Top 20 Songs That Used to be Banned

#20: “My Generation” (1965)

The Who

It should come as no surprise that a song called “My Generation” that actively attacked modern day values was banned in the 1960s. Networks had a habit of doing this at the time, but the main surprise here is the exact reason why it was banned. Funnily enough, it wasn’t the lyrics that got The Who in hot water. Or at least not really. Instead, the ban stemmed from the decision Roger Daltrey made to stutter his way through some of the lyrics, which the BBC thought would be offensive to people with legitimate speech impediments. On the long list of bizarre reasons to put a song on ice, this one has to be close to the top.

#19: “Splish Splash” (1958)

Bobby Darin

“Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin is a truly harmless song about a guy who gets out of a bath and joins a party that is going on in his house. Seems innocent enough, right? Well, unfortunately, the song only mentions him putting a towel on to hide his modesty and at no point does he clothe himself fully. Somehow this was enough to get the song banned by a handful of stations in North America. This depiction of partial nudity was deemed to be inappropriate for mass audiences, which is frankly hilarious by modern standards. Was any impressionable kid ever corrupted by hearing Darin’s “Splish Splash?” Guess we’ll never know!

#18: “Atomic” (1980)

Blondie

Sometimes a single word is enough to get a song blacklisted. For Blondie’s “Atomic,” timing was the main issue. Despite the song having no real mention of war or violence, its release coincided with the Gulf War, and its title alone forced the BBC to ban it. The network was incredibly sensitive at the time to songs that had a vague reference to war and for that reason, “Atomic” was canned. It was one of 67 songs that they decided to put to one side, even though it had already been released for eleven years. Needless to say, the ban only lasted as long as the war itself and these days, the track has returned to airplay.

#17: “Tell Laura I Love Her” (1960)

Ray Peterson

Ray Peterson’s track “Tell Laura I Love Her” is a tragic tale, telling the story of a young couple who are ripped apart when a stock car race ends up killing one of them. It’s presented as a narrative that culminates in the death of a young lover and his dying wish to remind his partner that he loves her. The BBC decided that the song glorified reckless driving and decided to ban it so impressionable youths wouldn’t end up impersonating the song’s doomed protagonist. Seriously, that’s an all-timer when it comes to hilariously tone deaf reasons to resort to censorship.

#16: “This Note’s for You” (1988)

Neil Young

Neil Young well and truly went on the offensive with 1988’s “This Note’s for You,” taking shots at corporatised rock and roll. He didn’t pull any punches with the music video either, taking shots at Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and both Pepsi and Coke. Jackson’s lawyers were so angered by the song’s depiction of MJ’s hair catching fire that they threatened legal action if it wasn’t removed. In the end, their threats worked, and the song was briefly pulled - although MTV eventually reversed their decision and the song received heavy rotation from there onwards.

#15: “Let's Spend the Night Together” (1967)

The Rolling Stones

Off the top of our head, we can name about fifty song titles that are more offensive than “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”. That didn’t stop Ed Sullivan himself taking issue with it at the eleventh hour - calling on the British band to change the words to “Let’s Spend Some Time Together.” The implication that a man and woman might ever consider spending some alone time together overnight was clearly too much for Sullivan to handle. Would the world be a different place if Jagger hadn’t been forced to sing “some time” instead of “the night?” Who knows. Perhaps Sullivan prevented total mayhem, but probably not.

#14: “Lola” (1970)

The Kinks

The edgy subject matter of The Kinks’ song “Lola” might be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of bannable offenses. However, the truth is a lot simpler. The issue wasn’t the song’s lyrics or overall message; instead, it was the use of the brand name ‘Coca-Cola’. The usual suspects, the BBC, refused to play the song under any circumstances until something was done about the offending lyric. Ray Davies had a quick fix, though, and flew back to Britain to change the lyric to the far less specific ‘cherry-cola.’

#13: “Street Fighting Man” (1968)

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones never shied away from being openly provocative if the occasion called for it. We’re sure they were at least a little proud of the fact that their classic track “Street Fighting Man” was banned by the Chicago mayor during the Democratic National Convention. There were fears that the song would incite violence due to its lyrical content and aggressive vibe. Talk about having faith in your own voters' intelligence, eh? Thankfully, the song was never pulled from radio stations for the same reason, making it easily accessible to millions in the late 60s.

#12: “Rock Around the Clock” (1954)

Bill Haley and His Comets

“Rock Around the Clock” is not the first song that springs to mind when you think of inflammatory music, but its inclusion in the legendary 1955 film “Blackboard Jungle” was a big deal. Not only was it the first example of a Hollywood movie utilizing a popular rock and roll song in its soundtrack, it was also banned in several cities and countries. The film’s depiction of juvenile delinquency led to riots in certain theatres. On the flipside, the use of the Bill Haley and His Comets track led to rock and roll reaching a new mainstream audience during a pivotal point in history.

#11: “Puff the Magic Dragon” (1963)

Peter, Paul, and Mary

If “Puff the Magic Dragon” had been written by any of their contemporaries, there might’ve been some truth to the rumors that it really referenced drug use. However, Peter, Paul, and Mary seemed to be genuinely shocked that people thought that this innocent track about the loss of childhood innocence was about anything other than a magic dragon. The song was totally banned in Singapore in 1963 after the powers that be were convinced that it was one big innuendo. Right up until his death in 2025, Peter Yarrow never changed his story. The song was about exactly what its title claims it is!

#10: “Physical” (1981)

Olivia Newton-John

The idea of anyone getting too physical was too much for many radio stations to handle, and so banning Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” was their natural response. The music was definitely on the edgy side, but it was the specific lyric "let me hear your body talk" that caused so much controversy. By all accounts, they also weren’t overly fond of the line, “there's nothing left to talk about, unless it's horizontally." The song went on to be a smash hit for Newton-John, regardless, and remains one of her most enduring hits to this day.

#9: “God Save the Queen” (1977)

Sex Pistols

For as much as the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” could’ve gotten our pick, we couldn’t help but side with their classic track “God Save the Queen.” There should be no confusion over why a song attacking the British monarchy got banned in England, of course. However, the song was singled out for censorship in a particularly vibrant time for British punk. All in all, banning “God Save the Queen” ended up proving Johnny Rotten and company’s point. The song remains a favorite within the Sex Pistols’ catalogue and it’s not hard to see why.

#8: “Come Together” (1969)

The Beatles

Out of all of The Beatles' songs that ended up getting banned from the radio in the 60s, no song was outlawed for a more ridiculous reason than “Come Together.” The band were no strangers to ruffling a few feathers in their heyday, but despite having more than a few songs about risque topics, “Come Together” was a little different. As did The Kinks’ “Lola,” the song references Coca-Cola. As a result, the BBC declared that it went against guidelines and constituted an advertisement. It’s not like John Lennon was screaming at people to drink Coke in the chorus or anything… but even a passing mention was enough to bring the axe down.

#7: “Fairytale of New York” (1987)

The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl

The debate over the censorship of “Fairytale of New York” rages on to this day, with one line of lyrics being the point of contention. The song was a huge hit for The Pogues, but there is a section in the song where Kirsty MacColl is hurling insults at Shane MacGowan and one slur, in particular, hasn’t aged overly well. The song wasn’t outright banned, but in 2020, the BBC played a version of the tune with the offending line removed. MacGowan himself defended the lyric - claiming that the song was supposed to portray flawed people, not angels.

#6: “I Want to Break Free” (1984)

Queen

Queen certainly knew a thing or two about provoking their audience. Their music video for “I Want to Break Free” never tried to hide its intentions, showcasing the band in drag performing the song. As you might expect, this sparked outrage from conservative viewers and according to Roger Taylor it was banned by MTV. Supposedly it promoted cross-dressing a little too openly for the company’s executives and as a result, this legendary video was shelved. In reality, the video was intended as nothing more than a bit of fun, a way for Freddie Mercury and co. to show off their playful side, but clearly, some people didn’t see it that way.

#5: “The Pill” (1975)

Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn was a trailblazer and the very frank and honest discussion about birth control she had on “The Pill” was way ahead of its time. One look at the song's lyrics will tell you exactly why it was a problem. Many conservative stations had absolutely no desire to hear a woman speaking about the empowerment she felt over making her own reproductive choices. For that reason, many DJs flat-out refused to give the song any airplay. That didn’t stop it from becoming her highest-selling single up to that point. It even went to number one on Canada’s country chart!

#4: “Rumble” (1958)

Link Wray

Link Wray’s “Rumble” may have been the first instrumental track to be banned from major radios - a distinction we’re certain he must be extremely proud of. The title alludes to a slang term of a fight, sure… but one spin of this song is enough to make it clear that the censors just didn’t like the track’s tone. “Rumble” sounds like a bar-fight waiting to happen, painting a smoky and somewhat seedy dive without the use of a single lyric. If that’s not masterful songwriting, then we don’t know what is. An all-time great rock and roll classic!

#3: “Walk Like an Egyptian” (1986)

The Bangles

“Walk Like an Egyptian” put The Bangles on the map in many ways, so we doubt they ever imagined their song would get banned years after it initially came out. First, it was concerns over the track’s sensitivity during the Persian Gulf War that led to it getting banned in 1991. Then, after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the song was taken out of rotation once again, this time over fears that it might increase tensions with the Middle East. Of course, it was far from the only track to get blacklisted during that period, but the reasons certainly stand out.

#2: “Imagine” (1971)

John Lennon

“Imagine” is John Lennon’s signature solo recording, a track that has been covered and referenced endlessly since its release. However, following the events of 9/11, its lyrics were deemed to be ‘questionable’ by the Clear Channel Communications network. Supposedly, its anti-nationalist, anti-religion, and anti-war message was the last thing the American public needed to hear. They seemed to ignore the song’s overarching call for unity and a fairer society, and so the track was taken off of turntables for a while. Some people will just choose to see the negative in everything, right?

#1: “Waterloo” (1974)

ABBA

In the middle of the Gulf War, the BBC decided to get very liberal with their outlawing of songs, choosing to bring the hammer down on anything that made even the most remote of references to war. “Waterloo” by ABBA is one of the most inoffensive songs of the 67 chosen, with its use of The Battle of Waterloo as a metaphor for a relationship going too far, according to the censors. To this day, it remains one of the most innocent songs to have ever been branded as controversial or potentially damaging to the public. Somehow, this fact succeeds in making us love the song even more.

But what previously banned song springs to your mind first when the question is posed? Let us know in the comments below!