The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. The committee was founded by four women known as the "Washington Wives"—a reference to their husbands' connections with government in the Washington, D.C. area. The women who founded the PMRC are

Tipper Gore Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (née Aitcheson; born August 19, 1948) is an American social issues advocate, activist, photographer and author who was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She was married to Al Gore, the 45th vi ...

, wife of Senator and later Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, wife of Treasury Secretary

James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...

; Pam Howar, wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former Washington City Council Chairman

John Nevius John A. Nevius (July 15, 1920 – April 23, 1993) was a member and chair of Washington, DC's pre-Home Rule city council. Nevius was first appointed to the council by President Lyndon Johnson from 1967 to 1969. In 1972, President Richard Nixon ap ...

. The PMRC eventually grew to include 22 participants before shutting down in the mid-to-late 1990s.

Early history

The Parents Music Resource Center was founded in 1985. The group's formation was cemented with the financial help of Mike Love, from the

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

, and

Joseph Coors Joseph Coors, Sr. (November 12, 1917 – March 15, 2003), was the grandson of brewer Adolph Coors and president of Coors Brewing Company. Birth and education Coors was born in 1917 to Alice May Kistler (1885–1970) and Adolph Coors II. His s ...

, the owner of

Coors Coors Brewing Company, or Coors, is now part of the Molson Coors Beverage Company. Coors may also refer to: Companies *Adolph Coors Company, a former holding company controlled by the heirs of founder Adolph Coors *Coors Brewers, the UK arm of th ...

beers. Both had actively supported Reagan's candidacy, and Coors offered offices to the PMRC.

Actions

As a method of combating this alleged problem, the PMRC suggested a voluntary move by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

and the music industry to develop music labeling in the form of a rating system similar to the

film rating system A motion picture content rating system classifies films based on their suitability for audiences due to their treatment of issues such as sex, violence, or substance abuse; their use of profanity; or other matters typically deemed unsuitable for c ...

developed by the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distri ...

. Additional suggestions from the PMRC that appeared in an article in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' included: printing warnings and lyrics on album covers, forcing record stores to put albums with explicit covers under the counters, pressuring television stations not to broadcast explicit songs or videos, "reassess ng the contracts of musicians who performed violently or sexually in concert, and creating a panel to set industry standards.

Filthy Fifteen

One of the actions taken by the PMRC was compiling a list of fifteen songs in popular music, at the time, that they found the most objectionable. This list is known as the "Filthy Fifteen" and consists of the following songs along with the lyrical content category for which each song was considered objectionable:

Senate hearing

In August 1985, 19 record companies agreed to put "Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics" labels on albums to warn consumers of explicit lyrical content. Before the labels could be put into place, the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

agreed to hold a hearing on so-called "porn rock". The hearing was held on September 19, 1985, when representatives from the PMRC, three musicians— Dee Snider,

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of A ...

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

—and Senators

Paula Hawkins Paula Hawkins may refer to: * Paula Hawkins (author) (born 1972), British novelist * Paula Hawkins (politician) Paula Hawkins (née Fickes; January 24, 1927 – December 4, 2009) was an American politician from Florida. She is the only woman el ...

, Al Gore, and others testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on "the subject of the content of certain sound recordings and suggestions that recording packages be labeled to provide a warning to prospective purchasers of sexually explicit or other potentially offensive content."

Supporting witnesses

presented three record covers ('' Pyromania'' by Def Leppard, '' W.O.W.'' by

Wendy O. Williams Wendy Orlean Williams (May 28, 1949 – April 6, 1998) was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the punk rock band Plasmatics. She was noted for her onstage theatrics, which included partial nudity, exploding equipment, firing ...

, and '' W.A.S.P.'' by W.A.S.P.) and the music videos for "

Hot for Teacher "Hot for Teacher" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen, taken from their sixth studio album, ''1984''. The song was written by band members Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, and produced by Ted Templem ...

" by

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

, and " We're Not Gonna Take It" by

Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and " I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated wit ...

, commenting: "Much has changed since Elvis' seemingly innocent times. Subtleties, suggestions, and innuendo have given way to overt expressions and descriptions of often violent sexual acts, drug taking, and flirtations with the occult. The record album covers to me are self-explanatory." Susan Baker testified that "There certainly are many causes for these ills in our society, but it is our contention that the pervasive messages aimed at children which promote and glorify suicide, rape, sadomasochism, and so on, have to be numbered among the contributing factors." Tipper Gore asked record companies to voluntarily "plac a warning label on music products inappropriate for younger children due to explicit sexual or violent lyrics." National PTA Vice President for Legislative Activity Millie Waterman related the PTA's role in the debate, and proposed printing the symbol "R" on the cover of recordings containing "explicit sexual language, violence, profanity, the occult and glorification of drugs and alcohol", and providing lyrics for "R"-labeled albums. In addition, Dr. Joe Stuessy, a music professor at the

University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by ...

, spoke regarding the power of music to influence behavior. He argued that heavy metal was different from earlier forms of music such as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

because it was "church music" and "had as one of its central elements the element of hatred." Dr. Paul King, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, testified on the deification of heavy metal musicians, and to the presentation of heavy metal as a religion. He also stated that "many" adolescents read deeply into song lyrics.

Opposing witnesses

During his statement, musician and producer

asserted that "the PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design." He went on to state his suspicion that the hearings were a front for H.R. 2911, a proposed blank tape tax: "The major record labels need to have H.R. 2911 whiz through a few committees before anybody smells a rat. One of them is chaired by Senator Thurmond. Is it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC?" Zappa had earlier stated about the Senate's agreement to hold a hearing on the matter that "A couple of

blowjob Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may ...

s here and there and Bingo!—you get a hearing."

Folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk music, folk and rock music, rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the American fo ...

musician

referred to the proposed labels as censorship and stated he was "strongly opposed to censorship of any kind in our society or anywhere else in the world", and that in his experience censors often misinterpret music, as was the case with his song " Rocky Mountain High". He further compared the PMRC proposals to

Nazi book burnings The Nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union (, ''DSt'') to ceremonially burn books in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representi ...

, and expressed his belief that censorship is ultimately counterproductive: "That which is denied becomes that which is most desired, and that which is hidden becomes that which is most interesting. Consequently, a great deal of time and energy is spent trying to get at what is being kept from you." When Denver came up to give his speech, many expected him to side with the PMRC. Dee Snider, frontman and lead singer of the heavy metal band

, testified that he " idnot support ...

IAA president IAA may refer to: Science and Medicine * Indole-3-acetic acid, a plant hormone * Aux/IAA repressors, a class of early auxin responsive transcription factors in plants * Insulin autoantibody, used in diagnosing Latent autoimmune diabetes * Interrupt ...

Gortikov's unnecessary and unfortunate decision to agree to a so-called generic label on some selected records". Like John Denver, Snider felt that his music had been misinterpreted. He defended the Twisted Sister songs " Under the Blade", which had been interpreted by the PMRC as referring to

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

bondage Bondage may refer to: Restraints *Physical restraints **Bondage (BDSM), use of restraint for erotic stimulation ***Self-bondage, use of restraints on oneself for erotic pleasure Social and economic practices *Serfdom, feudal enslavement of peasan ...

, and rape, and " We're Not Gonna Take It", which the PMRC accused of promoting violence. Snider told the panel that "Under the Blade" was inspired by a band member's surgery and was about the fear he imagined one would experience undergoing surgery, announcing that "the only sadomasochism, bondage, and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms. Gore." He further stated "Ms. Gore was looking for sadomasochism and bondage, and she found it. Someone looking for surgical references would have found it as well." Snider concluded that "The full responsibility for defending my children falls on the shoulders of my wife and I, because there is no one else capable of making these judgments for us." Notable snippets of audio from the hearing found their way into Zappa's audiocollage "Porn Wars", released on the '' Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention'' album. Senators Gore,

Hollings Hollings is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Chloé Hollings, French-Australian actress *Ernest Hollings (1922–2019), American politician *John Hollings (1683?–1739), English physician *Tony Hollings (born 1981), American fo ...

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century ...

, Hawkins, and others appeared. The album cover featured a parody of the RIAA warning label. The LP included a note to listeners to send to Zappa's Barking Pumpkin Records for a free ''Z-PAC'', a printed information package that included transcripts of the committee hearing, and a letter from Zappa encouraging young people to register to vote. Zappa's full testimonial was released on a posthumous 2010 compilation called '' Congress Shall Make No Law...''

Parental Advisory sticker

On November 1, 1985, before the hearing ended, the

agreed to put " Parental Advisory" labels on selected releases at their own discretion. The labels were generic, unlike the original idea of a descriptive label categorizing the explicit lyrics. Many stores refused to sell albums containing the label (most notably

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarte ...

), and others limited sales of those albums to adults. It is uncertain whether the "Tipper sticker" is effective in preventing children from being exposed to explicit content. Some, citing the " forbidden-fruit effect", suggest that the sticker in fact increases record sales. Philip Bailey of

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million r ...

said that "for the most part he stickermight even sell more records in some areas - all you've got to do is tell somebody this is a no-no and then that's what they want to go see." Ice-T's track "Freedom of Speech" contains the lyrics: "Hey, PMRC, you stupid fuckin' assholes/The sticker on the record is what makes 'em sell gold./Can't you see, you alcoholic idiots/The more you try to suppress us, the larger we get." While lyrics from the

Furnaceface Furnaceface was a Canadian punk indie rock band formed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada which was active from 1989 to 2000. The group consisted of vocalist and guitarist Pat Banister, vocalist and bassist Slo' Tom Stewart, and drummer Dave Dudley. In ...

song "We Love You, Tipper Gore", from their 1991 album ''Just Buy It'', suggest that the label "only whets my appetite ... only makes us want to hear it that much more".

Musician reaction

Many musicians have criticized or parodied the PMRC and Tipper Gore: * "In a world with major pollution and guns ablaze," John Lydon marveled, "they have to pick on someone using foul language." *

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

's song "Parental Guidance" from 1986 album ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...

'' was allegedly written as a response to

's attack on the band, and heavy metal in general. * In the Motley Crue song Anarchy in the UK includes the lyrics referencing the PMRC as well as the U.S. government law enforcement, "Is this the PMRC? Is this the DEA or is this the CIA? I thought it was the U.S.A." * In 1987, the punk rock band

NOFX NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every r ...

released an EP titled '' The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This.'' * Danzig's 1988 song "

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ge ...

" scored a top 50 hit as the most famous song about the PMRC labeling and its inherent problems (''Mother/Tell your children not to walk my way/Tell your children not to hear my words/What they mean, what they say, mother''). * Some prints of

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instru ...

's 1986 album ''

Master of Puppets ''Master of Puppets'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on March 3, 1986, by Elektra Records. Recorded in Denmark at Sweet Silence Studios with producer Flemming Rasmussen, it was the band's last albu ...

'' contained a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its su ...

warning, shaped like a stop sign, that read "THE ONLY TRACK YOU PROBABLY WON'T WANT TO PLAY IS "DAMAGE, INC." DUE TO MULTIPLE USE OF THE INFAMOUS "F" WORD. OTHERWISE, THERE AREN'T ANY "S...S," "F..KS," "P.SSES," "C.NTS," "MOTHERF...ERS" OR "C.CKS...ERS" ANYWHERE ON THIS RECORD." This also references George Carlin's "

seven dirty words The seven dirty words are seven English-language curse words that American comedian George Carlin first listed in his 1972 "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" monologue. The words, in the order Carlin listed them, are: "shit", "piss", ...

" routine by mentioning six of them. *

Flotsam and Jetsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the remai ...

's song "Hard on You" (from their 1988 album ''

No Place for Disgrace ''No Place for Disgrace'' is the second album by American thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam, released in 1988. This marked the band's first album release through a major label, Elektra Records, and was also their first album with the bass guit ...

'') is a direct reference to the PMRC, with several lines such as "One that's young sees the circled 'R', does he buy it?", "Can't you see, you're ripping away our independence" and "If your committee is so damn right, why did we write this song?" * Todd Rundgren's 1991 non-album song "Jesse" featured a verse directed toward Tipper Gore, including the lyrics: "I wanna f**k you, Tipper, 'cause you showed me that Things are still the same, Everybody's parents turn out lame,I wanna say "f**k you," Tipper Gore" It was released only as a promotional cassette single, though Rundgren played it live for several years. * The

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wi ...

song "Hook In Mouth" from their 1988 album '' So Far, So Good... So What!'' is aimed at the PMRC, which is explicitly mentioned in the chorus. * Alice Donut's 1988 debut album ''

Donut Comes Alive Alice Donut is a punk rock band from New York City formed in 1986. The band released six albums before splitting up in 1996. They reformed in 2001. History 1986–1996: Formation to split Alice Donut formed in 1986 after the demise of the Sea B ...

'' ends with the song "Tipper Gore," which pretends to lionize Gore for her crusade against obscene lyrics in music, but in reality is loaded with

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially a ...

s. * The Aerosmith song "F.I.N.E." from their 1989 album ''

Pump A pump is a device that moves fluids ( liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method the ...

'' mentions Tipper Gore in the line "Even Tipper thinks I'm alright", the song being explicitly about sex. When accepting a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for that album's single Janie's Got a Gun, Aerosmith frontman

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

sarcastically thanked both Tipper Gore and Senator

Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...

(who was not a member of the PMRC but publicly supported the organization) for helping ensure ''"that if an album has a few dirty words, it'll sell another million copies."'' * Ice-T's 1989 album '' The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!'' contains many criticisms of the PMRC. One song in particular, "Freedom of Speech", is an extended attack on Tipper Gore:

Yo, Tip, what's the matter? You ain't gettin' no dick? You're bitchin' about rock 'n' roll—that's censorship, dumb bitch The Constitution says we all got a right to speak Say what we want, Tip—your argument is weak

:In his book ''The Ice Opinion'', Ice-T wrote "Tipper Gore is the only woman I ever directly called a bitch on any of my records, and I meant that in the most negative sense of the word." On "You Shoulda Killed Me Last Year", his spoken-word outro to his album ''

O.G. Original Gangster ''O.G. Original Gangster'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released May 14, 1991 by Sire Records. Recording took place from July 1990 to January 1991 in Los Angeles, California. Its production was handled by seven producers: ...

'', he curses the CIA, the LAPD, FBI, George H. W. Bush, and

. * One of the bonus tracks on Warrant's 1990 album ''

Cherry Pie Cherry pie is a pie baked with a cherry filling. Traditionally, cherry pie is made with sour cherries rather than sweet cherries. Morello cherries are one of the most common kinds of cherry used, but other varieties such as the black cherry may ...

'', titled "Ode to Tipper Gore", is a montage of short audio clips from various live performances by the band, featuring ample use of expletives and obscene language. * In 1990

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician ...

released his debut album Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast with one song titled "Pimp of the Nation" where he states that "Tipper Gore is my highest paid whore" which most likely is a diss regarding the PMRC. * The liner notes of

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of th ...

's 1990 album ''

Goo Goo or GOO may refer to: Arts and media * ''Goo'' (album), by the band Sonic Youth * Goo (''Gumby'' character), a character on ''The Gumby Show'' * Goo (''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends''), character on ''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friend ...

'' include a cartoon with the caption "SMASH THE PMRC." * The cover art for the 1990 PDQ Bach album ''

Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities ''Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities'' was released in 1990 by Telarc Records. The album contains works by Peter Schickele under his alter-ego of P. D. Q. Bach P. D. Q. Bach is a fictional composer invented by the American musical satirist ...

'' features a "Pathetic Advisory: Inane Lyrics" warning label. *

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

referenced the PMRC in their song "Shelter Me" (from their ''

Heartbreak Station ''Heartbreak Station'' is the third studio album by American rock band Cinderella, released in 1990 through Mercury Records. It reached No.19 in the Billboard 200 US chart on December 21, 1990, and went platinum for shipping a million albums on ...

'' album) with the lines "Tipper led the war against the record industry, she said she saw the devil on her MTV". * The 1990 Dead Milkmen song "Do the Brown Nose" includes the lyrics ''You, yes you, here's a dime, run out and call the PMRC.'' * In the 1992 video for " Hush",

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

perform naked, except for placards over their genitals, designed to resemble the Explicit Lyric warning stickers (but replacing "lyrics" with "parts"). * On July 18, 1993, Rage Against the Machine protested against the PMRC at

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Mus ...

III by standing naked onstage with

duct tape Duct tape (also called duck tape, from the cotton duck cloth it was originally made of) is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure-sensitive tape, often coated with polyethylene. There are a variety of constructions using different backings and adhes ...

covering their mouths and the letters PMRC on their chests. The band used up their 14-minute performance time without playing any songs. The only sound emitted was audio feedback from Tom Morello and Tim Commerford's guitars.Micallef, Ken (March 1996)
Rage Against The Machine's Brad Wilk
''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''M ...

.'' Retrieved February 17, 2007. The band later played a free show for disappointed fans. *

W.A.S.P A wasp is a type of flying insect. Wasp may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities *Several Marvel characters, including: ** Wasp (character), introduced in 1963 ** Hope van Dyne, the Marvel Cinematic Universe charact ...

live album '' Live...In the Raw'' includes the song "Harder, Faster", which

Blackie Lawless Steven Edward Duren (born September 4, 1956), better known by his stage name Blackie Lawless, is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist (formerly bassist) for heavy metal band W.A.S.P.B ...

dedicates during the opening of the song to the PMRC. * KMFDM's irony-laden song " Sucks", from their 1993 album '' Angst'', contains the lyrics:

Our records have stickers with a warning from Tipper
'Cause they're no good for kids; if we'd get her, we'd strip her

* New York-based thrash band

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

wrote and composed a song called "Startin' Up a Posse" for their 1991 release '' Attack of the Killer B's''. This song ridicules the members of the PMRC. * Punk rock band

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

recorded for their 1992 album '' Mondo Bizarro'' the song "Censorshit" about how rock and rap albums were being censored by the PMRC. It mentions

and

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

, and is addressed to

. * The third verse of Sir Mix-A-Lot's 1994 single " Put 'Em on the Glass" begins "How many times will you play this/Before you ban this?/I heard Mrs. Gore can't stand this". * The 1997 Canadian punk band Reset's album ''No Worries'' features a track titled "Go Away", which is entirely about their disapproval of the PMRC and Tipper Gore, with one line directly naming Gore.

Tipper, won't you understand the message that I want to say
It's kind of rude but here it goes: it's "fuck you!"
I don't like what you do, and I don't like you.

* On the 2001

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

live album '' Mutiny on the Bay'' (recorded in a 1986 concert), during their song "M.T.V. - Get off the Air", lead singer Jello Biafra tells the audience to "buy a homemade ecordinstead, before the PMRC closes the stores down that sell 'em." Biafra had earlier been brought to trial on charges of "distributing harmful matter to minors" in an incident involving the 1985 Dead Kennedys's album '' Frankenchrist'', which featured an insert of H. R. Giger's '' Penis Landscape'' and a parody sticker on the front cover reading:

WARNING: The inside fold out to this record cover is a work of art by H.R. Giger that some people may find shocking, repulsive or offensive. Life can sometimes be that way.

* Rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

directly referenced

and indirectly referenced the PMRC in "

White America White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...

", the opening selection of his 2002 album '' The Eminem Show''; in it, he referred to his mission as being

To burn the and replace it with a Parental Advisory sticker/
To spit liquor in the faces of this democracy of hypocrisy/
Fuck you, Ms. Cheney; Fuck you, Tipper Gore.

:Eminem also included Lynne Cheney, owing to her heavy criticism of his previous album and its explicit lyrical content, '' The Marshall Mathers LP'', at a

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

hearing. *

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, Los Angeles, Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, ...

referenced Tipper Gore in their song "Lovely" from the album '' Lights...Camera...Revolution!'': "Tipper, babe, don't you remember me/Now I'm kinder, gentler, and so happy". * Harry and the Potters reference Tipper Gore and the PMRC in the title track of their album '' Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock!'' with the line "We won't let the Dark Lord ruin our party just like Tipper Gore tried with the PMRC."

References

External links

Sex, Drugs and Gore
a short documentary by Retro Report looking back at the PMRC and its effect on culture today
History of the PMRC
by

Claude Chastagner Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

Short history of the PMRC
by Censor This

of music censorship

FTC Report
"An Overview of the Entertainment Media Industries and the Development of Their Rating and Labeling Systems"

on " Crossfire" during the PMRC controversy {{Authority control Media content ratings systems Censorship of music Censorship in the United States Organizations established in 1985 Articles containing video clips 1985 establishments in the United States