Here is a list of songs that radio stations across the United States were encouraged not to play in the days following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
It is important to note that there was never an outright mandate that banned these songs from being broadcast across the airwaves. Many of them are rock and metal recordings from artists such as AC/DC, Slipknot, Drowning Pool, P.O.D., Godsmack, Metallica, Green Day and dozens of others.
At the time, Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) dominated the U.S. radio market as the largest operator of radio stations in the country with a command of roughly 1,200 stations running in nearly every one of the Top 50 markets.
In the aftermath of the attacks that took down two towers at the World Trade Center in New York and claimed nearly 3,000 lives, the company drafted a list of songs deemed sensitive in nature. There was a clear emphasis on song titles and lyrics that, for a variety of factors, could have reasonably been viewed as ill-fitting amid a nation in mourning, still dazed from the shocking tragedy.
READ MORE: 25 Years Later: Revisiting Limp Bizkit’s Strange Connection to 9/11
Clear Channel’s memorandum discouraging airplay of this list of songs was circulated internally and later leaked, which caused a public stir.
In response, Mark P. Mays, Clear Channel’s President and Chief Operating Officer at the time, said (via ABC News), “In the wake of this terrible tragedy, the nation’s business community is responding with a degree of hypersensitivity. Even some movie companies have altered some of their release schedules in light of the mood in America today. We value and support the artist community. And we support our radio station programming staff and management team in their responsibility to respond to their local markets.”
Below is an alphabetical list of Clear Channel’s discouraged songs right after 9/11, which even suggested that no Rage Against the Machine songs be played.
#
3 Doors Down, “Duck and Run”
311, “Down”
A
AC/DC, “Dirty Deeds”
AC/DC, “Hell’s Bells”
AC/DC, “Highway to Hell”
AC/DC, “Safe in New York City”
AC/DC, “Shoot to Thrill”
AC/DC, “Shot Down in Flames”
AC/DC, “TNT”
Ad Libs, “The Boy from New York City”
Alien Ant Farm, “Smooth Criminal”
Alice in Chains, “Down in a Hole”
Alice in Chains, “Rooster”
Alice in Chains, “Sea of Sorrow”
Alice in Chains, “Them Bones”
Alanis Morissette, “Ironic”
Animals, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”
Arthur Brown, “Fire”
B
Bangles, “Walk Like an Egyptian”
Barenaked Ladies, “Falling for the First Time”
Barry McGuire, “Eve of Destruction”
Beastie Boys, “Sabotage”
Beastie Boys, “Sure Shot”
The Beatles, “A Day in the Life”
The Beatles, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”
The Beatles, “Obla Di, Obla Da”
The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”
Billy Joel, “Only the Good Die Young”
Black Sabbath, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”
Black Sabbath, “War Pigs”
Blood Sweat and Tears, “And When I Die”
Blue Oyster Cult, “Burnin’ For You”
Bob Dylan, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”
Boston, “Smokin”
Brooklyn Bridge, “Worst That Could Happen”
Bruce Springsteen, “Goin’ Down”
Bruce Springsteen, “I’m on Fire”
Buddy Holly and the Crickets, “That’ll Be the Day”
Bush, “Speed Kills”
C
Carole King, “I Feel the Earth Move”
Cat Stevens, “Morning Has Broken”
Cat Stevens, “Peace Train”
Chi-Lites, “Have You Seen Her”
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”
The Cult, “Fire Woman”
Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Travelin’ Band”
D
Dave Clark Five, “Bits and Pieces”
Dave Matthews Band, “Crash Into Me”
Dio, “Holy Diver”
Don McLean, “American Pie”
The Doors, “The End”
Drifters, “On Broadway”
Drowning Pool, “Bodies”
E
Edwin Starr/Bruce Springsteen, “War”
Elton John, “Benny & The Jets”
Elton John, “Daniel”
Elton John, “Rocket Man”
Elvis Presley, “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise”
Everclear, “Santa Monica”
Filter, “Hey Man, Nice Shot”
F
Foo Fighters, “Learn to Fly”
Fontella Bass, “Rescue Me”
Frank Sinatra, “New York, New York”
Fuel, “Bad Day”
G
The Gap Band, “You Dropped a Bomb on Me”
Godsmack, “Bad Religion”
Green Day, “Brain Stew”
Guns N Roses, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”
H
Happenings,“See You in September”Hollies,” He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother”
I
no songs by any “I” artists
J
J. Frank Wilson,“Last Kiss”Jackson Browne,” Doctor My Eyes”
K
Kansas,“Dust in the Wind”Korn,“Falling Away From Me”
L
Led Zeppelin,“Stairway to Heaven”Lenny Kravitz,“Fly Away”Limp Bizkit,“Break Stuff”Local H,“Bound for the Floor”
M
Martha & The Vandellas,“Nowhere to Run”Martha and The Vandellas/Van Halen,“Dancing in the Streets”Megadeth,“Dread and The Fugitive”Megadeth,“Sweating Bullets”Metallica,“Enter Sandman”
N
Nena,“99 Luft Balloons/99 Red Balloons”Neil Diamond,“America”Nine Inch Nails,“Head Like a Hole”
O
Oingo Boingo,“Dead Man’s Party”Ozzy Osbourne,“Suicide Solution”
P
P.O.D., “Boom”<Paper Lace,“The Night Chicago Died”<Pat Benatar,“Hit Me With Your Best Shot”<Pat Benatar,“Love Is a Battlefield”<Paul McCartney and Wings,“Live and Let Die”<Peter and Gordon,“A World Without Love”<Peter and Gordon,“I Go To Pieces”<Peter Gabriel,“When You’re Falling”<Peter Paul and Mary,“Blowin’ in the Wind”<Peter Paul and Mary,“Leavin’ on a Jet Plane”<Petula Clark,“A Sign of The Times”<Phil Collins,“In The Air Tonight”<Pink Floyd,“Mother”<Pink Floyd,“Run Like Hell”<Pretenders,“My City Was Gone”
25 Songs About Real Life Tragedies
Tracks inspired by horrific events.
The Gap Band,“You Dropped a Bomb on Me”Godsmack,“Bad Religion”Green Day,“Brain Stew”Guns N Roses,“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”Talking Heads,“Burning Down The House”Temple Of The Dog,“Say Hello To Heaven”Third Eye Blind,“Jumper”Three Degrees,“When Will I See You Again”Tom Petty,“Free Fallin'”Tool,“Intolerance”Tramps,“Disco Inferno”U2,”Sunday Bloody Sunday”Van Halen,”Jump”Yager And Evans,”In The Year 2525″Youngbloods,”Get Together”Zombies,”She’s Not There”.
