Because it makes you dance with the wrong people. Because it makes you ask questions. Because it mentioned a soft drink brand in a country where that wasn’t allowed on radio. Because an artist moved his hips on television and America decided he was a public danger.

Music has been banned for political, racial, sexual and religious reasons. It has been banned for being “too sad,” “too cheerful,” “too Western” or “too Eastern.” In some countries, women were forbidden from singing solo. In others, an entire music genre was considered a crime.

There have been governments that burned records in public squares. Radio stations that sent vinyl copies back snapped in half. Countries where simply owning an album could land you years in prison.

But the most surprising thing you discover when studying the history of music censorship isn’t the cruelty of those in power. It’s the creativity of those without it. Because every time someone said “you’re not allowed to listen to this,” someone else replied: “let’s see about that.”