We recently came across a very interesting article about books that, at one time or another, had been either censored or banned in the United States.

It turns out that some of the most famous works of American literature were placed on the “no-read” list, among them Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, and even John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath.

What about the music? In his famous 1971 song, “American Pie,” Don McLean sang about “the day the music died” .
This was intended to be a tribute to the death, 12 years earlier, of rock & roll icons Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. But, in many instances, some songs of the era did die – figuratively speaking, of course.

The age of innocence

In her song titled “Dance in the Dark” , Lady Gaga urges listeners to “Find your freedom in the music.” Unfortunately, because of their contentious (in some people’s opinion) lyrics, certain songs were seen in their time as provocative enough to be censored.

For instance, in the 1940s, George Formby’s “When I’m Cleaning Windows” was called by the censors “a disgusting little ditty” – and banned from the airwaves in his native Britain – because it portrayed him as a voyeur of sorts:

“The blushing bride she looks divine
The bridegroom he is doing fine
I’d rather have his job than mine
When I’m cleaning windows.”

In the USA, the censors were busy as well. Even though the Everly Brothers were a clean-cut and wholesome duo, their 1957 hit, “Wake Up Little Susie” was banned by radio stations. Why? The censors thought that lyrics about canoodling teenagers (“We fell asleep, our goose is cooked our reputation is shot”) would incite hanky-panky among young people across America.

Teen idol Bobby Darrin was also targeted by the censors’ wrath: his 1958 song, “Splish Splash” was condemned for its “indecent lyrics.” The censors thought America would be shocked by hints of nudity:

“Well… I stepped out the tub
Put my feet on the floor
I wrapped the towel around me
And I opened the door.
And… then-a… splish, splash
I jumped back in the bath
Well… how was I to know
There was a party going on.”

You might think that above-mentioned songs were frowned upon because the moral codes in those days were far stricter than they are today. True, but music continued to be censored well into the second, more liberal, half of the 20th century.

For instance, “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul, and Mary (1962) and “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles (1967), were banned because censors thought they could incite the use of drugs.

And “Let’s Spend the Night Together” by the Rolling Stones (1967) was regarded as purveyor of low morals.

Stayin’ alive!

Although, sadly, the teaching of music – and arts programs in general – is banned in certain parts of the world, here in New York City, it is thriving!

We believe – and know as a fact – that music lessons are beneficial for people of all ages and we are honored to be a part of this experience.

Our teachers are “free” to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office and give you lessons in the guitar, piano, drums, or a number of other instruments. Their mission: to keep music alive and well!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post Don’t Stop the Music – Our Brooklyn Music Lessons Will Help! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

What is your favorite vacation destination? Wherever it is, chances are it’s somewhere on this earth.

Well, get ready! We recently came across an article that mentions significant milestones being made in developing a robot that can safely land us on the surface of the Moon! (But don’t start packing just yet – it will take two or three decades before we’ll be able to board private spaceflights to the lunar surface).

This article made us think about a truly momentous occasion that took place just over 45 years ago: the first lunar landing.

On July 20, 1969, millions of people around the world were glued to their TV sets when Apollo-11 landed in the Sea Tranquility. And they held their collective breath when the spacecraft’s hatch was opened, the ladder was lowered, and astronaut Neil Armstrong slowly climbed down onto the Moon’s surface, which he later described as being “like powdered charcoal.”

As he put his left foot down and became the first human in history to walk on the Moon, Armstrong (who passed away in 2012) uttered the famous phrase: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

All in all, Armstrong and two other astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, spent a total of 21 hours on the Moon, two-and-a-half of them outside the landing module collecting data, jumping across the lunar landscape, and planting the American flag to mark this historic achievement.

Upon returning to Earth, the astronauts spent three weeks in quarantine to detect the presence of alien organisms (none were found). The following six manned missions to the Moon – before the NASA stopped the program altogether in 1972 – were perhaps anti-climatic, but they, as well as other space treks, have not been in vain. As NASA points out, each journey helps us “discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system.”

Star trek

In view of this epic anniversary, a question that has crossed our minds is whether, on the way to the lunar surface, the astronauts listened to music.

It turns out that they did.

As an NBC News article reported, Neil Armstrong – who, in his teens, played the baritone, a large, valved brass instrument shaped like a trumpet – “found his music soothing and a perfect fit for the occasion.”

Perhaps it was so fitting because the record he listened to in the spacecraft was a mixture of easy, relaxing tunes appropriately called “Music Out of the Moon” .

The third Apollo-11 astronaut, Michael Collins, reportedly brought with him a tape of Antonin Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” .

There’s no word on what Aldrin might have listened to, but we do know that he recently asked Snoop Dogg to create the song “Rocket Experience” to promote space exploration to young people.

“Out of this world” music

Twenty or thirty years is a long time to wait for your lunar vacation, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get your playlist ready. Here are some of our favorites:

“Fly me to the moon,” Frank Sinatra

“Rocket man,” Elton John

“Walking on the Milky Way,” OMD

“Venus,” Frankie Avalon

“Blue Moon,” Billie Holiday

“Ground control to Major Tom,” David Bowie

“Across the universe, ” The Beatles

“You are the one who’s out of this world,” Alf

“Twinkle, twinkle little star,” Jewel

When you wish upon a star

Our NYC music instructors are Earth-bound, but when it comes to their experience and abilities, they are…out of this world!

Whatever instrument you or your child would like to learn – whether it is the guitar, piano, drums, or any other instrument– we have excellent teachers for you! When they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, they will move heaven and earth (figuratively speaking, of course) to give you the best lessons on the planet!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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