

Following a bizarre new law passed in Chechnya which bans music that is ‘too fast or too slow’, Metro.co.uk has taken a deeper look at how other countries have censored music.

The new law was introduced by Chechnya’s culture minister, Musa Dadaev, who declared: ‘Borrowing musical culture from other peoples is inadmissible.’

The new tempo ban was enacted in a bid to stop Western music ’polluting’ the republic, and to promote more traditional music.

Local artists have until June 1 to ‘rewrite their songs’ to follow the new rules – but it’s likely that the music of many beloved international artists will never be played in the republic again.

But Chechnya is not the first country – nor will it be the last – to ban music for various reasons.

Russia, the US, UK, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, North Korea and Afghanistan have all banned songs, bands and artists for myriad reasons, ranging from inappropriate language to outright propaganda.

Russia

Russian feminist group Pussy Riot served prison time for their music and activism (Picture: Getty)

It may not have made as radical a move its Chechen friends, but Russia is more than familiar with censorship and the weaponisation of music for political aims.

The 2010 Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development law banned sharing messages and images about suicide, drug use and other sensitive matter among children in Russia.

This was followed by law 135, known as the ‘gay propaganda ban’, which bans promoting ‘denying traditional family values and non-traditional sexual relations’ to children.

Propaganda expert on Russia’s music censorship

Professor Ian Garner analyses Russian culture and propaganda.

He tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Under Putin in the last few years, music censorship has often been covert and implicit rather than overt and explicit.

‘Rather than simply arresting or banning singers and pop/rock stars who say things that aren’t desirable for the state, they are pouring huge amounts of money into patriotic music, and music that does not appear to be like Western music.

‘Musicians who are not desirable are being labelled as foreign agents – for example, Alla Pugacheva.’

Alla Pugacheva has often been referred to as the ‘queen of Soviet pop music’ – but after speaking out against the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin could label her as a ‘foreign agent’.

‌Being labelled as a ‘foreign agent’ is often the first sign of serious trouble from authorities in Russia. Currently, there are 787 organisations and people listed as such.

Under these laws, many songs have been banned due to the messaging of the lyrics. 36 concerts were canceled between October and December of 2018 alone.

After the invasion into Ukraine, Russia cancelled dozens of performances from artists who spoke out against the war.

On the other hand, many Western artists also cancelled their performances in Russia due to the invasion – Franz Ferdinand and Louis Tomlinson among them.

Perhaps the most notoriously censored Russian group has been Pussy Riot, a feminist punk group famed for their support of LGBTQ rights and fierce opposition to Putin. This activism has landed three of its members in prison.

USA

Billie Holiday’s song ‘Strange Fruit’ caused a stir at its time of release (Picture: Getty)

The US may want to distance itself as far from Russian policy making as possible, but America has also banned songs from radio for indecency and sociopolitical reasons.

One song banned from radios almost a century ago was Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’. Released in 1939, the mournful protest ballad tells the story of African Americans being lynched.

The lyrics go:

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,

Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze,

Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees.’

Many radio stations banned the song, as it was released at a time when Jim Crow laws were still prevalent in the south – meaning political implications for networks that played it were big.

The Jim Crow era refers to a period of racist laws which established different rules for Black and white people in the US. The name Jim Crow is derived from an offensive slang term for a Black man.

Though music is classified as a form of protected expression under the first amendment, it remains highly regulated in the US today.

UK

The Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The Queen’ was met with backlash (Picture: Getty)

Even the UK is no stranger to music censorship. The BBC has banned many popular songs for vulgarity and political reasons.

The Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save the Queen’ was banned in 1977 for ‘poor taste’, while ‘Ding, Dong, the Witch Is Dead’ from the Wizard of Oz was banned in 2013 amid claims it celebrated the death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Political issues have also driven censorship. The BBC banned The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’ music video due to its portrayal of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Lead singer Dolores O’Riordan wrote the song after two children died in an IRA bombing in Warrington, England, during the Troubles – a time of sectarian conflict between Catholics and Protestants that erupted in the 1960s.

On March 20, 1993, the IRA planted bombs in cast iron dustbins in a busy shopping area. They exploded, killing three-year-old Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry.

The Cranberries wrote ‘Zombie’ about the troubles in Northern Ireland (Picture: Getty)

The lyrics of ‘Zombie’ go:

‘Another head hangs lowly

Child is slowly taken

And the violence caused such silence

Who are we mistaken?‘

Dolores O’Riordan said of the song and its ban: ‘I care about the fact that innocent people are being harmed. That’s what provoked me to write the song.’

Music is legal in China, but highly regulated – songs that support Tibetan independence or are ‘anti-China’ are banned.

China has been occupied and ruled by China since 1951 – during which time Tibetans have rebelled to reclaim their country.

Songs which promote Tibetan independence go against the Chinese government’s narratives, so they are banned.

Legacy by the Pet Shop Boys, Lady Gaga and other artists have had songs banned due to their content.

Songs banned in China – and why

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has had six songs banned from China due to being ‘too vulgar’. These include:

• Judas
• The Edge of Glory
• Born This Way
• Americano

Pet Shop Boys

The entire album ‘Yes’ was banned based on the ‘political nature’ of the track ‘Legacy’. The lyrics read: ‘Time will pass/ governments fall/ Glaciers melt/ Hurricanes bawl’

Katy Perry

Perry’s smash hit ‘Last Friday Night (TGIF)’ was banned due to its ‘vulgarity’.

Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher has been banned from China visiting for more than two decades after he took part in a pro-Tibet concert in 1997.

He previously said: ‘I’ve got a letter somewhere from the Minister of The Interior saying, “You are an enemy of the people,” or something like that. The rest of the band were invited with open arms.’

Even karaoke songs with ‘illegal content’ were banned in 2021 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Songs banned include those which:

• Incite ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination
• Endanger national security or harm national honour and interests
• Violate the state’s religious policies
• Propagate obscenity, gambling, violence and other criminal activities

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