jho@ihu1m.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) (11/04/85)
a number of years ago, the children's song, "puff the magic dragon", was
banned from some radio stations because someone decided that it was about
marijuana.
-shiri hoshen
--
Yosi Hoshen, AT&T Bell Laboratories
Naperville, Illinois, Mail: ihnp4!ihu1m!jhomls@husky.uucp (Mark Stevans) (11/08/85)
> a number of years ago, the children's song, "puff the magic dragon", was > banned from some radio stations because someone decided that it was about > marijuana. > > -shiri hoshen Sorry, but that patricular case was not as ridiculous as you make it sound. It was in the mid-60's that "Puff, the Magic Dragon" was banned by a small number of radio stations. Pete Seeger, who is the best known American folk musician alive, cowrote "Puff", and he has said in interviews that the lyrics did indeed contain references to marijuana use. I don't think he was saying that he was sorry, or that this was a mistake. The song is still a great children's song, because they'll never notice the references, like the lyric concerning "Little Jackie Paper", who "loved that rascal Puff". But for our more astute adult listeners (and socially aware child prodigies, I presume), the song contains some very interesting subject matter. If anyone is interested in the topic of classic children's literature and/or music containing controversial underlying themes, try reading a book entitled "The Pooh Perplex", a recent quasi-psychological attack on the "Winnie the Pooh" stories. No, I'm not going to say what is supposedly encoded therein. You'll have to read the book, or figure the stories out for yourself. But on musical censorship: no one seems to remember all of the short-lived and equally stupid bouts of this in the past. It obviously occurs in cycles. The PMRC and other current censors will have their season of publicity, a few stickers will appear on a few records, and it will be forgotten for another ten or fifteen years. I recall the "Warning: This album contains lyrics that may be offensive to some listeners" sticker on the wrapper of my copy of the Clash's "London Calling", purchased in 1980.... Mark Stevans ritcv!husky!mls