# Myths that form about songs and bands / band members **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 11, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173 "2025-02-11T16:37:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/161 "2025-03-10T02:00:12Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Wasn’t there once a radio station that had “Stairway to Heaven” on continuous play? WKRL in Tampa, FL switched to an all-Led Zeppelin format for a few weeks in 1990. They led off with 24 straight hours of “Stairway”. > **[Thunder carves slice of the airwaves](https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/12/09/thunder-carves-slice-of-the-airwaves/)** > > For 24 hours straight, radio station 98 Rock played nothing but Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. That 1990 promotional stunt by the station's new owners garnered national media coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/162 "2025-03-10T12:58:35Z")
I thought it was “With a Little Help from my Friends” that was banned, but maybe that was banned in the USA and not by the BBC. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/163 "2025-03-10T13:43:29Z")
With a Little Help… was never banned in the US. How would that even work? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/164 "2025-03-10T13:48:12Z")
Here are articles about Beatles songs banned by the BBC, and banned in the USA: > **[Every song by The Beatles that was banned by the BBC](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-beatles-songs-banned-by-bbc/)** > > Today we explore the six songs by The Beatles that the BBC felt crossed a line and therefore banned from British radio stations. > **[3 Songs by The Beatles That Were Banned in the United States](https://americansongwriter.com/3-songs-by-the-beatles-that-were-banned-in-the-united-states/)** > > When John Lennon released his song about heroin withdrawal, “Cold Turkey,” in 1969, radio stations refused to play it because of the lyrics and Lennon’s distorted guitar and screams. Years later, the Beatles also faced a new stream of bans. After... ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/165 "2025-03-10T14:54:30Z")
It only takes one radio station or record shop to say a song was banned. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/166 "2025-03-10T15:09:06Z")
I can cite the first recorded guitar tapping being by Steve Hackett on the introduction to “[The Return of the Giant Hogweed](https://youtu.be/P4q7-wZmn-Q?si=SYN__Kyep_gMN16S)” from _Nursery Cryme_, released November 12, 1971. Are there any Page examples earlier than that? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/167 "2025-03-10T15:17:12Z")
Jimmie Webster 1942 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KyFEJ4xSBEk/hqdefault.jpg "Jimmie webster - a wonderful guy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyFEJ4xSBEk) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/168 "2025-03-10T15:17:24Z")
A government entity with near monopolistic control of the airwaves over an entire country deciding not to play a song is a ‘ban’. A few privately-owned radio stations which refused to play a song which was widely available on other radio stations _in the same market_ is not a ‘ban’. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/169 "2025-03-10T15:36:03Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Jimmie Webster 1942 Roy Smeck, 1926 – starts at about 1:25 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eGfqYaXw8uU/hqdefault.jpg "British guitarist reacts to Van Halen NOT inventing tapping! Enter Roy Smeck!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGfqYaXw8uU) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/170 "2025-03-10T19:31:06Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Here are articles about Beatles songs banned by the BBC, and banned in the USA: > > [https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-beatles-songs-banned-by-bbc/](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-beatles-songs-banned-by-bbc/) So, none were actually “banned” in the USA- _After 9/11, Clear Channel (later iHeartMedia) sent a memo to more than 1,100+ radio stations under its umbrella with a list of more than 160 songs they suggested pulling from the rotation for being “lyrically questionable” or insensitive to the events. On the list were four Beatles songs._ > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > It only takes one radio station or record shop to say a song was banned. That is not a ban. If I own a record shop and I refuse to sell anything by a certain artist, that is a business decision. It isnt banning. No more than if you favorite ice cream place decides to no longer sell Rocky Road ice cream. > [@JohnT](#): > > A government entity with near monopolistic control of the airwaves over an entire country deciding not to play a song is a ‘ban’. > > A few privately-owned radio stations which refused to play a song which was widely available on other radio stations _in the same market_ is not a ‘ban’. Correct. You could walk into any record store in the nation, or go to a non “clear channel” station- or maybe one that didn’t like the “suggestions”. Yeah, right after 9/11, due to how the public was reacting, some stuff was muted by some people for a while. Not a ban. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/171 "2025-03-10T20:14:46Z")
nm- wrong thread ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/172 "2025-03-11T02:11:19Z")
Dunno if we figured out if he burned the “birds” house down in Norwegian Wood. I reckon the verdict was Paul saying, “Definitely. That’s what we do in Liverpool” and as it was basically a (not-so) covert admittance by John to cheating on his wife, John said less. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Lennon and the crew could be coy and joke around, _but Lennon was interviewed many times about the song and steadfastly, every single time denied it was about drugs-_ while cheerfully admitting other songs were. > “cheerfully admitting other songs were” Lucy in the sky… was perhaps, maybe an inadvertent bit of song-titling. Yet clearly anyone would have considered the possible meaning to the public before the release of Sgt. Peppers. Bob Dylan widely chose in the latter 60’s to no longer explain his songs. Any artist should be able to say that. "Hey Neil, What is “Needle and the Damage done all about?” I like (certain drugs - definitely not Heroin) and I like these Beatle songs: **With a Little Help from My Friends" (1967)** – The line _“I get high with a little help from my friends”_ is a clear reference to drugs. **“Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)** – Inspired by John Lennon’s experiences with LSD and influenced by Timothy Leary’s “The Psychedelic Experience.” “Turn off your minds, relax and float downstream…” **“Day Tripper” (1965)** – A reference to casual LSD users (“day trippers”) versus those who take it more seriously. I’ve thought this more about DMT, which lets one down in an hour or so. Not sure of its availability at the time of writing. Or some casual title that has Diamonds Meeting Together or the like. **“Doctor Robert” (1966)** – Allegedly about a New York doctor who supplied amphetamines to celebrities. Remember hearing this at a friends house in the 80’s - first I’d heard Rubber Soul / Revolver in their entirety. “Hey, this Doctor is writing prescriptions for anything!” **“Got to Get You Into My Life” (1966)** – Paul McCartney confirmed this was about marijuana, not a love song. Didn’t think it a love song - yet who knew Paul was into marijuana? I actually didn’t till he was busted in Japan. **“Happiness Is a Warm Gun” (1968)** – Contains imagery that some link to heroin use. **“Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” (1968)** – The phrase “monkey on my back” is slang for heroin addiction. **“Cold Turkey” (1969 – John Lennon solo)** – Directly about heroin withdrawal. I hope John really did kick that one. These songs bum me out. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/173 "2025-03-11T15:12:13Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > > [@Coriolanus](#): > > > > I had thought it a myth that early on, Eddie Van Halen would play with his back to the audience. > > > > Supposedly, it was to hide his tapping technique > > I read somewhere that Jimi Hendrix did something similar when he was being filmed. While he didn’t turn his back to the audience, he would tell the camera person to not focus on his hands & fingers too much, because he didn’t want others to steal his techniques. Any truth to this? Doubtful. Hendrix pretty famously liked to jam with any hot new guitar player he heard about and they would sit around showing each other techniques. All the stories I’ve heard about him say that he was very open and generous with his time with other musicians. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/174 "2025-03-12T02:28:04Z")
When it comes to playing with their back to the audience, the person that comes to mind is Stuart Sutcliffe. I don’t think it was to hide his technique. (One Beatles historian described his playing as an “artless thump”.) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/175 "2025-03-12T02:34:14Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > When it comes to playing with their back to the audience, the person that comes to mind is Stuart Sutcliffe. My understanding is that was overstated by early biographers. [![](https://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1961/61.03.27%2007.02%20top%20ten/03%20Gerd%20Mingram/3.jpg) ](https://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1961/61.03.27%2007.02%20top%20ten/03%20Gerd%20Mingram/3.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/176 "2025-03-12T02:55:47Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > My understanding is that was overstated by early biographers. Yeah, I suppose that’s true. I think my impression dates back to the Hunter Davies book. That’s a great shot of them in Hamburg that I haven’t seen before. The next image from that roll is even better: [![](https://gerryco23.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/the-beatles-on-stage-in-hamburg-1961.jpg) ](https://gerryco23.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/the-beatles-on-stage-in-hamburg-1961.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/177 "2025-03-12T12:59:12Z")
I saw Van Morrison once on (I think) Letterman and he sang with his back to the audience, glancing over his shoulder occasionally (to make sure they hadn’t left _en masse_?). It was weird. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/178 "2025-03-12T13:06:02Z")
I’ve heard Van Morrison is kind of a weird jerk. I read a story once by a reporter who scored an interview with Van Morrison. He was geeked because VM was one of his musical heroes. But VM spent the entire interview bitterly complaining that he wasn’t held in the same high regard as Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/179 "2025-03-12T13:12:04Z")
Yeah, he’s always had the reputation of being difficult to work with and sometimes an outright jerk, to his audience and especially to journalists. He’s practically impossible to be interviewed. I think he’s a genius, and I saw him twice and he was all right (though he didn’t utter a peep to the audience, but I hadn’t expected that anyway), but yes, he’s one of a kind. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173/180 "2025-03-12T13:14:07Z")
That’s funny, I remember Dylan was on one of Letterman’s anniversary shows and you couldn’t understand one single word he sang. Obviously, the common denominator here is Letterman. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myths-that-form-about-songs-and-bands-band-members/1014173.md?page=10)