formances throughout Italy (Volz 1). By removing the libretto of La Traviata Verde’s opera has lost at least some of its impact or meaning. Though we can not be sure what this particular libretto’s content was, we can be sure that we have missed out on some of Giuseppe Verde’s work of art. The issue of censorship has been with us for centuries. Due to the argumentative nature of the human race, this issue will in all probability remain with us for centuries to come. Radio broadcasters in the Nineteen Fifties regularly altered and removed certain lyrics that were determined too offensive for listeners. “ The Billie Holiday song ‘Love for Sale’ was banned outright by the ABC radio network in 1956 because of its prostitution theme” (Volz 2). In other cases lyrics were changed in order to allow these hit songs some guaranteed air time. “ABC changed a line in the Cole Porter tune ‘I get a kick out of you’ from ‘ I get a kick from cocaine’ to ‘ I get perfume from Spain’”(2). Sure, these lines may well rhyme, but they totally lack the artist’s intended meaning. Cole Porter was deprived of a main point he was trying to get across. Once again the unjust act of censorship has robbed the meaning of a song from millions. In 1966 an Irish group named “Them” wrote, and sung, the top selling European song “Gloria.” One line in this song, “she comes in my room” was marked offensive by WLS, a radio station in Chicago. This song was so enormously popular that hundreds of eager listeners called repeatedly requesting it. Despite all of these requests for this hit song, WLS refused to play it. Finally the radio station came to the conclusion that something had to be done. The Shadows of Knight were hired by WLS to rerecord “Gloria.” When they came upon the line "she comes in my room,” another line, which read ...
