China Bans "Threatening" Musicians Following Bjork's Tibet Outburst

China has banned all overseas performers that "threaten national sovereignty" following a performance by Bjork in Shanghai earlier this year. At that concert, the Icelandic singer led the crowd in a chant of "Tibet, Tibet!" after performing her song "Declare Independence." The ban will also fall on artists who "threaten national unity", "whip up ethnic hatred", "violate religious policy or cultural norms" or "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition." Plus, all performances must be approved beforehand, right down to what encores will be played. The move was made as China's Ministry of Culture gears up for this year's Olympic Games, which is expected to attract protesters and unruly crowds that don't need to be exacerbated by musicians.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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