Banned Songs

Use this thread to list songs that were banned by radio stations at one time or another.

NOTE! The ban on many of the records has subsequently been lifted and some only carried a daytime ban.
Banned by the BBC

Sexual

• Jane Birkin - Je T’aime - Maybe it wasn't helped by Serge Gainsbourg singing about the joys of going "entre tes reins" - between your kidneys - i.e. up your bum (alledgedly). On top of the pops an instrumental version by "Sounds Nice" was used - 1969 & 1974
  
• Frankie goes to Hollywood - Relax - Sexual references - 1983
  
• The Au Pairs - Come Again - Referred to orgasm - 1981
  
• Lil Louis - French Kiss - "Heavy breathing" - 1989
  
• The New Yorkers - Love For Sale - "Sexual" content - 1930??
  
• Judge Dread - Several records with titles as Big 6, Big 7,Big 8, 10 etc - "Sexual" content - 1972 - 1975
  
• Ivor Biggun - The winker's song (misprint) - Sexually explicit - 1978
  
• Troggs - I Can’t Control Myself - The sound Reg Presley makes at the end of the song was said to be like someone climaxing. - 1966
  
• Rolling Stones - Lets spend the night together - Promoted promiscuity - 1967
  
• Cliff Richard - Honky tonk angel - Self imposed ban as "saint" Cliff didn’t know that a Honky tonk angel was a Hooker! circa ‘72 -’73.
  
• Adam Faith - Made You - Banned for lewdness/Sexual Content Double A-Side with "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" - 1960
  
• The Stranglers - Peaches - Considered "woman baiting" - 1977
  
• Scott Walker - Jackie - Reference to "authentic queers" - 1967
  
• George Michael - I Want Your Sex - banned only before the "watershed" - 1987
  
• Paul McCarney & Wings - Hi Hi Hi - Banned, not due to drug references but to explicit sexual lyrics - 1972
  
• Joe Brown & The Bruvvers' revival of George Formby's "My Little Ukelele" (1963, Piccadilly/Pye) was banned as "too risque"
  
• Max Romeo - Wet Dream - A song about his bedroom ceiling. No the BBC wouldn't buy that - 1969
  
• Donna Summer - Love to love you - Groans & heavy breathing secured the ban - 1976
  
• The Prodigy - Smack my bitch up - Despite denials, this single was never herd during the day - 1997
  
• Pete Shelley - Homosapien - "SPIN Alternative Record Guide." The book claims "Homosapien" was banned for containing the line "Homo superior in my interior."(About 1982)
  
• Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - Open Your Box - From the album of the same name and B side of a single, it was banned for containing the lyric "open your legs" - 1970

Political

• Marxman - Sad Affair - Contained IRA slogan - 1993
  
• Police - Invisible Sun was banned (certainly by R1/TOTP, maybe others)
  references to Northern Ireland (Barrel of an Armalite, etc.) - 1981
  
• Paul McCartney - Give Ireland Back to the Irish - Obvious - 1972
  
• Johnny Horton - Battle of New Orleans - Reference to "Bloody British" - 1959
  
• Hawkwind - "Urban Guerrila" - early 1970's. Banned due to mainland UK terrorist attacks at the time.
  
• Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen - Anti monarchy - 1977
  
• Blow Monkeys - The Day After You - Anti Margaret Thatcher - 1987
  
• Split Enz - Six Months In A Leaky Boat - Too provocative (Falklands) - 1980
  
• Elaine Page/Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" Falklands Crisis - 1980
  
• McGuiness Flint - Let the people go - Government policy on the IRA - 1975
  
• Heaven 17 - (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" - The "All-Music Guide" says "Fascist Groove Thang" was banned by the BBC for its overtly political nature. (About 1981)
  
• Six Months In A Leaky Boat. - 'Split Enz' 1984 - During the Falklands war, their song that went 'I just spent six months
  in a leaky boat, Lucky just to keep afloat.'

‘The Word,’ listed 64 songs on its February 1st program that BBC Radio have deemed "unsuitable" to play during the Gulf Crisis: Lee McMurray

• Abba Waterloo
  
• A-ha Hunting High And Low
  
• Alarm 68 Guns
  
• Animals We Got To Get Out Of This Place 5.
  
• Arrival I Will Survive 6.
  
• Joan Baez The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 7.
  
• Bangles Walk Like An Egyptian 8.
  
• The Beatles Back In The USSR 9.
  
• Pat Benetar Love Is A Battlefield
  
• Big Country Fields Of Fire
  
• Blondie Atomic
  
• Boomtown Rats Don't Like Mondays
  
• Brook Bros. Warpaint
  
• Arthur Brown Fire
  
• Kate Bush Army Dreamers
  
• Cher Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
  
• Eric Clapton I Shot The Sheriff
  
• Phil Collins In The Air Tonight
  
• Cutting Crew I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight
  
• Skeeter Davies End Of The World
  
• Desmond Dekker Israelites
  
• Dire Straits Brothers In Arms
  
• Duran Duran View To A Kill
  
• Jose Feliciano Light My Fire
  
• First Choice Armed And Extremely Dangerous
  
• Roberta Flack Killing Me Softly
  
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood Two Tribes
  
• Eddie Grant Living On The Frontline
  
• Eddie Grant Give Me Hope Joanna
  
• Elton John Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
  
• Johnny Hates Jazz I Don't Want To Be A Hero
  
• John Lennon Give Peace A Chance
  
• John Lennon Imagine
  
• Jona Louis Stop The Cavalry
  
• Lulu Boom Bang A Bang
  
• McGuinness Flint When I'm Dead And Gone
  
• Bob Marley Buffalo Soldier
  
• Maria Muldaur Midnight At The Oasis
  
• M*A*S*H Suicide Is Painless
  
• Mike And The Mechanics Silent Running
  
• Rick Nelson Fools Rush In
  
• Nicole A Little Peace
  
• Billy Ocean When The Going Gets Tough
  
• Donny Osmond Soldier Of Love
  
• Paper Lace Billy Don't Be A Hero
  
• Queen Killer Queen
  
• Queen Flash
  
• Martha Reeves Forget Me Not
  
• B.A. Robertson Bang Bang
  
• Tom Robinson War Baby
  
• Kenny Rogers Ruby (Don't Take Your Love To Town)
  
• Spandau Ballet I'll Fly For You
  
• Specials Ghost Town
  
• Bruce Springsteen I'm On Fire
  
• Edwin Starr War
  
• Status Quo In The Army Now
  
• Status Quo Burning Bridges
  
• Cat Stevens I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun
  
• Rod Stewart Sailing
  
• Donna Summer State Of Independence
  
• Tears For Fears Everybody Wants To Rule The World
  
• Temptations Ball Of Confusion
  
• 10 CC Rubber Bullets
  
• Stevie Wonder Heaven Help Us All

Morbid

• The Moontrekkers - Night Of The Vampire - morbid /"scary" content (backing group to Rod Stewart, produced by Joe Meek - 1961
  
• Sam M.Lewis - Gloomy Sunday - Too mournful - 1930??
  
• Mike Berry & The Outlaws - Tribute To Buddy Holly -"morbid concern" for a dead teenage idol - A Joe Meek masterpiece - 1961
  
• Ricky Valance - Tell Laura I love her - banned because of the reference to dying in a stock car race? - 1960
  
• The Downliners Sect's 1965 EP, "THE SECT SING SICK SONGS" was banned for poor taste/morbidity; it included a cover of Jimmy Cross' - I WANT MY BABY BACK (where a necrophiliac boyfriend digs up & jumps in his girlfriend's coffin)
  
• Napoleon XIV - They're coming to take me away ha-haaaa - Preceded rap by some 25 years. Man going bonkers over lost dog - 1966

Advertising

• Paul Simon - Kodachrome - Advertising - 197?
  
• The Kinks - Lola - was originally banned because it mentioned Coca-Cola, was later changed to Cherry Cola to get airplay. - 1970
  
• Paul Simon - Me and Julio - Originally banned for referring to Newsweek magazine. - 1972
  
• Dr Hook & the Medicine show - The cover of Rolling Stone - Advertising - 1972
  
• Dr Hook & the Medicine show - The Cover of the Radio Times - Tried to get around the ban by sucking up to the BBC with this version! - 1972
  
• Danny Williams - "You're Fabulous Babe" - 1977. Banned due to advertising. Babe was a perfume.
  
• Pink Floyd - IT WOULD BE SO NICE, April 1968. The lyrics mentioned the British newspaper The Evening Standard. The record could not be played on UK radio. As a result, Pink Floyd had to spend about $1000 to replace the Evening Standard with Daily Standard to appease the BBC. The record failed in the charts despite the touch of controversy. Another thing, the copies sold in shops were the Evening Standard version, but all releases available now are the corrected version.
  
• Jimmy Buffett's single, "come Monday" contained the line, "I've got my Hush Puppies on." Since the BBC considered this to be advertising he re-recorded that line so it said, "I've got my hiking shoes on."

Here's a few of the songs "deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks":

• Louis Armstrong - "What a Wonderful World"
  
• The Beatles - "A Day in the Life"; "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"; "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"; and "Ticket To Ride"
  
• Buddy Holly - "That'll Be the Day"
  
• The Doors - "The End"
  
• Bob Dylan - "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
  
• Herman's Hermits - "Wonderful World"
  
• Elton John - "Bennie and the Jets"; "Daniel"; and "Rocket Man"
  
• Kansas - "Dust in the Wind"
  
• Led Zeppelin - "Stairway to Heaven"
  
• John Lennon - "Imagine"
  
• Jerry Lee Lewis - "Great Balls of Fire"
  
• Paul McCartney - "Live and Let Die"
  
• Barry McGuire - "Eve of Destruction"
  
• Don McLean - "American Pie"
  
• Peter, Paul, and Mary - "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" and "Blowin' in the Wind"
  
• Rage Against the Machine - All Songs :lol:
  
• Frank Sinatra - "New York, New York"
  
• Cat Stevens - "Morning has Broken" and "Peace Train"
  
• James Taylor - "Fire and Rain"
  

There's plenty more, but you get the idea.

That September 11th list was going to be my next post. It seems that none of those songs are banned anymore.

bobrob2004 wrote:

That September 11th list was going to be my next post. It seems that none of those songs are banned anymore.

Did stations really not play these songs? I mean some of them make sense but none of them really have anything to do with September 11. I mean when Cat Stevens came out with Peace Train they certainly weren't trying to be controversial (I don't think).

catbox_9 wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

That September 11th list was going to be my next post. It seems that none of those songs are banned anymore.

Did stations really not play these songs? I mean some of them make sense but none of them really have anything to do with September 11. I mean when Cat Stevens came out with Peace Train they certainly weren't trying to be controversial (I don't think).

For about 6 months to a year, most radio stations didn't play them. Some are more obvious than others. Some of them are just because of one line, or the name of the song (See You in September). The main reason is so that the people weren't constantly reminded of this tragic event.

Chuck Berry...."My Ding-A-Ling"!!

Ray Stephens....."The Streak"!!

tigersaint wrote:

Chuck Berry...."My Ding-A-Ling"!!

LOL! No surprise here!

I remember the furer when that one came out.

I think Spike Jones had a few songs banned in the 1940's too!!

Im pretty sure if you play "Piggy Pie" By ICP and the cops here it, they can arrest you.

Really?


NO WAY!

Thats what Ive been told and I know someone who tried to play it a little too loud. Im not totally sure about it, but Im convinced enough to where I dont wanna try it.

Well playing any music too loud will get you in trouble. I highly doubt that a certain song is going to get you arrested as the First Amendment guarantees you the right to free speech no matter how stupid. You cannot threaten to kill someone which perhaps this song does, but since you aren't the one saying what's in the song you have done nothing. That'd be like getting arrested because a movie you watch talks about how they're going to kill the President.

gdennis59 wrote:

Im pretty sure if you play "Piggy Pie" By ICP and the cops here it, they can arrest you.

the next time I get pulled over I'll play this and let you know how it turns out. That or I'll play it for my Dad and see what he does. I don't think he's opposed to arresting his own kid.