5 Banned Songs That Got Huge Anyway

This clip is about Closer by Nine Inch Nails, the song so blunt that radio and MTV had to bleep and edit it just to play it, which of course only made everyone want it more. A banned song that became a defining anthem.

That is the funny thing about censorship in rock. Trying to kill a song almost always makes it bigger. Here are 5 banned songs that got huge anyway.

Watch the video: Closer: THE Essential Rock Sex Song by NIN and subscribe on the Rock with PJ Pat channel for more rock breakdowns.

1. The Sex Pistols, God Save the Queen (1977)

Released during the Queen's Silver Jubilee, the Sex Pistols' snarling takedown of the monarchy was effectively blacklisted by the BBC and many shops refused to stock it. The establishment treated it like a threat to the realm. The result? It shot up the charts anyway, and to this day many believe it was kept off the official number one spot by nervous chart keepers. Nothing made British punk more dangerous and more irresistible than the country trying to pretend the song did not exist.

2. Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Relax (1984)

A BBC radio DJ pulled Relax off the air mid play once he clocked what the lyrics were really about, and the BBC banned it outright. Classic mistake. The ban turned a buzzy single into a national obsession, and Relax climbed all the way to number one and parked there for weeks, becoming one of the best selling UK singles of the decade. Frankie Goes to Hollywood basically got a free marketing campaign courtesy of the people trying to shut them down.

3. The Kingsmen, Louie Louie (1963)

This one is almost too good. The Kingsmen's garage rock version of Louie Louie was so muddy and slurred that nobody could make out the words, which led to a genuine FBI investigation into whether the lyrics were obscene. After a lengthy probe, the verdict was that the song was officially unintelligible. The controversy turned a regional single into an enduring classic and one of the most covered songs in rock. It got famous for words you literally cannot hear.

4. Body Count, Cop Killer (1992)

Ice-T's metal band Body Count set off a national firestorm with Cop Killer, drawing condemnation from politicians and police groups and enormous pressure on the record label. Amid the uproar the band ultimately pulled the track from the album themselves. The controversy made it one of the most talked about songs of the year and a landmark in the fight over music and free speech. Everyone knew the song precisely because so many people demanded it disappear.

5. The Doors, Light My Fire on Ed Sullivan (1967)

Booked on the biggest show on television, The Doors were told to change the line about getting higher for the family audience. Jim Morrison agreed, walked out, and sang the original lyric anyway on live national TV. The show was furious and banned the band from ever coming back. Morrison reportedly shrugged that they had just done the Ed Sullivan Show, so who cared. The defiance became legend and only made the band cooler. Sometimes the ban is the best thing that can happen to your reputation.

More on What Rocks: Inverted Crosses in Heavy Metal, Skulls in Rock and Metal, and 5 Music Videos That Changed Everything.

Wear it loud

If you root for the songs they tried to silence, gear up like a rebel. Two picks for the certified rock heads:

Rock Hand Sign Graphic Tee →
For everyone who turns a banned song up, not off.

Volume Knob Rock Baseball Cap →
The best way to protest a ban is at 11.

These are 5 songs that the powers that be tried to bury, and every one of them grew bigger for it, from the Sex Pistols to The Doors. Closer fits the pattern perfectly. Rock and roll has always thrived on the stuff somebody did not want you to hear. Turn it up.

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Crank it up 1 louder.

PJ Pat