Controversial songs

[Firestarter]

The words “I’ll take you there” could refer to something sexual, but this is not what made this song so controversial. It is the video in which a statue of a black saint comes to live and then kisses Madonna.
The Vatican condemned the video, followed by protests by religious groups. After they boycotted Pepsi, it cancelled their sponsorship contract with Madonna, but she could keep the $5 million fee. All of the publicity boosted sales…

Madonna – Like a prayer (1989)

[Firestarter]

This became a hit despite (or because) it was banned by the BBC, with the moaning and groaning sounding like she was having an orgasm.

Lil Louis - French Kiss (1989)

[Firestarter]

In the early ’90s, as the British army entered the First Gulf War, the BBC suddenly banned 67 dangerous songs, including “Imagine”, “Give Peace a Chance”, “Boom-Bang-a-Bang”, “Bang Bang”, “I Shot the Sheriff”, “Killing Me Softly with His Song”, “Gimme Hope Jo’Anna”, “When The Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going”, and “I’m on Fire”: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/songs-bbc- ... -gulf-war/

I’ve previously posted about the songs banned by the BBC in the early 1990s. After 9/11 a similar ridiculous 163 songs were banned in the US, in addition to ALL Rage against the Machine songs (the machine boys must have been cheering over this credibility boost!): https://www.kerrang.com/here-are-the-16 ... after-9-11

The banned songs also include. They really banned 3 “wonderful world” songs?!?

Sam Cooke - Wonderful World (1960)


Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World (1967)


At least this song is about controversial topics like drugs, and feeling alone.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge (1991)

[Firestarter]

I always thought that this song was in general about us “zombies”, brainwashed by school, TV, and of course … music “in [y]our head”. Maybe the video points to something specific, but I never figured out what this was.
The Cranberries has boasted about this song that made them into popstars. Their singer, the late Dolores O’Riordan, claims that it was written in response to the death of 2 young boys from IRA bombs in the Warrington bombings. The Cranberries also claimed that they had to sort of “fight” with their record company, Island Records, to record and release the song as a single because it was so terribly "politically urgent" (I don’t hear it…).
The video for "Zombie" was banned by the BBC and the Irish the RTÉ because of its "violent images", with scenes of children holding guns. In March 2003, shortly before the war against Iraq, the British Government temporarily banned songs and videos with "sensitive material", including "Zombie".

The Cranberries – Zombie (1994)

[Firestarter]

The song that made the late backup dancer Keith Flint almost famous. The “terrifying” video was “frightening for young children”, while the fire brigade called it an incitement to arson. Questions in the House of Commons and a record number of complaints to “Top of the Pops” for the video (that looks like a joke to me…).
The Prodigy - Firestarter (1996)



More than a year later, the Prodigy intentionally released a single (and video) to get publicity over it getting banned, "Smack My Bitch Up" was banned by the BBC but a lyric-free version was played on BBC Radio.
Its video showed drug use, violence, sexual assault and nudity. MTV initially played the video in late-night rotation, but after complaints from feminist groups removed the video from rotation entirely. Bizarrely at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, it won Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video (weren’t they out of space since the early 1990s?), it has a surprising ending...
The Prodigy – Smack my bitch up (1997)
https://videos.sapo.pt/nnPHu132NPco0TYNC3Vb

[Boadicea]

Bryson Gray - Hunter Biden Hacked




CRACK ON THE TABLE & A SILVER SPOON

[Firestarter]

Eminem scored a worldwide hit with a tale of an obsessed fan that gets so angry about not getting the attention he needs from Slim Shady that he murders his pregnant girlfriend and himself. In the MTV "clean" version, significant portions from the song and video were removed (also of Stan drinking vodka while driving).
Stan in the video is NOT played by Eminem, but his pregnant girlfriend IS played by Dido (sister of Faithless’ Rollo Armstrong).

Eminem ft. Dido – Stan (2000)

[Firestarter]

This track was banned on multiple radio stations for the lyrics "Why did Bush knock down the towers?" that was blanked out from the “clean” version of the video.

Jadakiss ft Anthony Hamilton - Why (2004)

[Firestarter]

According to John Fogerty on the song’s meaning, "It's the old saying about rich men making war and poor men having to fight them" (at the height of the Vietnam war)…
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son (1969)

[Firestarter]

This is how this song begins:

Gold coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
Sold in the market down in New Orleans
Scarred old slaver knows he's doing alright
Hear him whip the women just around midnight.

.
The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar (1971)