Looking for Comfort in Music’s Messages

Thank you, Robert Hilburn, for pointing out the absurdity of Clear Channel’s list of “lyrically questionable” songs in the aftermath of the events of Sept. 11 (“Judging Songs by Their Titles,” Sept. 19). Many of these allegedly inappropriate songs are about grieving, remorse, peace and the meaning of America. They are the very songs we should be listening to at this trying time.

I suppose the Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner” might evoke unpleasant images, and Neil Diamond’s “America” (“They’re coming to America ... today !”) actually sounds strangely threatening now. But John Lennon’s “Imagine”? Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”? Is there some reason we shouldn’t be listening to songs about peace, beauty and hope?

Probably the most jarring entry on the list is James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.” This song is actually about a man grieving after the loss of a loved one in an airplane crash, struggling with his faith and grasping for a way to get through the next day. Our radio stations should be encouraging us to deal with such thoughts and emotions, not shielding us from them.

SETH MASKET

Los Angeles

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I couldn’t agree more with Hilburn’s sentiments regarding Clear Channel’s not-so-clearly thought-out list of verboten songs. My friends and I were hoping that someone would be the public voice of reason in this regard; thanks for stepping up.

I would, however, point out that I doubt it was just the “fire” in “Fire & Rain” that spooked the execs. More likely, it was the lyric “sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.” Regardless, they still should play it. Somehow, these program directors have the dangerous idea that we shouldn’t feel emotion at a time like this. Naturally, I think it’s just the opposite; the emotion and shock of recognition that songs like these provide allow for important catharsis and remind us of our shared humanity.

I’ll never forget how I felt the day that Freddie Mercury died and I heard “We Are the Champions” on the radio. The lyrics took on a whole new meaning in light of his death from AIDS. (“I paid my dues ... time after time ... I’ve done my sentence ... but committed no crime”). By Clear Channel’s logic, that song wouldn’t have been played the day Freddie died, and I would’ve been denied a cathartic, emotional moment that’s been with me ever since.

It’s the same logic that is causing TV execs to reedit shows with “offensive” references taken out--or even images of the towers as they were--as if reminding people that the buildings once stood will cause irreparable harm. In my view, trying to rewrite history, even painful history, has never healed or helped anyone and can only be destructive and send a terrible message. But I suppose that’s a different rant for a different day.

ADAM CARL

Los Angeles

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How far does Clear Channel want to go? Does this mean we can’t hear “Revolution” by the Beatles, “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones? How about “Oops ... I Did It Again” by Britney Spears? Fans of popular music would never think twice about a song title. It is the melody and maybe one or two verses of the song that bring comfort and inspiration.

On a personal note, the coincidence releasing Bob Dylan’s CD “Love and Theft” on Sept. 11 further demonstrates his prophetic power. The tracks “Lonesome Day Blues” and the alternate version of “The Times They Are a-Changin’ ” (on the limited-edition CD) are chilling reminders of the terrorist attacks on our country. When I hear these songs, I will always remember this day and the strong patriotism of the millions of Americans that followed.

JAY ROONEY

Murrieta

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Hilburn writes that “the most chilling entry on the list is the one that states, ‘All Rage Against the Machine.’ That seems more a strike at dissent than questionable taste.”

Funny, I’m not surprised by that at all. While I admire Rage’s efforts against sweatshop labor, the band’s music also includes songs about crooked cops, and it has been very vocal in its support of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who sits on death row here in Pennsylvania for the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Perhaps, given the actions of New York’s finest over the past weeks, the Clear Channel program director who first wrote the memo thought that giving air time to a band that has had a very visible campaign in its support of a high-profile cop killer might not be in the best of taste.

Certainly, other artists have been critical of police officers--I’m thinking of the reaction to Springsteen’s “41 Bullets” specifically. But no one suggested their entire catalogs be pulled.

MARY ELLEN DRISCOLL

Philadelphia