Music Videos - Censorship

Censorship

Over the years many media productions have shook the public and caused controversy and outrage to the market. Although this is common in the music video industry it also applies over the whole media market. For example when famous director Alfred Hitchcock released his legendary 'Psycho' in 1960 the film was almost band due to the opening scene showing a couple having an affair.

World wide channels that host music videos, MTV being one of them, have been criticized for over censoring what they show or 'don't show'. Although censorship in the market has decreased due to gradual changes in the attitudes and values of the public, we hear bleeped out or muted words deemed inappropriate and extreme sexual imagery removed.


Some examples of artists or songs which have words bleeped out (modern and dated) include;
Enrique Iglesias - Tonight I'm Fucking/ Loving You (2010)
Cee Lo Green - Forget/ Fuck You (2010)
P!nk - (Fucking) Perfect (2010)
Lilly Allen - Kabul Shit (2009)
Akon - I Wanna Love/ Fuck You (2006)
Some of Kanye West's, Eminem's and The Prodigy's material has included language or themes that were considered inapropriate.


MTV channel has edited a number of music videos to remove references to drugs, sex, violence, weapons, racism or homophobia. Many music videos shown on the channel were censored, moved to late-night rotation, or banned entirely from the channel.

Examples of censored/explicit/banned music videos


Robbie Williams - Rock DJ Music Video

Robbie Williams' 2000 hit "Rock DJ" is a memorable video which split the public's view on the explicit shots used. In the video, the artist wishes to attract the attention of the female DJ so he begins to strip out of his clothes (shown left). Failing to get the females attention, he then moves on to "stripping" off his skin and throwing chunks of skin and organ at the girls surrounding him.

They then begin to take notice and quickly begin to 'devour' him until he stands as a skeleton dancing. 

It was not only the sexual nudity that shocked viewers  but also the physical stripping of his skin revealing blood, muscle and organs. The events in the video were described as 'shocking' and 'unexpected' and the video was even given a rated 15 certificate. When the video was released, the shocking reaction it received meant that the video was soon banned from being shown on television, in particular music channels such as MTV and VH1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGelsMOIJZY - Original (explicit)


Maroon 5 - Misery Music Video

Maroon 5's 2010 hit 'Misery' successfully launched their latest 
album 'Hands All Over'. The music video (American version) was as equally gripping. It focused on lead singer Adam Levine and his current girlfriend Anne Vyalitsyna, both very physically attractive and sexy to look at. The video displays Adam and Anne as a broken up couple whilst she plays the "crazy ex-girlfriend" stereotype to the extreme. She offends and tortures her 'ex-boyfriend' by slapping, punching, head butting and threatening him with weapons. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g6g2mvItp4 - Official (American) Version

"Because it kind of turns the whole idea of the sexual energy between two people - a guy and a girl, a music video, you've seen that a million times - that exists in this video, but it's turning it on its ass and having the girl be the more domineering one who's trying to kill me." 
- Levine admitted to MTV News.

However, the UK version made of this sexy and violent music video had censored out every time the "crazy ex-girlfriend" attempts to harm her "ex" by covering the violence with cutesy cartoon graphics including; teddy bears, love hearts and candy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXNqs0LEEss - UK Version