Songs you'd never hear on the radio in North Korea

Cafe Society
21

We’re Not Gonna Take It, by Twisted Sister

22

Mistakenly allowed:
Wilco - “Ashes of American Flags”

Forbidden:
Sugar - “Explode and Make Up”

23

I Think I’m Turning Japanese

24

One Toke Over the Line - Brewer & Shipley

25

Questionable: A Favour House Atlantic by Coheed and Cambria:

It’s either a threat against leaving, or encouragement.

26

That’s one of my favorite Cake songs. :slight_smile:

27

Another Brick In The Wall, Pink Floyd

28

Something in the air - Thunderclap Newman

Won’t get fooled again - The Who

2112 - Rush

I am a rock - Simon & Garfunkle

29

The South’s Gonna Do it Again by Charlie Daniels band.
(but only because it’s a terrible song)

30

I know of one that one would not expect to hear on the radio, but that it was in the list of a Karaoke machine in a NK hotel:

The guys from VICE in their guide to North Korea found *The Sex Pistols *- Anarchy In The U.K, in the documentary (that I do recommend to watch and it is free in their website) the narrator sings the song to the worrisome looks of the poor North Korean tour guide girls from the hotel.

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-3-of-3
Around 16:36 in the video, this is part 3 but the other parts are on the right of the screen.

31

North Korea has radio?

32

Yes. However there is only one sanctioned station and according to several books that I’ve read, officially sanctioned radios have dials that are soldered in place. How you’d be able to fiddle with the dial to improve the reception, I have no idea.

I submit I Want to Break Free by Queen.

And Don’t Fence Me In.

ETA: If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free! Sting.

33

Along those lines: I’m Free - The Who.

34

Yet another example of a song that NK might approve, as it is actually anti-American, or at least very critical of American imperialism.

35

Here is the Vice Guide guy singing Anarchy in the UK in North Korea while the North Koreans just look at him, assuming he is drunk.

36

“Suicide is Painless,” Johnny Mandel, the theme song to MAS*H. It’s not very popular here in South Korea, either.

“Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. No political reason, just a hunch.

37

Jay and the Americans: “Only in America [Land of Opportunity].”

Lee Greenwood: “God Bless the USA.” (This one nauseates even me.)

Tammy Wynette: “Stand by Your Man.” (If the C&W industry can inflicit it on the US, we can inflict it on North Korea!)

Village People: “YMCA.” Just too happy, just too … gay! :frowning:

Julio Iglesias: “Crazy,” dedicated to Kim Jong Un.

38

Ahhhhhh. I see. Let me try again:

North Korea has electricity?

39

Bette Davis Eyes

40

Mostly the capital, I would think in the radios case they depend on batteries elsewhere, but I do think that one reason the dictators of North Korea are not in a hurry to electrify the southern part of the nation is to prevent the proliferation of electronic devices that they have no control over.

When one looks at the satellite pictures at night one can see the dramatic result:

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/12/satellite-image-shows-kim-jong.html

North Korea is as dark as Mordor with virtually just [del]the Eye of Sauron[/del] Pyongyang the capital as a bright spot in the darkness.