Current political affairs & general political correctness vs. artists’ names & titles

[iguana]

this just occurred to me while contributing to PeterG’s “italian pop” thread… 1980s italo disco artist RAF(F) had to add a second F to his name in order to avoid connotations with the red army fraction (RAF) terrorist group in west germany. he was fine in all other territories with his original monicker.

when UK hard rock act LiTTLE ANGELS released their second album in early 1991 it was retitled “young gods” due to the gulf war at the time. its original title was to be “spitfire” which was the name of great britain’s most famous warplane in WWII. the powers that be considered this to be inappropriate towards the public.

also, during said gulf war, the bristol collective MASSiVE ATTACK dropped the “attack” bit from their name and went out as MASSiVE for a while. ironically they scored their biggest ever hit during this time (“unfinished sympathy”) and, in places, are still referred to as just MASSiVE from people who only enjoyed that hit.

i consider this an interesting topic. can anyone contribute further examples? i am certain that there are many more.

[Trane]

just in case this is sent to PM land

[Lopez]

I can think of a few that got raised eyebrows because for their name:

The Fugs, the Mothers of Invention, the Dead Kennedys, Ed Gein's Car, the Lovin' Spoonful

[Zeuhlmate]

Cunning Stunts

[Rarebird]

Would they ban the song Isis by Bob Dylan?

[Trane]

I suppose this one would qualify

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...atchy_as_aids/

[PeterG]

Cunning Stunts

Not to mention Anal C - - t.

[rcarlberg]

During George W. Bush's administration, French TV was renamed "Freedom TV" but Mike Sary soon came to his senses and changed it back.

[Trane]

https://rateyourmusic.com/search?sea...erm=anal+cunts

[PeterG]

Then, while not political, there were a few UK bands that had to use another name for sales & performances in the US, so as not to be confused with US bands of the same name

The Mission became The Mission UK
The Beat became The English Beat
Squeeze became UK Squeeze, which was ridiculous really because the US band was called Tight Squeeze. But they were also UK Squeeze in Australia, and the Oz band WAS called Squeeze.

..and keeping it topical
David Jones became David Bowie.

[at least 100 dead]

Talibam! will hopefully never change their name.

[Facelift]

I can't think of any. There are plenty of band names that had to be changed to conform with trademarks (existing bands in that territory with the same name), but I don't offhand know of any bands that changed their own name or an album name due to political correctness.

The closest I can come is the hip-hop band The Coup delaying the release of their 2001 album Party Music and re-doing the cover art.

The album had been scheduled to be released the week after the 09/11/2001 World Trade Center attacks in NYC. However, the cover art depicted the WTC exploding, with one of the guys in the group pressing the detonator (which isn't actually an explosives detonator, but a digital chromatic tuner). The album was delayed and the cover was changed at the label's request - the band apparently fought hard to keep the original cover.

[at least 100 dead]

However, the cover art depicted the WTC exploding[...]

Speaking of which: This was released 2004, but apparently not available at War-Mart or Pest Buy…

[bob_32_116]

What's wrong or "politically incorrect" about the name "Mothers of Invention"?

[bob_32_116]

Cunning Stunts

I doubt this kind of thing is what the OP was referring to. This name (was it a band?) is obviously just an attempt to sound oh-so-naughty. Same applies to "Dead Kennedys" which is obviously deliberately meant to shock.

Something like the Dream Theater album mentioned some time ago is more to the point. Designed before the World Trade Centre attacks, but released just after, it could well have been thought to be in bad taste.

Even though I couldn't stand Katrina and the Waves, I felt a twinge of sympathy for her after the occurrence of Hurricane Katrina. It was hardly her fault that the storm was dubbed "Katrina".

Australian singer Paul Kelly used to have a backing band called The Coloured Girls. This was a completely innocuous reference to the Lou Reed song ("the coloured girls go doo-doo-doo") and was definitely not intended to be racist. When he toured the U.S., however, he was told that black Americans might well find it offensive, so he changed the band name to The Messengers.

[Dave (in MA)]

What's wrong or "politically incorrect" about the name "Mothers of Invention"?

Reportedly because it was Zappa's intent to name the group The Mothers, "Mothers" being musician shorthand for "Motherf***ers", but the record company made them change the name.

[Dana5140]

Hot Tuna was supposed to be Hot Shit, originally.

[Zeuhlmate]

I doubt this kind of thing is what the OP was referring to. This name (was it a band?) is obviously just an attempt to sound oh-so-naughty. Same applies to "Dead Kennedys" which is obviously deliberately meant to shock.
.

Caravan - Cunnung Stunts
Two previous Caravan albums with titles that are also sexual plays on words are If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You and For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunnin...ravan_album%29

btw: Gutbucket: Dry Humping the American Dream

[bob_32_116]

Would they ban the song Isis by Bob Dylan?

You see, this is a perfect example of a name that could not have offended anyone when it was first written, but which someone MIGHT object to if it were played today (though I don't think anyone has). It fits the spirit of the thread perfectly. Unlike those Caravan titles which were clearly intended from the very beginning as naughty schoolboy humour.

[bob_32_116]

I doubt that a group could get away with calling themselves "Gerry and the Pacemakers" today - or if they did, it would be seen as a bit crass and disrespectful to people with a heart condition. The defibrillation devices known as pacemakers did not exit back in the early 1960's.

[philsunset]

There was the group The Negro Problem. Meant to shock? Actually more ironic and joking. Stew, the leader is black.

[interbellum]

The Fixx was first called The Fix (and before that The Portraits)

[interbellum]

Then, while not political, there were a few UK bands that had to use another name for sales & performances in the US, so as not to be confused with US bands of the same name

The Mission became The Mission UK
The Beat became The English Beat
Squeeze became UK Squeeze, which was ridiculous really because the US band was called Tight Squeeze. But they were also UK Squeeze in Australia, and the Oz band WAS called Squeeze.

..and keeping it topical
David Jones became David Bowie.

The Chameleons is indeed also known as The Chameleons UK.

[iguana]

germany's most popular pop song of 2004 was juli’s “perfekte welle” (“the perfect wave”) … then the tsunami happened and the song quietly disappeared …

[Staun]

germany's most popular pop song of 2004 was juli’s “perfekte welle” (“the perfect wave”) … then the tsunami happened and the song quietly disappeared …

No one got worked up over Katrina and the Wave?