Most Controversial Songs of All Time

As America's most controversial President prepares for office, it seems we've entered an age of controversy: with not only controversial songs, films and books, but controversial business and politics; where any publicity is always good publicity. As Trump manages to keep his face on newspaper and news site front pages, a concerned mother's rant on Vince Staple's "Norf Norf" goes viral introducing the LA rapper to a whole new fan base. However, this wasn't always so. Younger readers may struggle to remember a time where politicians' blunders only occasionally found their way to the public eye, but there was a time when the public relied upon the world of art for entertainment; for shocks and controversy. Much has been said about banned and controversial books such as A Clockwork Orange and American Psycho just as controversial films such as Strawdogs and Taxi Driver, but here we'll be talking about some of the most controversial songs of all time.

Perhaps a more controversial title than controversial song, (though the music doesn't help; it just sounds like illegality as though it should keep telling you how you wouldn't steal a car), it is really the video that gets this Prodigy track on the list. Shot in a manner which pre-empts the immersive and violent hedonism of the GTA game series, the "Smack My Bitch Up" video takes the viewer along for a particularly rough night out, as the protagonist as though working their way through a censorship tick-sheet ñ jumps from abuse of hard drugs to explicit sex; from car theft to violence. Needless to say, the video was publicly criticized, particularly by feminist groups such as the US National Organization of Women, who viewed the video as an encouragement of violence towards women. Ending upon a genuinely unexpected twist helps memories of this video to endure to the present day not simply because of the controversy it stirred, but also because of its rightful status as a particular highlight of the golden age of the music video. In spite of the controversy, director Jonas Akerlund was rewarded with two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video.

"ALL THE NICE BOYS LOVE SEA MEN: Frankie Goes to Hollywood are coming ... making Duran Duran lick the shit off their shoes ... Nineteen inches that must be taken always" so read the advert for Relax taken out in the British music press, which perhaps goes some way towards explaining how this hit went on to be one of the most controversial songs of all time. Released against a backdrop of strife for gay men in Britain (this being the Britain of a burgeoning AIDS epidemic amongst the gay community, as well as the legislation of article 28 which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools) Frankie Goes to Hollywood seemed less concerned about normalizing or sanitizing the idea of the homosexual in broader society than reveling in society's image of homosexual as other: a position from which they could shock and disgust the mainstream in music for their own amusement. Label founder Paul Morely stated the intention of Frankie Goes to Hollywood to be a "strategic assault on pop," and given both the enormous commercial success Relax turned out to be (selling 2 million copies and ending up one of the top ten selling UK singles of all time) and the controversy it stirred it seems the project was a success.

Does a song with "incest" in its title really require justification when talking about a list of the most controversial songs ever made? Both Charlotte and Serge Gainsbourg have flirted with controversy on other occasions, such as Charlotte's starring role in Lars Von Trier's controversial Nymphomaniac, or Serge's unceremonious proposition of Whitney Houston on Saturday night chat show Champs. However Lemon Incest, a love song performed as a duet between father and daughter (both in real life and on record) is perhaps both Serge and Charlotte's most infamous moment, particularly given the song was performed when Charlotte was just thirteen. The song led to real life accusations of pedophilia and incest against Serge, an accusation which both father and daughter have vehemently denied. Charlotte did though; admit the track was intended as a provocation.

A song which, like the aforementioned "Relax," aims to convey a leather-clad sleaziness simply through sound, stirred deep controversy both for its video and its lyrical content. "I wanna fuck you like an animal/I wanna feel you from the inside" snarls NIN frontman Trent Reznor on the chorus of "Closer," a pair of lines as brutal as they are refreshingly honest in a world where pop music is always trying to smuggle sex and sexuality into its content by indirect means. The rest of the song is a consideration of how sex can at once serve as a handy distraction from the inherent isolation we all feel and as a reminder of the very corporeal existence from which isolation necessarily springs (putting Reznor well beyond accusations of a cynical, "sex sells" approach to his music). The video features nudity, sadomasochistic equipment as well as diagrams of genitalia and an iconoclastic image of a monkey upon a crucifix. As can be imagined, this video combined with the sonic and lyrical aspects of the song caused the song and video to be widely banned.

Hard to believe that a song could cause such controversy for simply being called "Sympathy for the Devil," but this song helped to start the now long standing association between Satanism and rock music. The controversial song, which takes inspiration from Mikhail Bulgakov's early twentieth century novel The Master and Margarita, is narrated from the perspective of the Devil. However, rather than celebrating Satan, Jagger uses this perspective to critique the many evils committed by mankind across history. In spite of this, the general misunderstanding of sympathy may have something to do with the fact that the Stones' previous album had been called Their Satanic Majesties Request. "Sympathy for the Devil" may not only have stirred controversy for the future of rock music, but may have influenced it in a more direct manner; as Jagger states of the influence "Sympathy" had on the metal movement of the following decade: "People seemed to embrace the image so readily, [and] it has carried all the way over into heavy metal bands today."

Amongst the daddies of all banned and controversial songs, "God Save the Queen," is the second single from the Sex Pistols. The band intended to represent, in the words of manager Malcolm McLaren: "rebellion itself, has become the kind of controversial track that a list like this would simply not be complete without." Released in 1977, the same year as both Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee and the "winter of discontent," frontman John Lydon jumps from ironically reminding us how much "we all really need her [the Queen]" and dubbing the monarchy a fascist regime, before giving out to the anthemic, though fatalistic sneer, of "no future in England's dreaming." Needless to say, all of this proved controversial in the extreme, the track earned a lengthy ban on BBC TV and radio. However, this hasn't stopped (and has perhaps helped) "God Save the Queen" to become one of the most iconic tracks of its age, as it became the voice of a disaffected and disgruntled generation.

By some distance the oldest song on this list, though not one which has lost its impact in any way over time; "Strange Fruit" was a poem written by schoolteacher Abel Meeropol, though performed most famously as a song by Billie Holiday. With the recorded performance (as well as, apparently, many tentative live performances at New York's Cafe Society) Billie Holiday took full ownership of the piece, her voice expressing a pathos against the world-weariness of the musical backing which combines to brutal effect with the blunt and harrowing lyrics of the poem. Though perhaps a more harrowing or shocking than controversial song per se, the song was performed only with great fear of violent backlash towards Billie Holiday, so was clearly not without controversy upon its performance and release.

A song which, controversy aside, is incredibly iconic in its own right; the opening bars of "Stairway to Heaven" have become something of a guitarist's cliché. From its folksy and meandering opening through to its cathartic crescendo showcasing Jimmy Page's virtuosity - it may be hard, at a glance, to see why "Stairway to Heaven" was in any way a controversial song, never mind deserving of a place on this list. However the accusations of satanic involvement in rock music (see the section on "Sympathy for the Devil") continued with accusations of bands backmasking (recording messages that are only comprehensible when played backwards) satanic messages into their music. "Stairway to Heaven" is perhaps the most high profile case of satanic backmasking in music, and therefore why it deserves a place on this list. The middle section when played backwards, supposedly sound like Plant singing "here's to my sweet Satan" and "I sing because I live with Satan." Videos advertising this supposed message by playing "Stairway" backwards are easily available on YouTube, so you can judge for yourself if this is intentional or even what Plant is singing. Many remain unconvinced though, and the engineer who recorded "Stairway" described the accusations as "totally and utterly ridiculous."

And finally we have a song which takes on the almost always controversial topic of disability. Ian Dury, who suffered from Polio, wrote the song as an "anti-charity song," one which rather than patronizing the disabled spoke frankly about the realities of disability in a provocatively humorous manner, "I dribble when I piddle 'cos my middle is a riddle." However the intention of empowerment for disabled people is evident in the mirroring of the chorus - "I am spasticus" with "I am sparticus," taken from the tale of mythical and mighty warriors. In spite of this, it is a great irony that he song was denied BBC airplay on the grounds of its offensiveness given the disability of the writer and performer of the song - Ian Dury.

A song so controversial that it received the ire of then-president George Bush Sr. As well as causing the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas to call for a boycott on all Time-Warner, perhaps the title is self explanatory as to why this song was so controversial. The song, which serves as an expression of deep-seated rage at mistreatment of black people by police seems to advocate responding to police with fatal force. Combining the violent, anti-establishment perspectives of both rap music and metal (the two genres being what "Body Count's" music was a combination of) the result is perhaps as explicit a statement of opposition to the states apparatus of authority as is conceivable. Interesting given that following his music career, having already penned one of the most controversial songs of all time, Ice-T ("Body Count's" primary vocalist) went on to play police officer Fin Tatuola in cop show Law and Order.