Classic rock hits that were banned for ridiculous reasons
At rock and roll never had a "good reputation. When daring guys like Elvis Presley began to appear on the world stage, parents of young teenage girls were terrified at the thought that their daughters would ever bring "this one" home! Conservative society blamed rock stars for all the deadly sins, and believed that the genre would not do any good...
The media played a big role in spreading such a "weird" reputation. The world used to be a different place, and we're not talking about the grass being greener and the air fresher. I mean, today, alas, no one is surprised by tracks in the style of modern rappers with a lot of foul language. But in the 60s and 70s Any rock 'n' roll song could have been banned, even if it had no lyrics. People just didn't feel the same way about music. They were afraid of it... And here are our top 5 vivid examples of how famous rock hits were banned for ridiculous reasons.
Rolling Stones - "Street Fighting Man"
If the Beatles were still tolerated by conservative audiences with a gnashing of teeth, then the Rolling Stones all the anger and provocation came crashing down! Who has not heard «Beggars Banquet», an iconic Rolling album from the '60s? We're sure there's no such music lover. This record brought the band fame, money and... big scandals. There were accusations that the musicians were in league with the devil! In many ways, because of the song. «Sympathy for the Devil»whose title was more than eloquent. Another track, however, was banned.
Just when the song was about to be released, cities like Detroit banned it from playing, thinking it would cause a riot the second it first came on the radio waves. The public has already had experience with how Rolling Stones music leads to riots and riots. No one wanted another unexpected outburst.
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "Radio, Radio"
Elvis Costello He really "touched off" the media when he recorded the "Radio, Radio." - one of his most famous hits. The song sounds quite ordinary. You'd think: What's wrong with it? It's simple: it's a lyric. In "Radio, Radio," Elvis talks about radio stations and how people are brainwashed to listen to songs that are literally forced upon them. Needless to say, no one liked that kind of frankness...
Elvis was forbidden to perform "Radio, Radio" live, but he went out of his way to do it, and he did it anyway--for the sake of his fans. It may not have been the best moment for all the sponsors who paid for the event, but in the end it became effective advertising!
The Who - "My Generation"
First time "My Generation" was banned from the radio for an extremely ridiculous reason. Some radio stations had a few questions about how the singing Roger Daltrey. The way Roger said the words offended some people who thought the singer was making fun of people with speech defects. How about that!
In fact, it wasn't just the song that suffered. The Who managed to create an image bad guysThey were not invited to some popular shows like "The Ed Sullivan Show" because of that.
John Lennon - "Imagine"
Here's a song you definitely didn't expect to see on our list! And it was banned from the radio in 2001after the terrible events that struck the U.S. on 9/11. But it begs the more than logical question: why?
The comments stated that "the song in which John Lennon once saw a world in which we could all live as one single human race is too taboo to play at a time when we all need peace. Radio station bans can be ridiculous at times...
Queen - "I Want to Break Free"
Finally, we saved a song with which we have a special story... "I Want to Break Free" was not banned, and was freely played on the radio. But you can't say that about the music video.
Freddie Mercury was a genius of marketing and provocation. Who else of the stars of that era could have thought of dressing up as women? It's really funny, and the clip is extremely vivid and memorable. However, the executives MTV did not share this enthusiasm, and banned it. Well, they had no idea then what would be on TV in a few decades...
