A Look Back: Songs That Radio Stations Were Told Not To Play After 9/11

According to loudwire.com, Clear Channel have never banned any music from rotation on their radio stations following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. A  list of songs began circulating from popular to less popular DJs that included anything that could be remotely related to tragic events that had taken place.

These tracks were supposed to be excluded from airplay, not banned. Some stations even got rid of the list and continued to play certain tunes. On the list several rock and metal bands made the majority of the selection, including all of Rage Against the Machine‘s songs.

Metallica‘s “Seek and Destroy,“ “Harvester or Sorrow,” “Enter Sandman” and “Fade to Black made it on the list with Black Sabbath‘s tunes “War Pigs,” “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and “Suicide Solution” following behind Metallica.

The list also features compositions from The Beatles. The songs “A Day in the Life,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Ticket to Ride” and “Obla Di, Obla Da” joins Elton John’s “Benny & The Jets,” “Daniel” and  “Rocket Man.”

Tracks from The Drifters, Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Blue Oyster Cult, Arthur Brown, Elvis Presley, Carlos Santana, Peter Paul and Mary, Paul McCartney and Wings, U2, Carole King, Cat Stevens and many more can be found on the list as well.

Photo Credit: Boston Schulz