Chez Chesler

VH1 re-ran their "100 greatest one-hit wonders" series this past weekend. They used a technical definition (groups that had exactly one hit in the top 20) so that a lot of artists we've heard of were listed (Sinéad O'Connor was #18) while Procul Harem (Whiter Shade of Pale) was excluded. A pop-up announced that it is illegal to play Randy Newman's "Short People" on the radio in Maryland. A few sites but as is usual with these "dumb laws" sites, no citation is given, and these typically are both over-generalizations and overly specific when researched. ("In Davis Square, Somerville, it is legal to shoot a Mormon in your pajamas" -- it is legal to shoot anyone in Massachusetts, if it's in protection of life, and it doesn't matter whether or not he's in your pajamas.) And while community standards come into play, radio is generally a federal concern. But I would be interested to see law or ruling on which this myth is based. In any case, various sites about the song claim that it as "clearly tongue-in-cheek", but I still don't get the joke. If the song were meant to be taken at face value, how would it have been different? Why is putting down short people so outlandish that Newman couldn't possibly be serious?