Banned in the USA…And At Home

Back in the glorious year of 1990, I was twelve years old and finally starting to find my own way with music. I had grown up riding shotgun with my dad, listening to Waylon, Willie, and CCR on long trips. And on Saturday nights at home, we’d shoot pool in the basement with the Silver Eagle radio show playing in the background. That was my musical foundation.

But in the late 80s, everything shifted. Someone gave me the single of “Bust a Move” by Young MC, and suddenly my ears perked up to something new. MTV was still frowned upon in our house, but whenever Mom left, my brother and I would sneak it on and catch Yo! MTV Raps and whatever else we could. I’m pretty sure that’s where I first heard “Banned in the USA” by 2 Live Crew and saw the video.

I had no idea who 2 Live Crew really were or what kind of reputation they had. I just knew I liked that song. Honestly, it probably had more to do with it sounding like “Born in the USA” than anything else, but I was hooked.

Not long after, during a trip to Kmart, I spent my allowance on the single. I rushed home, popped it into my knockoff Walkman, and listened to it on repeat for days. Life was good… until my older brother and I got into one of our usual arguments. I must have annoyed him, because he went straight to Mom and told her I had bought a “dirty” tape.

Of all the songs 2 Live Crew ever recorded, “Banned in the USA” is probably the cleanest. But Mom had heard about their legal troubles, and that was all she needed. She confiscated the tape on the spot.

I begged. I pleaded. I tried to explain that it wasn’t dirty. I even asked her to listen to it herself. She finally agreed, but not right away. Instead, she locked it up somewhere “until she had time.”

Every couple of days, I’d ask if she had listened to it yet. Every time, the answer was no. This went on for months. Eventually, I forgot about it.

About a year later, I got brave enough to go retrieve it from wherever she had stashed it. She never said a word. I guess she forgot too.

I don’t know if there’s a grand lesson in this story. It’s just one of those memories that sticks with you forever. A song, a Walkman, a tattling brother, and a mom who thought she was protecting me from the wild world of 2 Live Crew.

And somehow, all these years later, it still makes me smile.