- yesterday
These tracks didn't just push boundaries - they shattered them completely! Join us as we explore the most controversial rock songs that sparked outrage, got banned from radio, and had parents clutching their pearls in horror. From explicit lyrics to taboo subjects, these musical rebels knew exactly how to ruffle feathers and start conversations!
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be discussing those rock songs that received
00:11some serious pushback and controversy.
00:14That's the way that I wanted to stay and I always wanted to be that way for my lord.
00:21Number 20, Island Girl, Elton John.
00:24The music industry possesses a laundry list of songs where white lyrical protagonists have
00:38placed themselves as de facto narrators for fictional people of color within their songs.
00:50This may be why Island Girl by Elton John hasn't been performed by the rock legend since 1990.
00:57We can pinpoint historically why a song like Island Girl might have been a good idea for
01:01Elton back in the mid-70s, since the ska and reggae movements were bringing these genres
01:07of music to wider audiences.
01:14Yet, the influence of these rhythms and melodies to Elton John's songwriting was one thing.
01:21The salacious lyrical content about a Jamaican sex worker is another.
01:26This made Island Girl something of an obscure eyebrow raiser with Elton John's discography.
01:31I like girls, like I want you in this island world.
01:38Number 19, If You Wanna Be Happy, Jimmy Soul.
01:42If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, you'll ever make a brand new one for your
01:47white soul, for my personal part of you.
01:49A bad idea is a bad idea, no matter how many times that idea gets laundered through the
01:55cover song, Washing Machine.
01:57If You Wanna Be Happy by Jimmy Soul was just one of the multiple covers of a traditional
02:02Trinidadian Calypso song by Roaring Lion.
02:05All of these covers possess one thing in common, however, and that's the overall pitfalls of
02:19choosing to marry an ugly woman.
02:21Jimmy Soul's doo-wop rock version from 1963 got him in trouble with radio stations.
02:35Some of which refused to play the tune.
02:45This hasn't stopped other versions of If You Wanna Be Happy from raising their heads on
02:50other sources, however, including on the soundtrack to the 1990 comedy, Mermaids.
02:56For My Personal Part of You, Get Emily Girl to Marry You.
03:01Number 18, Brown Sugar, The Rolling Stones.
03:05What do you do when one of your most popular songs, one that's endured for decades within
03:19your devoted fanbase, becomes problematic over time?
03:21Some bands shy away from their sordid history, but The Rolling Stones are at a point where
03:34their public profile assists in escaping from the controversies associated with songs like
03:40Brown Sugar.
03:41Mick Jagger has admitted in the press that he feels differently about Brown Sugar now in the
03:46modern day, telling Rolling Stone magazine's Jan Winter back in 2009 that he'd never would
04:01write that song now.
04:02Still, its subject matter of sex and race got it pulled from some radio stations back in
04:07the day and the conversations continue today with regards to its complicated legacy.
04:20Number 17, Killing in the Name, Rage Against the Machine.
04:34The usage of profanity has always been a surefire way for just about any band to get into some
04:39hot water.
04:40Yet Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine remains one of the band's most popular
04:44and well-known songs, in spite of, or due to, an overabundance of Zack de la Rocha's F-bombs.
04:52Radio stations work differently across the world, however, with many European channels playing
05:06the unedited Killing in the Name without too much incident.
05:09The United States was largely a different matter, however, with many local and national affiliates
05:22refusing to play the song at all.
05:28Number 16, Bobby Brown Goes Down, Frank Zappa.
05:37Hey there people, I'm Bobby Brown, they say I'm the cutest boy in town.
05:44The legacy of Frank Zappa as a provocateur has been well documented over the years, but 1979's
05:50Bobby Brown Goes Down proved that this mother of invention still had plenty of controversial
05:56gas in the tank.
05:57Oh God, I am the American dream.
05:59I do not think I'm too extreme.
06:03The tune exemplified a lot of Zappa's penchant for weird storytelling and a satirical, often
06:10transgressive, sense of humor.
06:11Fans and detractors alike of Zappa have taken turns either defending or admonishing Bobby
06:17Brown Goes Down since the song first dropped.
06:20Am I a boy or a lady?
06:22I don't know which.
06:24I wonder, wonder.
06:25The sexual politics at play could either come across as liberally freeing or darkly extreme,
06:31depending on the side of one's argument.
06:34The one constant only being how Bobby Brown Goes Down didn't receive the same radio play
06:39in the U.S. as it did in Europe.
06:42I am the American dream.
06:45With a spindle up my butt till it makes me scream.
06:48Number 15, Relax, Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
06:52Relax, don't you ask when you wanna go to us.
06:57Relax, don't you ask.
06:59All of us, as kids, probably had at least one movie, song, or television show that we
07:04gravitated towards simply for the fact that our parents told us, no.
07:08But what if they said, relax?
07:19Frankie Goes to Hollywood certainly said, relax, yet the BBC soundly declined their offer, preferring
07:25instead to briefly ban the song.
07:28There was no stopping Frankie Goes to Hollywood's question for the chart domination, however,
07:33and the news headlines only helped relax take over the world.
07:44The song and resulting video clip became anthems for unrepentantly explicit behavior, while the
07:50tune's pulsing synth and big, booming chorus said, just about everybody bothered and hot.
07:57Number 14, Christine 16, Kiss.
08:00We'd be here all day if we were to rattle off the historical examples of pop songs that
08:12retained a lurid sexual fantasy about a young woman.
08:16Christine 16 just happened to be one of them at the tail end of the 70s that was recorded
08:21by the hottest band in the world, Kiss.
08:32Gene Simmons sings this ode to the titular teenager, and some radio stations, even during the permissive
08:3970s, were not amused.
08:48The song didn't receive airplay in every market, while others preferred to saddle Christine
08:5316 with an after-dark slot away from younger listeners.
09:04Number 13, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, The Beatles.
09:16There are, well, a lot of reddit threads out there with just as many conflicting opinions
09:22about the legacy of John Lennon.
09:25This member of the Fab Four was known for writing songs like Run For Your Life that played into
09:31Lennon's reputation for being violent against women.
09:43Meanwhile, a less provocative but perhaps more popular lyrical misinterpretation has to do with
09:49Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
09:51The song is actually not about tuning in and dropping out, but rather a reference to a drawing
09:56by John Lennon's son, Julian.
10:06This didn't stop radio stations and fans alike from discussing Lucy's psychedelic implications,
10:12however, a discussion that still rages to this day.
10:25Number 12, Jesus Christ Pose, Soundgarden.
10:36All it takes is one look at the seedy single art for Soundgarden's Jesus Christ Pose to understand
10:43how some people were going to be upset.
10:52The skeleton on a cross look felt more in line with the metal band than Soundgarden's grungy
10:58Seattle sound.
10:59But the fires of controversy were truly lit once the accompanying video hit MTV.
11:13The clip was almost immediately banned after backlash from those who felt Jesus Christ Pose
11:19attacked Christianity.
11:21The song may have instead been directed at those with persecution complexes, but the legacy
11:27of Jesus Christ Pose is more closely tethered to the intense reactions fans had to it back
11:32in the day.
11:37Number 11, Lola the Kinks.
11:50The spectrum of what offends the average listener is wide and often differs wildly to that of
11:56our corporate overlords.
11:58Lola was banned by the BBC back in the day, not for its lyrical content, but for its product
12:03placement of the Coca-Cola brand.
12:14This isn't to say that Lola hasn't also gotten the kinks into the public conversation
12:19over the years, however, since the song is still largely debated today.
12:31Some playing to the tune is a prescient tale of gender inclusivity, while others feel that
12:37its execution has aged extremely poorly.
12:3810.
12:39Closer.
12:40Nine Inch Nails.
12:41Maybe the world wasn't ready back in 1994 for a music video experience celebrating dominance,
12:45submission, and deviancy.
13:00This hypothesis could go a little ways in explaining why Closer by Nine Inch Nails received so much
13:14media coverage back in the day.
13:21The song is actually more of an internal narrative rather than an outward projection of sexual
13:29desire.
13:30Never underestimate the power of a memorable chorus, however, because most criticisms of
13:35Closer focused solely on the song's visual aesthetic and profanity.
13:40The clip was initially relegated to late-night slots on MTV, but the power of Closer soon
13:46became strong enough that it helped Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails become household names
13:51for industrial rock.
13:54The realms of fantasy were always a fertile playing ground for early heavy metal bands,
14:14but the thrash scene that rose to prominence during the 1980s had some other ideas about
14:19lyrical content.
14:20Politics and real-life historical events began to creep their way into thrash anthems like
14:26Angel of Death by Slayer.
14:28This latter tune from the group's landmark Rain In Blood LP was even more extreme, however,
14:34thanks to its subject matter of Nazi Germany.
14:37Infamous!
14:38Watch out!
14:39Angel of Death!
14:42Angel of Death specifically references the horrific medical procedures and war crimes
14:48of Josef Mengele, whose work at the Auschwitz concentration camp would draft him into the most infamous
14:54annals of history.
14:56It was a grim choice of subject matter that raised the eyebrows of just about everyone.
15:02Angel of Death!
15:03Angel of Death!
15:04Angel of Death!
15:05Angel of Death!
15:06Angel of Death!
15:07Number 8.
15:08Illegal Alien.
15:09Genesis.
15:10It's honestly kinda baffling that the progressive rock pioneers in Genesis even recorded this one,
15:28never mind releasing it as a single.
15:31The legal alien possesses good intentions at least with regards to its lyrical content.
15:36After all, the song is actually written about the real-life struggles many face when attempting
15:41to source out visas and immigration paperwork for countries like the United States.
15:46The controversy then unfolds with Phil Collins' decision to place an affectation on his voice
15:52that almost sounds parodic.
16:01Additionally, the music video for Illegal Alien indulges in stereotypical imagery that honestly hurts the message at play.
16:08It may not have been intentional, but this otherwise innocuous song is aged like milk in the modern day.
16:15Number 7.
16:16Get Your Gun.
16:17Marilyn Manson.
16:18Marilyn Manson.
16:19We could honestly populate this entire list with all of the various Marilyn Manson moments that got the singer's song right now.
16:23songwriter in hot water over the years.
16:24We could honestly populate this entire list with all of the various Marilyn Manson moments
16:28that got the singer-songwriter in hot water over the years.
16:41We prefer, however, to focus on the world that, at the time anyway, was still awaiting Manson's cultural impact.
16:47It's difficult for those that weren't there to appreciate just how much songs like Get Your Gun freaked out parents during the early 90s.
17:06The song was also blamed for influencing the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.
17:22This was despite Get Your Gun actually being about the murder of an abortion provider, David Gunn, back in 1993.
17:29Number 6.
17:37He Hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss.
17:40The Crystals.
17:41We often fall back on the phrase, it was a different time, when attempting to defend cultural divides.
17:56Make no mistake, however, folks were PO'd and offended about He Hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss by the Crystals even back in 62.
18:06He hit me and it felt like a kiss.
18:14Everyone involved with the song has an opinion about why it does or doesn't work, from the shame of the songwriter Carole King to the spacious and malevolent production job of Phil Spector.
18:26This latter point is important because the atmosphere of He Hit Me feels dark and in line with the song's subject matters of gaslighting, abuse, and even Stockholm Syndrome.
18:37As a pop song, it remains one of the music industry's darkest curiosities.
18:42Number 5.
18:54Sex Type Thing.
18:56Stone Temple Pilots.
18:57Composing a song from the perspective of a dark or deviant character can sometimes come back to bite the performer in the butt.
19:15Scott Weiland found this out firsthand when backlash to Sex Type Thing by Stone Temple Pilots began making the rounds back in 1993.
19:23It's perhaps easier to understand today how this song is clearly written outside of Weiland's personal views on sex, dating, and assault.
19:33Yet that didn't stop many journalists and fans from taking umbrage against a song that they felt glorified and glamorized in decent assaults.
19:48Weiland even told Rolling Stone during a 1993 interview that he never thought that people would connect him to the protagonist of Sex Type Thing.
19:57Number 4.
20:08Money For Nothing.
20:09Uncensored.
20:10Dire Straits.
20:11You never hear this version of Dire Straits' Money For Nothing on the radio, nor is it performed live.
20:24The album version of this smash hit is a different story, however, containing an extra verse that got Dire Straits in some seriously hot water.
20:33This is one that's familiar to Stone Temple Pilots and Sex Type Thing in that Mark Knopfler is singing Money For Nothing from an outside perspective.
20:42Specifically, it doesn't really feel out of character for the working-class protagonist of Money For Nothing to utilize the slurs he does during this verse.
20:52We got some movies, refrigerators. We got some movies, color TV.
21:02Knopfler semi-defended his decision in a 1985 Rolling Stone interview, but continued to sing the verse on tour, substituting the word Queenie for one that we can't repeat.
21:14It's a little weeny but the eerie, that's the way you come. I'll tell you what, that's the way you come.
21:21Number 3.
21:23One In A Million.
21:24Guns N' Roses.
21:25Yes, I need it.
21:27Sometime to get away.
21:31These legends courted controversy basically from Jump Street, not only with the band cover art for their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, but again for LP number 2.
21:43One In A Million was taken from the group's Lies album, a track that earned Axl Rose and company a whole lot of grief, thanks to the content of its lyrics.
21:52One In A Million was accused of basically every ism and phobia in the book, from the racial and social variety to Rose's inflammatory words against the LGBTQIA plus community.
22:05They make no sense to me, they come to our country, and think they'll do as they please.
22:16The end results aren't any prettier in hindsight either, and the tune rightfully earned Guns N' Roses some heavy criticism.
22:23Even today, One In A Million is still seen as one of the band's most confusing creative decisions.
22:30Don't point your finger at me.
22:34I'm a small town white boy.
22:37Just trying to make it meet.
22:40Number 2.
22:41God Save The Queen.
22:43Sex Pistols.
22:44God Save The Queen.
22:47The fascist regime.
22:50Don't mess with the monarchy.
22:53Or at least don't release a scathing and satirical single titled God Save The Queen unless you're prepared to deal with the fallout.
23:00The Sex Pistols and their manager Malcolm McLaren seemed pleased when they released this two-fingered salute to their home nation.
23:08This was a knowing riff on the United Kingdom's national anthem.
23:12A defining anthem of the 70s punk era that didn't really care who would offend it.
23:17God Save The Queen.
23:19We mean it, man.
23:23God Save The Queen was banned from radio and many British retail shops wouldn't carry physical copies of the single, despite its popularity.
23:31Basically, God Save The Queen pioneered that punk spirit of pissing people off, and did so in absolutely fabulous style.
23:40God Save The Queen
23:50Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
23:55You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
23:59If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
24:03Number 1.
24:06Cop Killer Body Counts
24:16We're seriously impressed that one of hip-hop's elder statesmen Ice-T even considered branching off into heavy metal when he formed Body Counts back in 1990.
24:26This lyrical provocateur continued to stir the societal pot with the band's debut album containing the infamous track titled Cop Killer.
24:35Cop Killer
24:45Just about everyone had an opinion on Cop Killer back in the early 90s, from US President George H.W. Bush to conservative-leaning actor Charlton Heston.
24:55The latter famously pontificated in anger about the song's anti-cop content, and it was Heston's words, along with pressure from various police that got body count pulled from store shelves.
25:07The newly censored version arrived in its place, now with a replacement song that was knowingly titled, Freedom of Speech.
25:17Are there any sacred cows that should remain untouched by the music industry? Or are we, as a culture, too quick to be offended? Let us know in the comments.
25:33And who cares? Who cares about you? You! You! You! You!
25:39You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You
Recommended
0:39
|
Up next
1:40:29
20:43
2:16:30
1:36:07
1:37:17
12:01
2:18:19
54:39
0:40
1:09:49
13:28