There’s bad news for music fans in China as the country is set to create a karaoke blacklist to crack down on songs with subversive lyrics.
As per NPR, the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism says it will create this blacklist of songs from October 1st.
Banned songs will be anything that “endangers national unity, sovereignty or territory integrity; violates China’s religious policies and spreads cults and superstitions; and advocates obscenity, gambling, violence and drug-related crimes or instigating crimes.”
With reportedly around 50,000 venues like karaoke bars, which have “a basic music library of over 100,000 songs”, that’s a lot of unhappy businesses. All will be expected by Chinese officials to police their own song lists and delete any songs that violate the blacklist criteria.
China has previous with banning songs, according to the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong-based daily. Songs such as ‘I Love Taiwanese Girls’, ‘Don’t Want to Go to School’, and ‘Beijing Hooligans’ were banned and the reasons are pretty self-explanatory from their titles. My favourite previously banned song by the country, though, is simple called ‘Fart’ – flatulence is natural, it’s inevitable, inescapable! Just embrace it.
While I definitely wouldn’t go as far as China, the idea of a karaoke blacklist does have its merits. ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA? I love you but I’ve heard you drunkenly murdered enough. ‘Mr. Brightside’ by The Killers? No, you’re done. ‘Someone Like You’ by Adele? Too mopey. ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen? Just watch the movie in your own time please.
What songs would you like to see banned from karaoke? What songs should be protected from the terrible voices of your mates?
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Check out the BBC report on the songs China doesn’t want you to hear:
