Australia Reconsiders Unbanning Snoop Dogg

After initially lifting their ban of Snoop Dogg, Australia is reconsidering giving the Doggfather a visa as the threat of a looming Snoop/Ice Cube tour Down Under has resulted in public complaints. The drama started last year, when Snoop was denied an opportunity to co-host the MTV Australia VMAs because the island country refused to allow the rapper to apply for the visa. The ban was finally lifted last week by immigration officials, paving the way for Snoop to tour Australia in October, but because "of public concern and interest, the department has decided that in fact we will be undertaking a more thorough assessment of Mr. Broadus' character," an immigration official said. Although Snoop's tour may still go on, if he's allowed entry into the country he will be "counseled and given strict behavior rules to abide by." The Snoop saga strangely finds itself embroiled in a bigger government issue, as the conservative government that barred Snoop last year has since lost power to a more liberal government, which has since relaxed on the previous administration's tough immigration stance.

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

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