"Crash into Me" Banned

By Waldo Jaquith
Clear Channel Entertainment, the corporate monopoly that operates the vast majority of radio stations in the country, has banned 158 songs that they believe are "lyrically objectionable" in light of last week's terrorist attacks. Some are obvious, like AC/DC's "Shot Down in Flames," R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It," and Metallica's "Seek and Destroy," but some make a little less sense, like The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," and DMB's "Crash into Me." Presumably, "Crash into Me" is on the no-play list solely on the basis of its title. Oddly, "When The World Ends" is absent from the list. [09/19/01 Update: Clear Channel has issued a relatively worthless press release denying a ban, which earned them a rather critical article in Slate ("Profiles in Ass Covering") that explains the situation further. Don't fall for the spin, folks.]