Sorry Backstreet Boys, China does not “Want It That Way.”
(LAURA RAUCH/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
China’s Ministry of Culture has released a list of songs that threaten “national cultural security” and must be removed from music downloading sites, the Associated Press reports. So who exactly are these offending artists?
Lady Gaga, naturally, made the list. Six of Mama Monster’s songs, including “Judas” (duh) and “The Edge of Glory” (huh?), are included. Tracks by Katy Perry and Beyonce have also been barred.
Then there are some weirder selections, like Backstreet Boys’s “I Want It That Way,” which is 12 years old. The list also includes a couple of songs from Owl City. To be fair, I also think our culture is threatened by lyrics like “If I were to pluck on your heartstrings, would you strum on mine?”
The AP reports that the songs were barred because they weren’t approved for distribution. Sites that don’t delete the songs by mid-September will face consequences, although it’s not clear what those consequences will be.
Read the list here.
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