Though it may seem like it, banning music is nothing new, it happens more often in “the rock era” that’s all. From the beginning, musicians have been at the mercy of rulers and the church. A composer in favor one day could be executed the next and have all his music destroyed. Compared to that, random banning isn’t that bad.
One of the most famous cases of banning happened over 200 years ago. Many consider Mozart’s opera The Marriage Of Figaro to be among his best works. It was banned because members of the ruling classes of Europe, made jumpy by the French Revolution, thought it was too subversive for public consumption. Today this opera is performed all over the world.
The ironic thing about censorship is that it often results in making the banned object more popular. In 1983, the BBC banned “Relax” By Frankie Goes To Hollywood because of its sexual lyrics. It soon became the biggest selling single in British history (at that time). The banned band laughed all the way to the bank.
Considering that the Stones have been performing together in one form or another since 1962, their list of banned songs is quite small. Here’s a list of official bans and things that were changed due to complaints:
1964
The song “Stoned” is banned in the US for supposed drug references.
1965
Cleveland Mayor Ralph Locher banned all rock concerts in the city following a Rolling Stones performance. Radio stations across the US banned the Rolling Stones hit "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" because the lyrics are too sexually suggestive.
1967
The BBC baned the song "Let's Spend The Night Together" because it promotes promiscuity. The Rolling Stones agreed to alter the lyrics for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in January. Producers requested that singer Mick Jagger alter the title phrase to "Let's spend some time together. Today Mick says he never changed the words but mumbled them. The soundtrack from the show makes it hard to tell.
1968
The “toilet” cover for Beggars Banquet was replaced with a more bland cover after people complained.
During the National Democratic Convention, Chicago mayor Richard Daley orders local radio stations to avoid playing the Rolling Stones' single "Street Fighting Man". The radio stations play it more often and sales of the single skyrocket.
1973
“Star Star” was banned in the UK and the US for obscene lyrics. See lyrics. Warning: The lyrics printed on this page may be offensive to some readers.
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