"Porn Rock," Satanism & Tipper Gore, fmr. 2nd Lady

Filthy Fifteen & "Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics"

“Eat Me Alive”- Judas Priest

Paralleling the growing influence of fundamentalist conservatism on American culture and politics during in the 1980s, the so-called Satanic Panic (or Satanism Scare) was fueled by an increasing number of news reports that suggested that an underground network of Satanists were active throughout all parts of American society. ¹

In Sept. 1985 the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) ² led by Tipper Gore (then wife of Senator Al Gore)³ took advantage of political connections and arranged a congressional hearing on explicit content in rock music and a proposed labeling system.⁴  Lyrics were linked to a host of societal ills.⁵

The PMRC argued that socially irresponsible songs —particularly those associated with heavy metal—were contributing to challenges facing America's youth, including teenage pregnancy, sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide.⁶ 

15 songs – “Filthy Fifteen”⁷ – were declared obscene.. Designation of a Filthy Fifteen was part of a backlash campaign that ended with the imposition of stickers on albums warning “explicit lyrics.” ⁸

• Prince- Darling Nikki;

• Sheena Easton-Sugar Walls;

• Judas Priest-Eat Me Alive;

• Vanity- Strap on Robbie Baby;

• Mötley Crüe-Bastard;

• AC/DC-Let Me Put My Love Into You;

• Twisted Sister-We're Not Gonna Take It;

• Madonna-Dress You Up;

• W.A.S.P.-Animal;

• Def Leppard- High 'n Dry;

• Mercyful Fate-Into The Coven;

• Black Sabbath-Trashed;

• Mary Jane Girls-In My House;

• Venom-Possessed;

• Cyndi Lauper-She-Bop.

1. Brackett, John. 2018. “Satan, Subliminals, and Suicide: The Formation and Development of an Antirock Discourse in the United States during the 1980s.” American Music 36 (3): 271-302.

2. Chastagner, Claude (1999) “The Parents' Music Resource Center: From Information to Censorship.” Popular Music, 18, no. 2.: 179–192. 

3. Gore, Tipper (1987). Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society (Nashville: Abingdon Press.

4. Record Labeling. Hearings Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session on Contents of Music and the Lyrics of Records (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1985),

5. Ibid., Brackett.

6. Ibid.

7. Grow, Kory (2015). PMRC’s ‘Filthy 15’: Where Are They Now? Rolling Stone (Sept.17).

8. Chilton, Michael (2020). “The Filthy Fifteen: Censorship, Gore And The Parental Advisory Sticker.” UDiscovermusic. (Sept., 20).