The most shocking, controversial songs of all time

Nowadays, songs with explicit lyrics, designed to shock, are released regularly. But throughout the 20th century, certain songs or music videos hit a nerve or two, including those sung by respected stars such as Jane Birkin (pictured).

The shock factor of certain songs has been for various reasons. Some for the lyrics, some for the message, and some just for the videos.

Queen's ‘I Want to Break Free’ caused a stir simply because the band were dressed as women.  Most thought it was funny, but some found it offensive. It’s iconic, though, and no one can sing that at karaoke and not mime-hoovering the house.

Photo: YouTube screenshot of the Music Video 'I Want to Break Free' by Queen.

There are so many songs and so many genres, so we are going with a mainstream list. We could do a whole gallery on rap alone, or even R&B and Hip hop. Don’t be upset if your song isn’t here, but feel free to be surprised by some that are. Click further to see the songs that caused controversy in music history.

This song was banned by the BBC for its provocative lyrics. Yet, it immediately topped the charts for the next 5 weeks and sold over 2 million copies. The image of promiscuity of Frankie and everything the group stood for would not be tolerated by a conservative British government.

The Pistols: doing exactly what they were designed to do… upset the establishment. Released by the band in 1977, in the midst of Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, the song was banned from both the BBC television and radio stations regulated by the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

The band have always denied the song is about substance use (LSD) and insisted it was based on a picture drawn by John’s son. The boy had told the musicians a story of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The BBC took no chances and banned the song.

Jane Birkin’s steamy, provocative noises made sure this was banned from radio in Spain, Sweden, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Italy. In France, it could not be played before 11 pm, and many radio stations in the United States banned it too.

This song was misinterpreted by authorities. They felt it promoted promiscuity when actually the lyrics suggest a monogamous relationship. But yes, the video was quite raunchy too.

Very dark, very trippy… with more than one suggestion of l n c e s t. Yet, the music is brilliant and used to wonderful effect in the film 'Apocalypse Now'. It's not Jim Morrison's only experience with controversy, by the way.

Outrageous at the time and very creepy when you listen to the lyrics. A lot of controversy regarding the level of consent in this song about a guy in a club who has his eye on a woman. 

Haunting. The ‘Strange Fruit’ is a euphemism for something very sinister indeed. Powerful in every way, this song highlighted the racism at the time and the violent treatment of African Americans. It was 1939 and the song helped start the early civil rights movement. So, of course, it was controversial.

Not too much time was spent complaining about this song, as it was easy to censor. In many places, radios replaced the original word with ‘Forget’. It didn’t change the song too much and it remains the solo artist’s biggest hit to date.

It takes a couple of listens, but really, this is the story of an obsessed fan, completely engrossed with Mr. Mathers. It doesn’t end there, however, and the fan ties up his pregnant wife, puts her in the boot of his car, gets drunk, and drives off the road into a river. The tune and bass line were incredibly catchy though.

Everything about this song is fun and happy. She's basically saying it's not okay to be a bigot. Such an amazing song and the censored version is almost as good as the original.

Not a stranger to controversy is our Lady Madonna - just think about 'Like a Virgin' or 'Like a Prayer.' When she released 'Vulgar' with Sam Smith in 2023, the outrage seemed almost manufactured. The song has some colourful use of language and aggressive lyrics - but, truth be told, it's nothing but a little vulgar.

An extremely uncomfortable chorus within a very aggressive song. The music video is just as bad, showing a monkey tied to a cross, fet1sh equipment and a severed pig's head spinning around.

Banning this song from radio stations and placing advisory stickers on the records was just the beginning. The track received extreme reactions from groups such as the FBI, white politicians, conservatives, and police officers, resulting in protests to stop people from listening to the song.

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