Editing Parents Music Resource Center

{{short description|Defunct American committee}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
[[File:Tipper Gore.jpg|right|thumb|[[Tipper Gore]], co-founder of the Parents Music Resource Center in 1985]]
The '''Parents Music Resource Center''' ('''PMRC''') was an American committee formed in 1985<ref name=":0"/> 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]], wife of Senator and later [[Vice president|Vice President]] [[Al Gore]]; Susan Baker, wife of [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Treasury Secretary]] [[James Baker]]; Pam Howar, wife of [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former [[Council of the District of Columbia|Washington City Council]] Chairman [[John Nevius]]. 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 May 1985.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/853600|jstor = 853600|title = The Parents' Music Resource Center: From Information to Censorship|last1 = Chastagner|first1 = Claude|journal = Popular Music|year = 1999|volume = 18|issue = 2|pages = 179–192|doi = 10.1017/S026114300000903X|s2cid = 190680799|access-date = March 6, 2021|archive-date = April 16, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210416141945/https://www.jstor.org/stable/853600|url-status = live}}</ref> The group's formation was cemented with the financial help of [[Mike Love]] of the [[Beach Boys]], and [[Joseph Coors]], the owner of [[Coors Brewing Company|Coors]] beers. Both had actively supported [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan's]] [[1984 United States presidential election|candidacy]], and Coors offered offices to the PMRC.<ref name=":0"/>

== Actions ==
As a method of combating this alleged problem, the PMRC suggested a voluntary move by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] and the music industry to develop music labeling in the form of a rating system similar to the [[Motion Picture Association film rating system|film rating system]] developed by the [[Motion Picture Association of America]].<ref>Deflem, Mathieu. 2020. [https://deflem.blogspot.com/2020/03/music-censorship-labeling.html “Popular Culture and Social Control: The Moral Panic on Music Labeling.”] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218093514/https://deflem.blogspot.com/2020/03/music-censorship-labeling.html |date=December 18, 2021 }} ''American Journal of Criminal Justice'' 45(1):2–24 (First online: July 24, 2019).</ref> Additional suggestions from the PMRC that appeared in an article in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' included: printing warnings and lyrics on album covers, requiring record stores to put albums with explicit covers under the counters, pressuring television stations not to broadcast explicit songs or videos, "reassess[ing]" the contracts of musicians who performed violently or sexually in concert, and creating a panel to set industry standards.<ref>Harrington, Richard. 1985. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/08/29/discord-on-record-warning/103c9178-7991-46ac-9cf7-4886ba656280/#:~:text=Though%20the%20content,also%20be%20rated "Discord on Record Warning"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913093007/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/08/29/discord-on-record-warning/103c9178-7991-46ac-9cf7-4886ba656280/#:~:text=Though%20the%20content,also%20be%20rated |date=September 13, 2020 }} ''Washington Post''</ref>

== 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:<ref name="KrochmalnyEMU">{{cite journal |last1=Krochmalny |first1=Elizabeth |title=""We're Not Gonna Take It": An Examination of Congress and Controversial Music" (2017). Senior Honors Theses. 551. |url=http://commons.emich.edu/honors/551 |journal=Senior Honors Theses and Projects |date=January 2017 |publisher=Eastern Michigan University |access-date=April 1, 2020 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809001139/https://commons.emich.edu/honors/551/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col"|#
!scope="col"|Artist
!scope="col"|Song title
!scope="col"|Lyrical content
|-
| 1
| [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]
| "[[Darling Nikki]]"
| Sex/masturbation
|-
| 2
| {{sortname|Sheena|Easton}}
| "[[Sugar Walls]]"
| Sex
|-
| 3
| [[Judas Priest]]
| "[[Defenders of the Faith|Eat Me Alive]]"
| Sex/violence
|-
| 4
| [[Vanity (performer)|Vanity]]
| "[[Strap On 'Robbie Baby']]"
| Sex
|-
| 5
| [[Mötley Crüe]]
| "[[Bastard (Mötley Crüe song)|Bastard]]"
| Violence/language
|-
| 6
| [[AC/DC]]
| "[[Back in Black|Let Me Put My Love into You]]"
| Sex
|-
| 7
| [[Twisted Sister]]
| "[[We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song)|We're Not Gonna Take It]]"
| Violence
|-
| 8
| [[Madonna]]
| "[[Dress You Up]]"
| Sex
|-
| 9
| [[W.A.S.P. (band)|W.A.S.P.]]
| "[[Animal (F**k Like a Beast)]]"
| Sex/language/violence
|-
| 10
| [[Def Leppard]]
| "[[High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night)]]"
| Drug and alcohol use
|-
| 11
| [[Mercyful Fate]]
| "[[Melissa (Mercyful Fate album)|Into the Coven]]"
| Occult
|-
| 12
| [[Black Sabbath]]
| "[[Trashed (Black Sabbath song)|Trashed]]"
| Drug and alcohol use
|-
| 13
| [[Mary Jane Girls]]
| "[[In My House (song)|In My House]]"
| Sex
|-
| 14
| [[Venom (band)|Venom]]
| "[[Possessed (Venom album)|Possessed]]"
| Occult
|-
| 15
| {{sortname|Cyndi|Lauper}}
| "[[She Bop]]"
| Sex/masturbation
|}

== 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 [[United States Senate|Senate]] agreed to hold a hearing on so-called "porn rock".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joesapt.net/superlink/shrg99-529/|title=RECORD LABELING|website=www.joesapt.net|access-date=March 10, 2019|archive-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824122602/http://www.joesapt.net/superlink/shrg99-529/|url-status=live}}</ref> The hearing was held on September 19, 1985, when representatives from the PMRC, three musicians—[[Dee Snider]], [[Frank Zappa]], [[John Denver]]—and Senators [[Paula Hawkins (politician)|Paula Hawkins]], [[Al Gore]], and others testified before the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation|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."<ref>[[United States Senate]] (1985): [http://www.joesapt.net/superlink/shrg99-529/ Record Labeling: Hearing before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824122602/http://www.joesapt.net/superlink/shrg99-529/ |date=August 24, 2019 }}. United States Senate, Ninety-ninth Congress, First Session on Contents of Music and the Lyrics of Records (September 19, 1985). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.</ref>

=== Supporting witnesses ===
[[Paula Hawkins (politician)|Paula Hawkins]] presented three record covers (''[[Pyromania (album)|Pyromania]]'' by [[Def Leppard]], ''[[WOW (Wendy O. Williams album)|W.O.W.]]'' by [[Wendy O. Williams]], and ''[[W.A.S.P. (album)|W.A.S.P.]]'' by [[W.A.S.P. (band)|W.A.S.P.]]) and the music videos for "[[Hot for Teacher]]" by [[Van Halen]], and "[[We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song)|We're Not Gonna Take It]]" by [[Twisted Sister]], 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[e] a warning label on music products inappropriate for younger children due to explicit sexual or violent lyrics."

National [[Parent–teacher association|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]], spoke regarding the power of music to influence behavior. He argued that heavy metal was different from earlier forms of music such as [[jazz]] and [[rock and roll]] 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 [[Frank Zappa]] 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."<ref>[https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/frankzapparockmusiclyrics.htm Frank Zappa – Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics and Record Labeling" @Americanrhetoric.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302083435/https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/frankzapparockmusiclyrics.htm |date=March 2, 2021 }} Retrieved August 8, 2021.</ref> He went on to state his suspicion that the hearings were a front for H.R. 2911, a proposed [[private copying levy|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 [[Strom Thurmond|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]]s here and there and Bingo!—you get a hearing."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lyons |first=Steve |author2=Batya Friedman |title=Winter in America |publisher=[[Option (music magazine)|Option]] |date=January–February 1987 |url=http://www.afka.net/articles/1987-01_Option.htm |access-date=July 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227060044/http://www.afka.net/Articles/1987-01_Option.htm |archive-date=February 27, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Folk rock]] musician [[John Denver]] 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]],<ref name="Grow">{{cite magazine |last1=Grow |first1=Kory |title=Dee Snider on PMRC Hearing: 'I Was a Public Enemy' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=September 18, 2015 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dee-snider-on-pmrc-hearing-i-was-a-public-enemy-71205/ |access-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223012530/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dee-snider-on-pmrc-hearing-i-was-a-public-enemy-71205/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="society">{{cite web |last1=staff |title=33 Years Ago: John Denver Left Congress Floored With A Stunning Testimony About Music Censorship |url=https://societyofrock.com/33-years-ago-john-denver-left-congress-floored-with-a-stunning-testimony-about-music-censorship/ |website=Society of Rock |date=February 13, 2019 |access-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002101035/https://societyofrock.com/33-years-ago-john-denver-left-congress-floored-with-a-stunning-testimony-about-music-censorship/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Grow"/>

[[Dee Snider]], frontman and lead singer of the [[metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Twisted Sister]], testified that he "[did] not support ... [RIAA president] Gortikov's unnecessary and unfortunate decision to agree to a so-called generic label on some selected records".<ref>Snider's testimony is also available [http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1456097/07152002/twisted_sister.jhtml at VH1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208233644/http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1456097/07152002/twisted_sister.jhtml |date=February 8, 2007 }}.</ref> Like John Denver, Snider felt that his music had been misinterpreted. He defended the Twisted Sister songs "[[Under the Blade (song)|Under the Blade]]", which had been interpreted by the PMRC as referring to [[sadomasochism]], [[bondage (BDSM)|bondage]], and rape, and "[[We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song)|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 [[Al Gore|Gore]], [[Fritz Hollings|Hollings]], [[Slade Gorton|Gorton]], [[Paula Hawkins (politician)|Hawkins]], and others appeared. The album cover featured a parody of the RIAA warning label. The [[Gramophone record|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 ==
[[File:Parental Advisory label.svg|thumb|The current Parental Advisory warning label, introduced in 1990.|alt=The Parental Advisory label was also used in the UK in 2011, as well as Malaysia, and Adventure Bay in 2013.]]
[[File:Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics (1990 - 2001).svg|thumb|The former design for the Parental Advisory label used during the 1990s. This logo co-existed with the current label from 1996 to 2001.]]
On November 1, 1985, before the hearing ended, the [[RIAA]] 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]]), and others limited sales of those albums to adults.

It is uncertain whether the "Tipper sticker" is effective at preventing children from being exposed to explicit content.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2010641.stm |work=BBC News |title=Spotlight on explicit lyrics warning |date=May 27, 2002 |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-date=May 24, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524074859/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2010641.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some, citing the "[[Forbidden fruit|forbidden-fruit effect]]", suggest that the sticker in fact increases record sales. [[Philip Bailey]] of [[Earth, Wind & Fire]] said that "for the most part [the sticker] might 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."<ref name="bbc" /> [[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]] 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."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Neely |first=Kim |date=August 9, 1990 |title=Rockers sound off |magazine=Billboard |pages=27–28}}</ref>
* [[Judas Priest]]'s song "Parental Guidance" from 1986 album ''[[Turbo (Judas Priest album)|Turbo]]'' was allegedly written as a response to [[Tipper Gore]]'s attack on the band and on heavy metal in general.
* In the [[Megadeth]] cover version of the song "[[Anarchy in the UK]]" the altered 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]] released an EP titled ''[[The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This]].''
* [[Danzig (band)|Danzig]]'s 1988 song "[[Mother (Danzig song)|Mother]]" scored a top 50 hit as the most famous song about<ref name="Big Brother">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.jackassworld.com/blog/2009/10/30/big-brother-archive-glenn-danzig-part-4/#more-17475 |title=Danzig interview |last=Carnie |first=Dave |year=2000 |magazine=[[Big Brother (magazine)|Big Brother]] |access-date=January 16, 2010 }} {{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 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]]'s 1986 album ''[[Master of Puppets]]'' contained a [[parody]] 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 "SHITS," "FUCKS," "PISSES," "CUNTS," "MOTHERFUCKERS" OR "COCKSUCKERS" ANYWHERE ON THIS RECORD." This also references [[George Carlin]]'s "[[seven dirty words]]" routine by mentioning six of them (all but "tits").<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2017-03-03-25-things-you-might-not-know-about-metallicas-master-of-puppets/|title=25 Things You Might Not Know About Metallica's 'Master of Puppets'|access-date=February 18, 2019|archive-date=February 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219020204/https://www.iheart.com/content/2017-03-03-25-things-you-might-not-know-about-metallicas-master-of-puppets/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.feelnumb.com/2012/07/03/metallica-master-of-puppets-vulgar-warning-sticker/|title=Metallica "Master Of Puppets" Vulgar Warning Sticker|last=raul|date=July 4, 2012|website=feelnumb.com|access-date=March 10, 2019|archive-date=March 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319132152/http://www.feelnumb.com/2012/07/03/metallica-master-of-puppets-vulgar-warning-sticker/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Flotsam and Jetsam (band)|Flotsam and Jetsam]]'s song "Hard on You" (from their 1988 album ''[[No Place for Disgrace]]'') 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 fuck you, Tipper, 'cause you showed me that Things are still the same, Everybody's parents turn out lame, I wanna say "fuck you," Tipper Gore" It was released only as a promotional cassette single, though Rundgren played it live for several years.
* The [[Megadeth]] 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.<ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.megadeth.com/_sections/scorpion/10_04_04.html |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20041102082625/http://www.megadeth.com/_sections/scorpion/10_04_04.html |archive-date = November 2, 2004 |title = Scorpion Archive |work = www.MEGADETH.com}}</ref>
* [[Alice Donut]]'s 1988 debut album ''[[Donut Comes Alive]]'' 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]]s.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}
* The [[Aerosmith]] song "F.I.N.E." from their 1989 album ''[[Pump (album)|Pump]]'' mentions Tipper Gore in the line "Even Tipper thinks I'm alright", the song being explicitly about sex.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://genius.com/2823715/Aerosmith-fine/Oooh-even-tipper-thinks-im-alright| title = Aerosmith – F.I.N.E. Lyrics {{!}} Genius Lyrics}}</ref> When accepting a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] for that album's single [[Janie's Got a Gun]], Aerosmith frontman [[Steven Tyler]] sarcastically thanked both Tipper Gore and Senator [[Jesse Helms]] (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:

<blockquote><poem>
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
</poem></blockquote>

: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."<ref>Ice-T: ''The Ice Opinion'', p. 98.</ref> On "You Shoulda Killed Me Last Year", his spoken-word outro to his album ''[[O.G. Original Gangster]]'', he curses the [[CIA]], the [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]], [[FBI]], [[George H. W. Bush]], and [[Tipper Gore]].

* One of the bonus tracks on [[Warrant (American band)|Warrant]]'s 1990 album ''[[Cherry Pie (album)|Cherry Pie]]'', 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]] 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 is a diss regarding the PMRC.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pimp Of The Nation|url=https://www.cancioneros.com/lyrics/song/263603/pimp-of-the-nation-kid-rock|access-date=January 26, 2022|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126032518/https://www.cancioneros.com/lyrics/song/263603/pimp-of-the-nation-kid-rock|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The liner notes of [[Sonic Youth]]'s 1990 album ''[[Goo (album)|Goo]]'' include a cartoon with the caption "SMASH THE PMRC."<ref>{{cite web |title=Goo, CD Back |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/ |website=SonicYouth.com |access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref>
* The cover art for the 1990 [[PDQ Bach]] album ''[[Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities]]'' features a "Pathetic Advisory: Inane Lyrics" warning label.
* [[Cinderella (band)|Cinderella]] referenced the PMRC in their song "Shelter Me" (from their ''[[Heartbreak Station]]'' 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 song)|Hush]]", [[Tool (band)|Tool]] 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]] III by standing naked onstage with [[duct tape]] 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.<ref name="moderndrummer">Micallef, Ken (March 1996), [http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/drummer.htm Rage Against The Machine's Brad Wilk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503051424/http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/drummer.htm |date=May 3, 2007 }}, ''[[Modern Drummer]].'' Retrieved February 17, 2007.</ref> The band later played a free show for disappointed fans.<ref name="moderndrummer" />
* [[W.A.S.P. (band)|W.A.S.P]] live album ''[[Live... in the Raw]]'' includes the song "Harder, Faster", which [[Blackie Lawless]] dedicates during the opening of the song to the PMRC.
* [[KMFDM]]'s irony-laden song "[[Sucks (song)|Sucks]]", from their 1993 album ''[[Angst (KMFDM album)|Angst]]'', contains the lyrics:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/sucks.htm|title=Lyrics – Sucks|access-date=November 24, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027042024/http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/sucks.htm|archive-date=October 27, 2016}}</ref>
<blockquote>
Our records have stickers with a warning from Tipper<br />
'Cause they're no good for kids; if we'd get her, we'd strip her
</blockquote>
* New York-based thrash band [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]] 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]] recorded for their 1992 album ''[[Mondo Bizarro]]'' the song "Censorshit" about how rock and rap albums were being censored by the PMRC. It mentions [[Frank Zappa]] and [[Ozzy Osbourne]], and is addressed to [[Tipper Gore]].
* The third verse of [[Sir Mix-A-Lot]]'s 1994 single "[[Chief Boot Knocka|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 (Canadian 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.

<blockquote>
Tipper, won't you understand the message that I want to say<br />
It's kind of rude but here it goes: it's "fuck you!"<br />
I don't like what you do, and I don't like you.
</blockquote>
* On the 2001 [[Dead Kennedys]] 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 [record] instead, 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:
<blockquote>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.<ref>[http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=deadkennedys&page=2 Alternative Tentacles – Bands<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603233453/http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=deadkennedys&page=2 |date=June 3, 2011 }}.</ref></blockquote>
* Rapper [[Eminem]] directly referenced [[Tipper Gore]] and indirectly referenced the PMRC in "[[White America (song)|White America]]", the opening selection of his 2002 album ''[[The Eminem Show]]''; in it, he referred to his mission as being
<blockquote>To burn the {flag} and replace it with a Parental Advisory sticker/ <br /> To spit liquor in the faces of this democracy of hypocrisy/ <br /> Fuck you, Ms. Cheney; Fuck you, Tipper Gore.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/59271|title=To burn the flag and replace it with a Parental Advisory sticker|access-date=November 24, 2016|archive-date=October 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010044314/https://www.youtube.com/embed/RZIzD0ZfTFg?autoplay=0&controls=1&enablejsapi=1&fs=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&playsInline=0&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fgenius.com&start=0|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

: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]] hearing.
* [[Suicidal Tendencies]] 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 [[Voldemort|the Dark Lord]] ruin our party just like Tipper Gore tried with the PMRC."
* [[Quiet Riot]]'s music video for their song The Wild and the Young showed rockers being rounded up and arrested by government soldiers while the members of Quiet Riot escape and perform the song underground, then in the final scene it says "In Washington, Congress has just passed legislation that requires record companies to reproduce song lyrics on all album jackets.....The government has also cited the rock and roll band, Quiet Riot, as one of the chief offenders in this ongoing controversy."<ref name=":0" />

==See also==
* ''[[Warning: Parental Advisory]]''
* [[Parents Television and Media Council]]
* [[Terry Rakolta]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Christe, Ian. 2004. ''Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal'' ({{ISBN|0-380-81127-8}}), specifically Chapter 7: "The PMRC's Antimetal Panic" ([http://www.soundofthebeast.com/inside_7.html summary])
* Deflem, Mathieu. 2020. [https://deflem.blogspot.com/2019/07/music-censorship-labeling.html "Popular Culture and Social Control: The Moral Panic on Music Labeling."] ''American Journal of Criminal Justice'' 45(1): 2–24 (First published online July 24, 2019).

==External links==
* [http://www.retroreport.org/video/sex-drugs-and-gore/ Sex, Drugs and Gore] a short documentary by [[Retro Report]] looking back at the PMRC and its effect on culture today
* [http://www.philagora.org/about-the-world/pmrc1.htm History of the PMRC] by [[Claude Chastagner]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071018043759/http://www.geocities.com/fireace_00/pmrc.html Short history of the PMRC] by Censor This
* [http://censorship7.tripod.com/id10.html Timeline] of music censorship
* [http://crm114.com/algore/tipper.html Tipper Gore on Porn Rock]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091228233727/http://www.ftc.gov/reports/violence/Appen%20D.pdf FTC Report]: "An Overview of the Entertainment Media Industries and the Development of Their Rating and Labeling Systems"
* [http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/02/frank_zappa_ver.html A Frank Zappa appearance] on "[[Crossfire (U.S. TV program)|Crossfire]]" during the PMRC controversy
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Media content ratings systems]]
[[Category:Censorship of music]]
[[Category:Censorship in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1985]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in the United States]]