We have media conglomerate Clear Channel to thank for taking Howard Stern off the air, blacklisting the Dixie Chicks, policing the air with a “zero tolerance” indecency policy and now, for not playing The Boss’s new album on the nearly 1,200 radio stations it owns.
That’s right, folks. Rock and roll legend Bruce Springsteen’s “Magic” has been banned. The album, which has garnered critical acclaim (five stars from Rolling Stone) and continues to climb the charts, has been deemed inappropriate.
After the jump: Racy lyrics from the banned songs.
From “Last to Die”
The kids asleep in the backseat
We’re just countin’ the miles you and me
We don’t measure the blood we’ve drawn anymore
We just stack the bodies outside the door
Who’ll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Whose blood will spill, whose heart will break
Who’ll be the last to die for a mistake
Thinly veiled criticism of our government seeps through in many of the songs. Representatives from Clear Channel claim “ageism” as the reason for not playing Bruce’s most recent masterpieces.
Bullshit. Even Fox News called them out. Seriously.
Anyone who calls themselves “progressive” should stop listening to Clear Channel stations. It’s this kind of propaganda-like censorship that is filling the precious minds of our country’s next generation with inane, meaningless garbage.
If Clear Channel can play Britney’s new single with a clear conscience, there’s no reason why a legend like Bruce Springsteen should be prevented from airing new material. The old dude in “Spiderman” was right: with great power comes great responsibility. If only Clear Channel had the moral forthrightness of Peter Parker…
