Censoring music
People get worked up when music albums have warning labels to indicate their suitability for children (Tipper Gore's crusade), but music gets censored regularly on the radio without comment. It's not so much whole songs that get left out, but individual verses, or offending lyrics are subtly altered. I have noticed the following in country music: Garth Brooks, "The Thunder Rolls" -- this song about a woman who shoots her cheating husband is usually only played through two verses, when she finds out about the infidelity but before she shoots him. I didn't even know there was a third verse for years. The fact that I have heard the full song on the radio makes me curious about the source of censorship: do radio stations voluntarily refrain from playing the third verse? It also interests me because there is no shortage of country songs about killing unfaithful spouses, e.g. "The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia," "Independence Da...