This week in history, we looked back into the week of May 26, 1913, in Columbus, Ohio, where a ban on certain songs was being proposed.
On May 26, 1913, The Daily Journal Herald reported that there was a push to ban certain suggestive songs of the time. The suggestion was made by Columbus Councilman Louis A. Alcott. Alcott claimed the songs encouraged “immoral or indecent construction.”
The ban would enforce a penalty for playing these scandalous songs in public. The targeted audiences of these songs were the young adults and adolescents; it was particularly a surprise to hear young women repeating them in their homes.
The idea was to censor the songs before they hit theaters and the youth were even exposed to them. Perhaps the idea to ban some of these songs does not come unwarranted.
What at first came across as a very light and fun song may have had a deeper meaning hidden in the song.
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A list of the songs provided by The Daily Journal Herald that were deemed to be inappropriate by the councilman include “Everybody’s Doin’ It Now,’ “Goody, Goody, Goody, Good,” “Row, Row, Row” and “Hitchy Koo.”
At first glance these old songs seem lighthearted, innocent and fun. After listening to them more the meaning becomes clearer, and it is understandable why the songs were considered inappropriate for youth of the time. These songs were thought to be more scandalous as they went against the modest and proper manner of the time.
These lyrics do little to disguise the sexual references written throughout the song. While a reference like this is not uncommon in the twenty first century it was certainly a taboo in the early twentieth century.
Rylee Schaeffer
Associate Editor