I’m not sure of the exact start date for the PMRC, a US government committee that tasked themselves with policing music, but it was on May 13th that the members of the committee met at a Washington church to rally other boring fun killers to their side of rating music.

Now I’m all for what they claimed was their intended goal, getting info to parents so they knew what their kids were listening to. I feel parents should absolutely know what music their kids listen to, and what its all about so they can have 1 more thing to talk to their kids about, and try to understand what their kids are feeling/going through. However, the PMRC really wanted to use their Parental Advisory labels to punish artists and music they thought was un-christian, or against their personal moral code.

That was made clear when they targeted heavy metal bands and practically any song that mentioned sex in any way. Because instead of talking to their kids about sex, they wanted to make the whole world believe the way they did, that sex was only for marriage and anything outside of their prescribed approval of what was ok, should essentially not exist.

Point #1, Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ was on their list because...violence? Please.

Point #2, One of the PMRC’s pro censorship witnesses "Paula Hawkins presented three record covers (Pyromania by Def Leppard, W.O.W. by Wendy O. Williams, and W.A.S.P. by W.A.S.P.) and the music videos for "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen, and "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.”

In case you forgot, or weren’t alive when it happened, here’s a great recap video that breaks down the whole debacle.

Here’s their original list, otherwise known as the “filthy fifteen”, and their supposed reasons for labelling the records:

And here’s a 2015 Rolling Stone magazine article taking a look back at the songs 30 years later.