Lady Gaga tunes top China’s banned music list

The Chinese government recently unveiled its third list of 100 banned songs, with many famous U.S. pop artists making the list, including Lady Gaga. Six songs from the pop phenomenon’s latest album, “Born This Way,” made the list.

Censorship by the Chinese government has dominated news headlines in recent years, where anything considered politically dangerous or sensitive tends to disappear from the web. News of the uprisings in Egypt was mysteriously absent from the Internet in China, where past riots in Tibet, or anything related to the contested region, are glossed over. Controversial terms such as “Tiananmen” result in less-than-complete search results.

Although pop songs might not seem dangerous, the government’s banned songs list seems to be sending the message that they are, at least in Chinese culture. According to the Wall Street Journal, the English translation of the China Ministry of Culture’s announcement states the songs were “not in accordance with the Interim Provisions on Administration of Internet Culture and other regulations” and that they “disrupt the online music market order and endanger national cultural security.”

Other songs to make the list included Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it that Way,” songs by Owl City, Beyonce and Simple Plan, and other songs by artists from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.