Janet's All for You Not for Singapore

May 4, 2001 -- Janet Jackson's All for You may top the charts in a lot of countries — but it's not likely to happen in Singapore, where a government ban will keep it from record stores.

The conservative government censors imposed the ban because one song, "Would You Mind," has "sexually explicit lyrics," the country's films and publications department said in a statement.

The album's distributor, EMI, has filed an appeal against the ban, said EMI Singapore senior marketing executive Angeline Teo.

Jackson shouldn't be too surprised, however — authorities also banned her previous album, The Velvet Rope, because of its references to homosexuality and other issues considered touchy in the tightly controlled country.

Singapore has a long history of banning Western popular songs, dating back to Peter, Paul and Mary's 1963 hit "Puff, the Magic Dragon" — believed by censors to contain references to marijuana.

Pornography is strictly banned in Singapore, and the government blocks many Web sites deemed obscene. Home satellite TV antennae are outlawed.

Films and TV shows are routinely censored. Last year, authorities banned an episode of the locally popular TV show Ally McBeal over a scene that showed main character Ally, played by Calista Flockhart, and her co-worker Ling, played by Lucy Liu, kissing each other on the lips.

Reuters contributed to this report.