In 1985 a committee was formed to increase parental control over what music was available to children. The Committee was formed by Tipper Gore, Al Gore’s wife, Susan Baker, wife of then Treasury Secretary James Baker, Pam Howar and Sally Nevius, wives of a Washington realtor and a Washington City Councilman respectively. This group was known as the Washington Wives, the committee was called the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC).
The artist to blame for the creation of this group is none other than Minneapolis’ own Prince. Tipper bought the album Purple Rain, great album by the way, for her daughter. When she heard the song “Darling Nikki” about a girl who liked herself a little too much, she was outraged. She started watching more videos and listening to more music and then set the group into action.
The PMRC wanted to create a rating system and offered various other alternatives including; that song lyrics be printed on the album covers, records with obscene covers be placed under the counters of record stores, record companies should reconsider their contracts with performers who displayed sex or violence during shows or on records, radio stations be furnished with lyric sheets, backward masking be banned from all songs, and music videos be rated according to both lyrics and performances.
The Recording Industry refused to give in to the PMRC and refused to be censored a letter was sent stating: "Explicit is explicit... There are just no ‘right/wrong’ characterizations, and the music industry refuses to take the first step toward a censorship mode to create a master bank of ‘good/bad’ words or phrases or thoughts or concepts" (U.S. Senate 1985:103; cf. Kaufman 1986:230). This eventually led to a Senate Hearing on September 19, 1985.
Tipper Gore took the stand and said that the PMRC wanted record companies to voluntarily label their products stating that voluntary labeling is not censorship. The PMRC attempted to point out all the negative influences explicit music had on children.
The musicians were represented by an odd trio, Frank Zappa, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, and John Denver. I would write out all of their arguments against censorship but I think the videos do a better job.
The PMRC came out with a victory as after the hearing the record Industry agreed on a voluntary labeling system, but I have always thought of this as a great representation of artists fighting back against censorship. Frank Zappa's reads the 1st Amendment in his testimony, and anything that can bring Zappa, Dee Snider and John Denver together on the same stage bench can't be right.
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