Parental Advisory

One of the first actions taken by the PMRC in 1985 was compiling a list of songs and artists that were considered objectionable. The list, later known as the "Filthy Fifteen," featured musicians and acts such as Sheena Easton, Madonna, and Twisted Sister. Rock group Van Halen did not make the list.

Tipper Gore, wife of then-senator Al Gore, started the PMRC after she overheard her daughter listening and singing along to the 1984 Prince album "Purple Rain," specifically the song "Darling Nikki," one of the original "Filthy Fifteen." 

Several films released in 1984, such as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Gremlins," were met with parental complaints about objectionable content and so the MPAA created the PG-13 rating, issuing the rating for the first time to the 1984 action film "Red Dawn."

The PMRC's formation was cemented with financial backing from Joseph Coors, president and owner of Coors beer. In addition to financial help, Coors provided offices for the PMRC.

"Banned in the U.S.A." from hip hop group 2 Live Crew was the first album to feature the black and white "Parental Advisory" label in 1990, and by May of 1992 over two hundred albums had been marked with the warning.