Forty years ago Prince, Madonna and Judas Priest were among stars dubbed the ‘Filthy Fifteen’ in a high-profile parents’ campaign against ‘objectionable’ music. Some of those artists, and supporters like Alice Cooper, recall a major moral panicPrince’s Purple Rain album had been bought by 11 million Americans by May 1985. One of them was 11-year-old Karenna Gore. Back home, Karenna’s mother was shocked to hear Prince sing, on the album’s fifth track Darling Nikki: “I knew a girl named Nikki / I guess you could say she was a sex fiend / I met her in a hotel lobby/ masturbating with a magazine.”“I couldn’t believe my ears,” said Karenna’s mother, Tipper Gore. “The vulgar lyrics embarrassed both of us. At first, I was stunned – then I got mad!” Continue reading...