Most of you have probably seen this list of 'suggested' songs to delete from radio playlists in the wake of the WTC disaster. It includes everything from the obviously painful (AC/DC's Safe in New York City) to the possibly upsetting (Billy Joel's (Only the Good Die Young and James Taylor's Fire and Rain, anything by Rage Against the Machine) to the better-safe-than-sorry-I-guess (the Barenaked Ladies' Falling for the First Time and Elvis' (You're the) Devil in Disguise). A more complete list can be found on either www.snopes.com or vh1.com.

(Interestingly, as a Toronto music critic pointed out, no mention is made of two obvious choices, the Eagles' New York Minute and Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire.)

I'm just curious as to what everyone thinks of a) the songs listed and b) the whole concept of avoiding painful songs. Personally, I'm all for not stirring up awful memories, but I also think music has a big place in helping us express our emotions.
Whaddaya think?

I have no problem with it, as long as the ban is temporary. I don't think any of those songs should avoided permanently. That may make me insensitive, or callous. I don't know.

I have recently played Don Henley's The End of the Innocence CD, which has "New York Minute" on it. (It is not an Eagles' song, incidentally.) I've played Heart's "City's Burning", as well as Neil Young's "Rockin' In the Free World" and Blue Oyster Cult's "Divine Wind". For me, it has a cathartic experience to play these songs.

I do admit that there is one song I like that, in the wake of what has happened, I don't I'll be playing for quite awhile. That's "Kamikaze Pilot" by the Hoodoo Gurus. Right now, that'd be waaay too morbid and macabre.

The Dead Kennedy's Kill the Poor may get more airtime now . Kerriem, I didn't read it and will be going to bed now (Yeah, I know it is before 7, don't ask.) Are the radio stations voluntarily doing this or is some guy from "the government" doing the "suggesting"?

The Last Night of the Proms had its second half changed this year, following the recent events. Instead of the traditional British imperialism-fest of years gone by, these were dropped (except "Jerusalem", thankfully) along with Sousa's "Liberty Bell" and a piece that was dropped in 1997 following the death of Diana , princess of Wales (which was to have been played this year instead) and replaced with four spirituals from Tippett's "A Child of Our Time", Barber's "Adagio for Strings", and the final movement of Beethoven's Symphony no. 9. It all actually worked really well, and to be honest I think the Last Night could do without the silly jingoism from now on, now that the UK is letting itself go of its imperial past and embracing the future. Or something. Interestingly, this is the first Proms that the BBC Symphony Orchestra was conducted by a new conductor, and an American at that: Leonard Slatkin, which probably made this change in the programme even more poignant. Apart from a very bad pun about Henry Wood (the founder of the Promenade concerts), the whole event went off without much of a hitch, and Slatkin promised that next year's Last Night concert will be different.

William: The list was provided by 'a programmer' at Clear Channel, an outfit that apparently owns 1 in 10 of US radio stations.

Yesterday morning, desperate to shake the grimness, I put on the Barenaked Ladies' One Week and sang along as loudly as I could...alternating tears and laughter.
I'm not sure what I accomplished (other than to confirm I maybe need medical help) but after seven days of heartsickness on behalf of 5,500 strangers it felt like something I really needed to do for myself.

Personaly, I don't think any songs need to be droped unless they're called "Hey, Let's Fly Some Planes Into The World Trade Center". I mean, if you're worried that some one will associate a lyrics with the attacks and be sad, you might as well just stop playing song at all. The human mind is a strange object and there's really no way to seccesfully remove anything that "might" remind some one of something. Still, I suppose there are some painfully obvious ones that I guess should be given a rest for a SHORT while. (Simon and Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy In New York" would be one if anybody actually played it anywhere)

It should be noted that list of 150 songs is strictly voluntary. That is, it was the DJs, not Clear Channel management that chose to put a moratorium on certain songs.

I agree with you, Blitz. I am very liberal on censorship, and think a list of songs not to be played smacks of attempted censorship. Incidentally, this morning my alarm clock went off, and Q-104.3 was playing ELO's instrumental "Fire On High." my favorite ELO piece, and one rarely heard since the glory days of WNEW-FM, which used it in their station promoes. (I don't think that "Fire On High" was on the list of songs recommended to be pulled, though.)