Top 10 Songs We All Listened To Because We Weren't Allowed

Top 10 Songs We All Listened to Because We Weren’t Allowed

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down the songs that had us scrambling for the skip button the second our parents walked in.

#10: “Milkshake” (2003)

Kelis

At first listen, Kelis’ signature hit sounds downright indecent. Her “milkshake” brings all the boys to the yard? Let’s just say it didn’t take a parental advisory sticker to know something very R-rated was going on over at her place. Critics weren’t much more subtle, calling it everything from a “lusty party anthem” to “the superfreakiest song on the charts,” and, perhaps most disturbingly, “thick and creamy.” So it’s no surprise that moms and dads weren’t exactly thrilled when this one came blasting through the stereo. And yet, according to Kelis herself, there’s nothing naughty about it at all. “A milkshake is the thing that makes women special,” she claimed. Yeah, well, try explaining that to your mom when she barges in during the chorus.

#9: “My Humps” (2005)

Black Eyed Peas

It takes a special kind of pop sorcery to turn an unabashed ode to the female body into a top 5 Billboard hit. But while “My Humps” was a commercial juggernaut, critics and parents were united in their disdain, slamming it for its juvenile lyrics, shameless objectification, and general assault on good taste. Still, love it or loathe it, the track is a relentless earworm and a perfect encapsulation of will.i.am’s unique brand of absurdist pop. And while your older relatives may have rolled their eyes, the Recording Academy didn’t. In fact, they gave it the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

#8: “Candy Shop” (2005)

50 Cent featuring Olivia

This extended Willy Wonka metaphor felt corny even when it was new. 50 Cent had already worn out the “magic stick” euphemism on his previous single of the same name, so “Candy Shop” simply felt like another flavor of the week. But regardless of how lazy or lewd it seemed, there was no denying its chart dominance: the Scott Storch produced banger spent nine straight weeks at #1. As for 50’s claim that he was trying not to be vulgar? It’s safe to say that’s a hard sell… especially if you ever got in trouble for having this one queued up on your iPod Shuffle.

#7: “Thong Song” (2000)

Sisqó

Chances are we don’t need to spell out what the issue was here. What might actually surprise you is that “Thong Song” isn’t even Sisqó’s highest-charting hit. Instead, that honor goes to its follow-up, “Incomplete.” Still, this raunchy floor-filler remains his undisputed trademark track, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s ridiculous, asinine, and almost embarrassingly over-the-top. But, whether you want to admit it or not, it’s also catchy as hell, with a string-laced beat that gives R&B a campy twist. That said, no amount of tasteful orchestration could distract parents from the fact that their kids were singing along to a song about underwear.

#6: “Smack My Bitch Up” (1997)

The Prodigy

If you thought “Thong Song” was risqué, wait until you meet The Prodigy. The high-octane English rave outfit stirred up major controversy with “Smack My Bitch Up,” the final single from their breakout album “The Fat of the Land”. Riding high on the big beat wave of the late ‘90s, the track was instantly polarizing: banned by the BBC, censored by ITV, and condemned across the board for its title alone. So when the band insisted it was actually about “doing anything intensely,” most parents weren’t buying it — especially when their kids were moshing to it in the living room.

#5: “The Beautiful People” (1996)

Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson was practically engineered to freak parents out. With his satanic imagery and grotesque stage persona, he became the poster child for suburban outrage in the late ‘90s. And nowhere was his brand of shock rock more distilled than in “The Beautiful People”. Equal parts industrial stomp and snarling social commentary, the track isn’t merely loud: it’s confrontational by design, tearing into vanity and abuse of power with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Even if you didn’t understand the lyrics, the guttural delivery and grinding guitars made it clear this was not church-safe music. So when Manson started showing up on “TRL”, you can imagine how fast parents smashed the panic button.

#4: “Killing In the Name” (1992)

Rage Against the Machine

If it wasn’t clear by now, let’s spell it out: the ‘90s were a nightmare decade to be raising teenagers. Case in point: the ubiquity of this scorched-earth anthem, which ripped into authority and conformity with a vengeance. Rage Against the Machine’s signature song is a searing response to police brutality, specifically the beating of Rodney King, and the L.A. riots that followed. And if the message wasn’t clear enough, most of its lyrics revolve around a single, very loud, oft-repeated curse word (you know the one). But that’s exactly what made it so fun to listen to: it was deliberately subversive, and it made you feel like you were in on the rebellion.

#3: “Nookie” (1999)

Limp Bizkit

Few nu metal bands embodied turn-of-the-millennium teenage angst quite like Limp Bizkit. They were crude, crass, and proudly immature — a walking, swearing monument to the “South Park” generation. And “Nookie” was their less-than-subtle mission statement. The song that’s arguably Fred Durst’s magnum opus is a petty, profanity-laced breakup anthem that spends nearly four minutes insisting he did it all “for the nookie.” What exactly that meant didn’t take much imagination… which is probably why parents hated it, even before the shouting started. But for a generation of angsty teens, Limp Bizkit wasn’t noise at all. It was catharsis, wrapped in cargo shorts and red Yankees caps.

#2: “Closer” (1994)

Nine Inch Nails

If there was ever a song that proved controversy sells, it’s this one. “Closer” isn’t just Nine Inch Nails’ most infamous track: it’s also, ironically, their biggest. Despite (or more likely because of) its unprintable chorus, the song became a breakout hit, helping Trent Reznor bring industrial rock to the mainstream with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Combining distorted vocals, a pounding instrumental, and one of the filthiest hooks ever to grace radio edits, “Closer” felt like an open challenge to decency standards — and somehow emerged victorious. Against all odds, Reznor’s gleefully provocative rejection of social graces launched a career that would, years later, lead him straight to the Oscars.

#1: “The Real Slim Shady” (2000)

Eminem

By the time “The Real Slim Shady” dropped, Eminem was already a lightning rod, the kind of pop culture figure that made headlines and gave PTA meeting attendees something to clutch their pearls about. With its cartoonish beat and rapid-fire name-drops, “The Real Slim Shady” was equal parts novelty hit and nuclear-grade button-pushing. He took aim at celebrities, politicians, and the FCC, and pretty much dared America to censor him. For kids, it was glorious; For parents, it was chaos set to a Dr. Dre beat. And somehow, this middle finger to the mainstream became one of the biggest hits of the year, cementing Eminem’s place as the most dangerous man in pop… and also the best-selling.

Did any of these tracks get you grounded, or at least give you a close call? Are there any “forbidden” songs we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments.