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Nov 8, 2023 · Eminem. Ice-T. The Rolling Stones. Olivia Newton-John. Even though the First Amendment protects music, the list of artists whose songs have been censored or restricted is a lengthy one. Here’s how (and why) these 16 famous songs were banned. https://t.co/XcPXViBmKv pic.twitter.com/tojTMbUGSi. — Freedom Forum (@1stForAll) November 8, 2023.
- “Cop Killer,” Body Count (March 10, 1992) When talking about controversial music, there are few more shining examples than “Cop Killer.” Recorded by Ice-T’s rock group Body Count, “Cop Killer” is a heated song about a victim of police brutality who violently takes matters into his own hands.
- “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” The Beatles (June 1, 1967) The Beatles’ eighth studio album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, sparked a great deal of controversy upon its release due to its numerous perceived drug references.
- “Like a Prayer,” Madonna (March 3, 1989) Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” sparked major controversy worldwide. The American Family Association and The Vatican condemned the music video for its supposedly blasphemous imagery.
- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” The Rolling Stones (June 6, 1965) In 1965, during a performance of this world-famous chart-topper on ABC’s music variety show, Shindig!
Feb 14, 2019 · Strange Fruit – a song about lynchings – was considered so powerful that some US cities banned it, worried it would provoke civil disharmony.
- Laura Snapes
- Sex Pistols: God Save The Queen
- NWA: F__K Tha Police
- The Kinks: Lola
- Neil Young: This Note’s For You
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax
- Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Spasticus Autisticus
- Loretta Lynn: The Pill
- Scott Walker: Jackie
- The Beatles: Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds/A Day in The Life
- Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg : Je t’aime… Moi Non Plus
While the passing of time does nothing to dull the impact of say, “Strange Fruit,” listening to Sex Pistols’ “God Save The Queen” today, it’s genuinely difficult to appreciate the furor it caused. The controversial song remains an utterly thrilling slice of rebellious rock’n’roll, but capable of causing the sort of unspeakable damage to British soc...
For young black men living in LA in the late 80s, police harassment was a fact of life. With the subtlety-named Operation Hammer, launched in 1987, the LAPD had declared war on gang violence and, by the following year, had arrested over 50,000 people. While most had no way of venting their frustrations (fewer than one percent of officers investigat...
Surprisingly, the reason that the BBC banned singer Ray Davies’ tale of ambiguous lust wasn’t the subject matter as such. Despite detailing a coming-of-age moment in which the narrator is shocked – then accepting of – the subject of his boozy affection’s gender, the song was pulled up because of this offending lyric: “Where they drink champagne and...
Never one to pander to industry expectations, Neil Youngspent his 80s wrongfooting even those who expected a certain contrariness from the singer-songwriter, releasing a string of albums that confused fans and led to his label suing him for making unrepresentative records. It’s unsurprising, then, that he viewed the then-fledgling trend for musicia...
It’s amazing what a bit of good old-fashioned scandal can do for a controversial song. Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s debut single, “Relax,” had spent a couple of months ambling up the UK Top 100 singles chart, in seemingly no particular hurry until it hit the Top 40, earning itself a spin on DJ Mike Read’s BBC Radio 1 chart rundown. Though not on the...
Having contracted polio at the age of seven, leaving him crippled for life and suffering an adolescence at the hands of what passed for disabled schools in the 50s, Ian Dury knew the harsh realities of living with disabilities. When the UN declared that 1981 would be the International Year Of Disabled Persons, Dury felt patronized by the idea that ...
“I was the first one to write it like the women lived it,” Loretta Lynn once said of her straight-talking songs. They certainly won her a devoted following, as Lynn became one of the most successful country acts of all time. But conservative country radio stations routinely banned her controversial songs, including “Fist City,” “Rated X,” “Don’t Co...
BBC Radio 1 was launched in September 1967 as the Beeb’s response to the popularity of the edgy pirate radio stations that were catering to the hip’n’happening youth of the day. Still, despite their attempts to court the cool crowd, they were a long way from accepting some of the more risqué releases. On hearing the lyrics to Scott Walker’s cover o...
By 1967, The Beatles were old hands when it came to controversy. After all, it goes with the territory when you’re constantly expanding the parameters of pop. They’d managed to offend the more fanatical elements of the US when John Lennon suggested the band might be more meaningful to young people than religion, and they’d put out an album with a c...
In 1967, the French actress Brigette Bardot was a pin-up the world over and Serge Gainsbourgwas one of many millions enraptured by her. The roguish composer’s infatuation was different, however, in that it resulted in him signing Bardot to his record label and, despite her being married, convincing her to go on a date with him. Exacerbated by booze...
- Jamie Atkins
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Sep 10, 2021 · 311 – Down. AC/DC – Shot Down in Flames. AC/DC – Shoot to Thrill. AC/DC – Dirty Deeds. AC/DC – Highway to Hell. AC/DC – Safe in New York City. AC/DC – TNT. AC/DC – Hell’s Bells. Ad Libs – The Boy...
Apr 12, 2018 · Standards have changed quite a bit in terms of what references the culture at large deems offensive in its hit songs, from casual homophobia in pop songs from Katy Perry and Taylor Swift to the...
Oct 3, 2022 · The BBC was at it again when they banned 67 pop songs from the radio in 1991 because of the Persian Gulf War. These songs were anticipated to offend and upset the public at this sensitive period in time.
