Some Music Tempos Not in Harmony With Chechen Officials
If you fancy a listen to the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” the Eagles’ “Hotel California” or Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off,” don’t plan a trip to Chechnya after June 1. That’s when the Russian republic will start banning music…
If you fancy a listen to The beatles’ “Hey Jude,” the Eagles’ “Hotel California” or Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off,” don’t plan a trip to Chechnya after June 1.
That’s when the Russian republic will start banning music that is either too slow or too fast, NPR reported.
For the record, “Hey Jude” is too slow, while “Hotel California” and “Shake it Off” are too fast.
Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” are just right.
The Chechen Ministry of Culture announced the ban last week, by the order of Culture Minister Musa Dadayev in conjunction with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
“Musical, vocal and choreographic” works will be limited to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute (BPM) to “conform to the Chechen mentality and sense of rhythm,” said Dadayev, according to the Russian state-run news agency TASS.
“Borrowing musical culture from other peoples is inadmissible,” Dadayev said, per a translation by The Guardian. “We must bring to the people and to the future of our children the cultural heritage of the Chechen people. This includes the entire spectrum of moral and ethical standards of life for Chechens.”
This includes the customs and traditions and “features of the Chechen character, which includes the entire spectrum of moral and ethical standards of life of the Chechens,” he added.