The PMRC Senate Hearings

September 19, 1985 The PMRC Senate Hearings

In 1984, Tipper Gore, wife of then-Senator and future Vice President Al Gore, bought Prince’s Purple Rain for her 11-year-old daughter and was shocked by the lyrics of “Darling Nikki” which said “I knew a girl named Nikki / I guess you could say she was a sex fiend /Met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine.” When she watched other rock music videos, she was alarmed by the images of what she deemed graphic sex and violence. In 1985, she teamed with several other Washington wives to form the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). The other founders were Susan Baker, the wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, the wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howard; and Sally Nevius, the wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. The group eventually grew to 22 members. They advocated for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to apply a voluntary rating system in which ratings would be attached to albums, much like ratings were given to movies. They wanted songs rated with “X” for profane or sexually explicit lyrics, “D/A” for lyrics about drugs and alcohol, “V” for violent content, and “O” for occult references. They offered up a list dubbed “The Filthy Fifteen” which cited “offensive” songs and the ratings they should receive. The list included an odd mix of obscure metal songs and top-ten hits by Sheena Easton, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and the Mary Jane Girls. The Filthy Fifteen AC/DC “Let Me Put My Love into You” (X) Black Sabbath “Trashed” (D/A) Def Leppard “High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)” (D/A) Sheena Easton “Sugar Walls” (X) Judas Priest “Eat Me Alive” (X) Cyndi Lauper “She Bop” (X) Madonna “Dress You Up” (X) Mary Jane Girls “In My House” (X) Mercyful Fate “Into the Coven” (O) Motley Crue “Bastard” (V) Prince “Darling Nikki” (X) Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (V) Vanity “Strap on ‘Robbie Baby’” (X) Venom “Possessed” (O) W.A.S.P. “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast” (X) You can hear the songs for yourself via this Spotify playlist. While the RIAA balked at the specific ratings, 19 record companies agreed in August 1985 to label albums deemed to have potentially offensive lyrical content with the warning label “Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics.” In addition, the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee agreed to a special hearing on the issue. In addition to members of the PMRC, musicians Frank Zappa, Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister), and John Denver testified, saying the move was a form of censorship which undermined freedom of speech. There was a fear that any kind of rating would lead to record stores refusing to carry albums – which is precisely what Walmart did. The Senate committee was reportedly surprised by how articulate the musicians were. As Snider said, “They had no idea I spoke English fluently.” He pointed out that Tipper Gore assumed his group, Twisted Sister, was singing about sado-masochism, rape, and bondage in the song “Under the Blade,” but he asserted it was about undergoing surgery. He pointed out that “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was given a “V” rating for violence but that there was no violence sung about or implied by the lyrics. He suggested the PMRC confused the video, which he said, “was simply meant to be a cartoon with human actors playing variations on the Road Runner-Wile E. Coyote theme.” RS Denver also pointed out how lyrics were often misinterpreted, including his own “Rocky Mountain High.” Zappa noted, “No one has forced Mrs. Baker or Mrs. Gore to bring Prince or Sheena Easton into their homes.” For more important days in music history, check out the Dave’s Music Database history page. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” Consequence of Sound: Rock History 101: Frank Zappa vs. The PMRC by David Von Bader (5 August 2012) Downlode.org: Frank Zappa: Statement to Congress, September 19, 1985 History.com: The U.S. Senate convenes the PMRC hearings on Capitol Hill RS Rolling Stone (9/17/2015). “PMRC’s ‘Filthy 15’: Where Are They Now?” GS GenoSamuel3 (5/21/2019). “Music Censorship & the PMRC” (documentary on YouTube) Wikipedia: Parents Music Resource Center First posted 9/19/2012; last updated 9/10/2023.