Censoring filthy rock lyrics with Gore (video)

How heavy metal and Satan gave us this sticker

(Vox) Heavy metal and Satan played a role in the introduction of the explicit lyrics sticker warning consumers on record albums.

Mara: "Listen to music, kids" - Krampus.

Become a Video Lab member: bit.ly/video-lab. The explicit lyrics sticker is one of the most recognizable images in American music. Its placement on an album cover signifies you’re going to hear something for adult ears only, and it’s an image we often take for granted. It probably helps sales.

The story behind how we got that sticker is bonkers, to say the least. The very public discussion around the advisory label involved the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), a group led by the wives of Washington politicians -- like Tipper Gore (Al Gore's wife) and a few musicians including Frank Zappa, Dee Snider, and John Denver.

While the PMRC’s involvement was allegedly sparked by some raunchy lyrics from Prince’s 1984 album Purple Rain, the debate over rock lyrics had been infiltrating American culture and politics for a decade.

The driving force behind that debate was the rise of heavy metal (and particularly the grindcore band Cannibal Corpse), a genre that saw explosive popularity with the launch of MTV in 1981, and the growing influence of the religious right, who saw rock music as a powerful threat to Christianity.

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Some songs don't just stick in your head, they change the music world forever. Join Estelle Caswell on a musical journey to discover the stories behind favorite songs.

A number of sources went into the research of this piece including Eric Nuzum’s book Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America.

Note: The headline for this video has been updated since publishing. Previous headline: "The devilish history of the explicit lyrics sticker." Vox.com is a news website that helps cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out vox.com. Watch full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE. Follow Vox on Facebook or Twitter.