The five greatest banned songs of all time
Having a song banned is something that a lot of bands wear like a badge of honour. They flaunt the fact that they have written something so outrageous that the mainstream couldn’t hack it. Punk bands such as the Sex Pistols and Rage Against the Machine saw their songs being banned as validation that they were on the right path. However, there are many reasons why songs get banned, not just political ones.
Songs have been removed from mainstream radio stations for a number of different reasons, whether this is because they’re sexually explicit, seem to make fun of people or endorse products. Because of the guidelines that radio stations have to abide by, there are a number of classic tracks which have the rebellious stamp of a “banned” attached to them.
Songs from the likes of The Who, The Beatles, Donna Summer, NWA and Frankie Goes To Hollywood have all been taken off the radio. However, even with this censorship, the songs have managed to pierce into the mainstream because of how good they are. In the world of disco, rap and rock, these songs have become classics because of how strong they are.
There are a number of great songs that have been banned and are well worth a listen. Here is a list of the greatest banned songs of all time.
The best banned songs ever made
The Who – ‘My Generation’
‘My Generation’ is one of the biggest songs that The Who ever released as it took aim at the older generation who seemed to scorn the modern rocker. It made fun of these people in a way that the younger generation could revel in; however, that revelling was short-lived as the song was soon banned from radio stations. That wasn’t the result of the song’s mocking nature, though; it was instead the result of the way Roger Daltrey sang the song.
Throughout the track, Daltrey sings with a stutter, and the radio thought he was making fun of people with a stutter, hence why they banned it. Daltrey has since spoken about the stutter, “I have got a stutter. I control it much better now, but not in those days. When we were in the studio doing ‘My Generation’, Kit Lambert came up to me and said ‘STUTTER!’ I said ‘What?’ He said ‘Stutter the words – it makes it sound like you’re pilled’.”
The Beatles – ‘Come Together’
Throughout their lifespan as a band, The Beatles had a number of different songs banned by the radio. These included ‘I Am The Walrus’, ‘A Day In The Life’ and ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’; however, one of their best tracks to be banned was the classic ‘Come Together’. The reason wasn’t because of controversy, but instead because of their seeming endorsement of Coca-Cola.
John Lennon admitted that the song was “gobbledygook” and that the lyrics didn’t mean anything. The band’s mention of Coca-Cola was seen as a product placement, and therefore, the radio couldn’t play it. Their hands were tied, and the song had to be banned, despite the fact that it wasn’t a very controversial number.
NWA – ‘Fuck Tha Police’
Let’s be totally honest, radio stations banning the song ‘Fuck Tha Police’ did nothing except highlight the mainstream’s attitude towards gangster rap. There were too many swear words in the song for it to ever receive radio play anyway, banning it just showed that people weren’t very open to listening to this kind of rap.
‘Fuck Tha Police’ remains one of the most exciting rap songs ever made. It’s packed with energy and calls out an oppressive system better than any song prior. NWA showed rappers how effective their lyricism could be, and how much their voice could operate as a sense of unity.
Donna Summer – ‘Love to Love You Baby’
When Donna Summer recorded the orgasmic sounding vocals to ‘Love to Love You Baby’ because she was laid on the floor and simulating a sex act while recording them. This was a suggestion from Giorgio Moroder, who was producing the track. The lights in the studio were turned off so nobody could see, and the result was these very convincing-sounding sexual vocals.
It turns out these vocals were far too realistic, as the song was banned from the radio for being sexually explicit. That didn’t stop the track from doing well; however, as it was one of Summer’s highest charting hits and is still considered a classic to this day.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – ‘Relax’
The lyrics to this song could be seen as fairly ambiguous; however, the line “when you want to come” gives the game away. The track is essentially a listener’s guide to delaying ejaculation, and these explicit themes were enough to stop radio stations from playing the track. They decided that it was vulgar and that the public shouldn’t be listening to it.
Despite the song being banned by the BBC, there were a number of other radio stations who played it happily, boasting that they were championing the song that the BBC banned. It led to the track being a massive hit, and while the subject of the song may have helped that, the trippy and exciting nature of the song was also a huge factor. Frankie Goes to Hollywood outdid themselves with this song, which is one of the greatest banned songs ever written.
