20 Most Controversial Banned Songs Of The 1960s

[@TheWerequat]

I've heard all of these songs on the radio growing up. All of them. Not banned.

[@Johnboy33545]

We grew up with awesome music. I have to admit I'm still not sure what the lyrics to Louie Louie are. I'll die not caring though.

[@jukkasarilo7573]

Not banned in Finland.

[@Hollylivengood]

You seem kind of young. You probably heard them during the '80s, replayed on the radio. But I remember when they came out, there were big hassles about the songs. Like I remember when Brown Sugar came out, even I thought "This is kind of racial." But then I read that Jagger had written it based on a conversation with a back up singer. She was an African American woman just saying this was life from ever since, and it happens this way now. So he wrote a song just depicting that conversation, and inviting people to make think about this. It was in fact banned for a while.

[@ellenstrack6274]

With smaller radio stations local to areas many were banned locally from air play. But the records were out there and the songs available so they got played and heard. I remember being out for dinner with my family and some young men at the table behind me picked "Eve of Destruction" on the table jukebox as they had never heard it. By the time they olayed it the 3rd time my younger sister, older brother and I were quietly singing along since we heard it often on outr radio stations. My parents had explained some of the politics basically behind the war since all the protesting going on. The young men after speaking wth my parents were kind of amazed.

[@davidbroughall3782]

It didn't say "universally banned". If it's banned in whole countries, it's banned. The bans in the UK were institutional, i.e. the BBC, which had a broadcast monopoly. In the US, songs were banned by individual stations. While not ideal, it certainly was more democratic.

[@violetsterling67]

You can't stop fabulous music. You just made it even stronger. I loved the sixties and seventies.

[@Johnboy33545]

It still can't be stopped and it's spread all over the world. 🌎🌏🌍

[@theocharisstylianou1822]

All of these songs I heard on radio Luxembourg with Kenny Everett ,, ❤❤❤

[@StuartAnderson-xl4bo]

Hardly controversial tbf little risque but not exactly revolutionary music NWA pushed boundaries much further 😅

[@pindowskivich]

I don't know what radio stations this guy listened to, but here in Cleveland, we heard all these in the mix daily. No bans. Loved WMMS back when it was good.

[@jerig2820]

New York too😂😂

[@stischer47]

Even Texas.

[@donnaphillips8903]

@@pindowskivich Cleveland is where rock and roll began!

[@nbenefiel]

We listened to all these songs in Detroit.

[@eddiethorne6461]

Where was living in the south half of those songs where not banned.Lou Louie,Tell Laura I Love Her,Eve Of Destruction,Les Spend The Night Together,Brown Sugar and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds where all big hits and they where played a lot on Rock N Roll stations during that era.

[@mikerickson01]

While they mentioned the TV ban of Country Joe and the Fish, they skipped over the 18 year TV ban on Pete Seeger. As soon as it was lifted, he sang Waist Deep In The Big Muddy which was banned in less than an hour after he sang it for the first time.

[@KateBates22zabu]

This land is your land maybe by Woody Guthrie..was banned from TV accused of being communist P.R.

[@cathygould]

Pete and his wife had to leave America because he was banned Everywhere. They went all over the world, teaching children the traditional songs of their own countries. He is an all-time hero of mine. I was Thrilled when Bruce Springsteen invited him to Obama's inauguration❣️❣️❣️❣️

[@mikerickson01]

@@cathygould His Rainbow Quest public access TV show, made in that time period, showed some of the best music on TV. Kind of an on-air Newport.

[@wsb4586]

The Smothers Brothers didn't last long after Seeger's appearance. Personally, I love all three.

[@KateBates22zabu]

@@mikerickson01 This Land is Your Land song lyrics was accused of being com munist. I think it made the song more popular.

[@jerig2820]

I remember all these sons on the radio, in USA. As a 69 yr old woman, I sure do miss the 70's, when we all got along! And the slogan, "MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR!! Life was simple back then!!!😊

[@ozwalkr]

I am 61 today and yes, I know them all too!

[@bkmeahan]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@elenavaccaro339]

Your comment shows how nostalgia changes what we remember. The political climate was, maybe not as divided as today, divided.

[@sarahkragness7138]

uhhh... nope... not true - I distinctly remember the large brown horses with armored cops & nightsticks at the 1970 'smoke-in' at the Washington Monument. One girl was killed (3 others injured at a demonstration at Kent State University when the cops FIRED ON THE STUDENT DEMONSTRATORS). There were highly _un_civil 'civil rights marches' with multiple injuries from cops, molotov cocktails. Don't turn the 70s into POLLYANNA LAND - IT WASN'T. I WAS THERE.

[@KateBates22zabu]

​@@ozwalkryesterday was my birthday too. I'm now 77 yo🙊😃n today 12/23 is my daughter's b day 55 n I bet she knows most of these songs too. Merry Christmas!

[@seanns1945]

Banning anything always makes it more popular.

[@KikhSaevenskog]

Let's ban more olden Goldie's!

[@garyleimback484]

Because of the plethora of radio stations all around the world, it has been pretty much pointless for a bunch of self righteous jackasses to ban any song. i think anyone who has lived during the last 60 years has heard all of these songs. It hasn't harmed a single person.

[@leward7788]

i heard all of these songs but "Eve of Destruction" made such an impression on young me, it helped shape my sensibilities for life. music was so much more a thing for society back then

[@r-leanmygirl-gj2kt]

Not really.

[@leward7788]

@@r-leanmygirl-gj2kt huh? not really what? did you live back then? at what age?

[@nickiewilson6985]

Listen to Eve of Destruction and many 70's music,all on my playlist from Vancouver Island, B.C. Merry Christmas to all.

[@sheilakirby5616]

ABSOLUTELY MY FRIEND ❣️ IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT SOME FOLKS CAN BE OFFENDED BY WORDS IN A SONG BUT NOT BY ALL THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION OF WAR *** NO MOTHER WANTS TO SEE THEIR CHILDREN SACRIFICED ON THE ALTAR OF POLITICS 🙏🌎☮️🙏🌎☮️🙏🌎☮️ MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND 🙏

[@GiraffeNana]

I remember when Eve Of Destruction came out. It still is a powerful song . Think of all the hate there is in Red China, then turn around and look at Selma, Alabama .❤

[@reavisfranklin7727]

1:10 "Tell Laura I Love Her" was not banned from any radio stations here in Arizona.

[@nbenefiel]

The one that go hit was “I want my baby back”. Teen Angel was worse than Tell Laura I Love her.

[@askwisegrannie]

Tell Laura I love her. I heard it when I was a kid flooded on records when I was a kid. And that was long after it had been released .

[@tevman69]

Growing up in Southern California and graduating in ‘68, all these recordings had a great influence on our generation. Louie, Louie, was the only song, that I can recall, that was temporarily banned. Good times, bad times…how I wish I could go back, accept for Vietnam (“Sky Pilot”).

[@drbluzer]

BANNED AND CONTROVERSIAL 1960'S SONGS : @00:20 : "TELL LAURA I LOVE HER" : RAY PETERSON @01:39 : "BROWN EYED GIRL" : VAN MORRISON @02:56 : "MY GENERATION" : WHO @03:48 : "EVE OF DESTRUCTION" : BARRY MCGUIRE @05:02 : "EIGHT MILES HIGH" : BYRDS @06:20 : "A DAY IN THE LIFE" : BEATLES @07:11 : "MISSISSIPPI GODDAM" : NINA SIMONE @09:05 : "I - FEEL - LIKE - I'M - FIXIN' - TO - DIE RAG" : COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH @09:53 : "LET'S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER" : ROLLING STONES @11:07 : "LIGHT MY FIRE" : DOORS @11:43 : "LOLA" : KINKS @12:30 : "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" : SEX PISTOLS @13:20 : "FORTUNATE SON" : CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL @14:55 : "I AM THE WALRUS" : BEATLES @16:09 : "LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS" : BEATLES @17:26 : "STREET FIGHTING MAN" : ROLLING STONES @18:40 : "BROWN SUGAR" : ROLLING STONES @19:50 : "HI , HI , HI" : WINGS ( WITH PAUL MCCARTNEY ) @20:57 : "GIVE IRELAND BACK TO THE IRISH" : WINGS ( WITH PAUL MCCARTNEY ) @22:03 : "LOUIE LOUIE " : KINGSMEN

[@nancybemak6646]

Thank you for the list. I can’t stand listening to this AI fake voice.

[@marthawelch4289]

Another thank you for posting this!

[@ValleyoftheRogue]

"God Save the Queen" was 1970s.

[@claudiayates7621]

We know. Even the video says so​@@ValleyoftheRogue

[@vladtheimpala5532]

Did you know a video could drive you crazy by repeatedly asking stupid questions?

[@RadioMattM]

I didn’t realize the 1960’s lasted until 1977.

[@danr1920]

It was 1973. The oil embargo was when it ended. It started about 1963, the Beatles was the start.

[@nancycurtis488]

LOL!!! Me, either!

[@K.Dwizzle]

Maybe they were banned retroactively? Lol

[@LushCrush828]

😂

[@kenthompson5723]

@@danr1920 It started about 1963, the Beatles was the start. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here in the U.S. it started in 1964, with the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

[@alph8654]

In May of 1970 Neil young wrote "Four dead in Ohio." Then played by CSNY. It was banned by some AM stations, but was still a hit. He wrote it in about 15 minutes and it was released 11 days after the shooting by the National Guard that killed 4 Kent State students. "What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?"

[@driveman00]

You missed one of the most famous songs that was intentionally written to be banned, so that it would become a hit. Of course, I am referring to “Timothy” by the Buoys, written by Rupert Holmes and released in 1970. Holmes was struggling to find success in the music industry, and discovered the group that had a one single contract with Scepter Records. Knowing the record company would not promote that single, he came up with the idea of writing a song so controversial that it would get banned and attract attention. By making it a song about cannibalism, he succeeded even better than he had hoped.

[@Elizabeth-xo9sn]

Holmes went on to do “ Do you like pinacoladas”

[@grand73am]

@@Elizabeth-xo9sn Yes, the name of the song was "Escape", but with the addition of "the pina colada song" in parenthesis on the label.

[@grand73am]

They weren't very successful at banning it, if they even tried, since I remember hearing it quite a bit when I was in college in 71-72.

[@darrellmayberry7784]

I am surprised that Lola has not been banned yet by the Governor of Florida. If you noticed Louie Louie by the Kingsmen peaked in the charts weeks after JFK was murdered and this feel good song that helped a grieving nation feel good for a couple of minutes but the FBI who could have used their time finding JFK's killers were to busy trying to hear if Louie Louie's lyrics were obscene. The USA in the late 60s and early 70s had a Vice President named Spiro Agnew who would trash the counterculture and the Beatles and Rolling Stones for getting the youth of America stoned on drugs and having too much sex while Mr Agnew was accepting 500 dollar bribes in brown paper bags in his office talk about hypocris.y

[@pamelasimone5084]

It went on to become the official state song of Washington.

[@Clay-tg3su]

I could never take a man named Spiro seriously.

[@Tenskwatawa4U]

And Spiro had a hippie daughter!

[@sheilakirby5616]

ABSOLUTELY MY FRIEND *** NO MOTHER WANTS TO SEE THEIR CHILDREN SACRIFICED ON THE ALTAR OF POLITICS ***

[@retriever19golden55]

Agnew was a crook and a creep.

[@KikhSaevenskog]

I'm born in 1965 and Tell Laura (I love her) was my all time favourite song! I never ever pondered a darker side of that song. I'm very close to 60 today and Tell Laura is still a lovesong in my mind.

[@matthewwallace1374]

"Mississippi Goddamn"! What a song, what a vocal. Legend.

[@claudiayates7621]

Also Strange Fruit

[@smilinmoo]

I grew up in Southern California and most of these songs were widely played on the radio, except “Mississippi Goddam.” They did bleep out certain words on Top 40 am radio, like the word “Christ” in “The Ballad of John and Yoko.”

[@westies1962]

Great video! I would like to ask this. If this was a video about banned songs from the 60's why are the Sex Pistols mentioned for a son recorded in 1977 and a couple of songs from the Rolling Stones that were recorded in the early 70's?

[@wsb4586]

Great curation here. Let me add Janice Ian's Society's Child. Banned from stations all over the south, and a station was burned down for playing it. CBS didn't want her singing it live on the tube til Leonard Bernstein said Fine. I'm breaking my contract, see ya. It's a beautiful performance, she was all of 15. The end coda is brilliant. And Nina Simone kicks butt.

[@localnetsolutions]

Yes you are completely right, I saw sing it in 1967 on the Smothers Brother's Show in 1967 and also saw her sing it live when she was touring right after her release of At Seventeen

[@wsb4586]

@localnetsolutions I'm envious, never saw her perform live, but briefly met her at a signing after publication of The Tiny Mouse. And I saw her Smothers Brothers performance cos I was lucky enough to have a mom who never missed the show. I was just seven, but knew a young person when I saw one. Didn't get it, but what drama for a 7yo. And I came up loving American history. 🤩

[@jeannieves6275]

Being Black lived experience had to Sing about

[@georgekraft1401]

"Tell Laura I Love Her" and a number of the other songs were on regular rotation at least in Atlanta and Kansas City in the 60's.

[@johnmassung]

Till this day I can't think of "Eve Of Destruction" without remembering "The Dawn of Correction" by The Spokesmen that came out a month later. The song was a partially sarcastic counterpoint & answer record to Barry McGuire's protest song. A hit single it turned out to be. The tune hit #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

[@thomascanfield8571]

Banning music never works, it only makes the kids want it more.

[@giorgosfylaktou2610]

I AGREE 👍 WITH YOU 💯🇨🇾🇨🇾👍👍

[@ozwalkr]

You missed Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul,and Mary. Banned for alleged references to drugs.

[@mikehannon4097]

A Day In The Life also said "now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall" which referred to Parliament.

[@jamesrobiscoe1174]

I always thought John simply meant "assholes"

[@mikehannon4097]

@@jamesrobiscoe1174 Yes he meant the assholes in Parliament

[@joanmayer304]

I think that is exactly what John meant!

[@eskenazibeth]

Barry McGuire’s Eve of Destruction was such a great song and the lyrics were so right on😎💯%

[@senaparker5181]

I enjoyed this..but what about "Rumble"....it was the only instrumental banned because they thought it 'might' encourage violence!! 😜

[@stormryder811]

The only song listed here from the 60’s that was widely banned was Mississippi Goddam. Most of the others were not banned on American radio. The one I remember actually being banned was Society’s Child

[@claudiayates7621]

Kink Wray' Rumble was the only instrumental to be banned; cuz it might promote violence.

[@claudiayates7621]

Janis Ian was 70s

[@richardranke3158]

@@claudiayates7621 I saw Janis Ian on a variety show in 1967 and she sang Society's Child>

[@Cris43130]

The ad in the middle tells you everything you need to know about this video.

[@cnault3244]

... so a song released in 1977 was one of the most controversial banned songs of the 1960s? Riiiiiight.

[@KevinRudd-w8s]

Back in the sixties, where I lived in the UK, kids didn't really listen to the BBC, we listened to a pirate radio station that tended not to ban records (though some others apparently did) Because the government had no control over what these stations broadcast, they wanted to close them down, but many were located outside Britains twelve mile territorial limit so they couldn't do anything directly against them, so they brought a law in making it a criminal offence to supply any goods or services to them. The BBC capitalised on this by setting up their own pop radio station (Radio 1) and offering contracts to some of the more popular DJs from the pirate stations. Back in the sixties the BBC banned many songs for morbid content, drug references, sexual inuendo, and anything they considered subversive. Strangely enough songs relating to violence didn't normally get banned so a girl singing about her boyfriend dying in a motorbike accident gets banned but men singing about murdering their two timing girlfriends didn't. Only at the BBC folks.

[@babblemaker]

Times are so different today. The ideas up for grabs were carefully monitored. The overall outcome, though, was very positive.

[@virtualwhispers]

They NEVER should have ended censorship back then - look at the kind of kids we have today!

[@frankie8648]

Lou Christie’s “Rhapsody in the Rain” belongs high on this list. He was forced to change it.

[@grandpadaveswoodworking8932]

There was one you guys forgot. It is "Try It" by the Standells. One radio station in Los Angeles wouldn't play it at all, while another (KRLA) played it for just over a week before banning it due to its' sexual suggestiveness.

[@deborahwilson4684]

Grew up in Chicago. Heard these songs on WLS radio a lot! To this day, the only way to hear the unedited version of "The End" is in Oliver Stone's Doors film! I once heard the real lyrics of "Louie, Louie"-- but can't recall them. No, it wasn't a "dirty" song!

[@seibertmccormick184]

I'm really surprised that nowhere on this list was "Society's Child" by Janis Ian. That song was banned in some southern states for its interracial message.

[@barblessable]

I think Billie Holiday's song Strange Fruit would have caused a stir but that was in late 1930s, I first heard it in the 1960s and the lyrics hit hard then and still do even today .

[@CAMacKenzie]

I don't remember ever hearing Mississippi Goddam on the radio, and though I heard clips of God Save the Queen, never heard the whole thing. Otherwise, all of these songs were common on the radio in Los Angeles, where I grew up. I'm 73 and was aware of what was on the radio, and what these songs were said to be about. Another, also said to be about drugs, but common on the radio, was Puff the Magic Dragon. I'm sure somebody, somewhere banned it. On the other hand, it was the source for the nickname of the U.S. Air Force's AC-47. Apparently, it had an official name of Spooky, bit I had always heard it called Puff the Magic Dragon.

[@kevinpotts123]

"Banned songs of the 60s", proceeds to list songs released in 1970s.

[@dirtbikeheaven1129]

Eve of Destruction is on my “Favorites“ playlist. Great song!

[@carolbaker4660]

How about "Terry" sung by Millie about a motorcyclist who rode to his death

[@melissacooper8724]

I always thought that Tell Laura I Love Her was such a sad song! 😭

[@mrcryptozoic817]

There were more than 1 dead teenager songs: Leader of the Pack, Laurie and my favorite DOA.

[@melissacooper8724]

@mrcryptozoic817 What about Teen Angel and Last Kiss?

[@mrcryptozoic817]

@@melissacooper8724 I agree. It's hard to remember them all. What was going on?!

[@TerryPlatt-vw1df]

@@mrcryptozoic817 Have you forgotten the sad song that almost topped the UK chart in '64, sung by a sweet little blonde doll called Twinkle? Similar theme to Tell Laura I Love Her. Especially poignant for me, as my name is Terry - and she was so gorgeous, I would have married her, had the chance presented itself. She only lived a few miles from me.

[@blinky705]

The band shown at 5:18 and 5:33 is not The Byrds but The Birds, a different group.

[@firstchoice7761]

We all thought 'Tell Laura I love her", was hysterical. We just laughed at it. Really? in the '60s, Brown Eyed Girl' was not considered controversial at all. You did left out 'Wake Up Little Suzy' by the Everly Bros. Because they fell asleep in a Drive in Theatre! This whole thing is a joke.

[@harolddburke4726]

All those songs were very good. Ban the banners.

[@pjg58x]

Who puts the narration together? The AI “narrator” makes a statement and the immediately follows that up with the sane statement, just worded slightly different. I don’t think am actually person reviews these things before they are posted. Usually have a lot of misinformation too

[@kenthompson5723]

Agreed. Did you know, Did you know, Did you know ...

[@minkwelder]

The fake film artifacts are NOT artsy. They’re annoying.

[@nsnopper]

2:59 My Generation. 🎶Why don’t you all f . . . f . . . fade away?🎶 Offensive to those with speech impediments? Please. It was obvious that Roger Daltry was toying with saying “f*** off”.

[@reavisfranklin7727]

4:10. "Eve of Destruction" was not banned on any radio stations here in Arizona or in California.

[@jetsons101]

How about ""Satisfaction"" by the Rolling stones, "trying to make some girl pregnant" was censored to "trying to make some girl" or "trying to make some girl tell me"

[@georges2474]

The repeating background music is annoying.

[@normanhines5189]

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. "That grow so incredibly high." Yeah, that doesn't have anything to do with getting incredibly high on acid.

[@davidbroughall3782]

"Unintelligible at any speed". Something you could say about a lot of pop music.

[@shadrach6299]

I loved “Fortunate Son”

[@jryland6]

Still one of my favorites.

[@lucasmichaud-acapulco]

Fogerty's voice was so raw and deep that most people couldn't understand the words he was singing half the time. All that music was on and was on all the time.

[@portlandpaul656]

WABC in NY with 50,000 watts reached us in NJ, they played all the greatest songs.

[@billt6116]

The Sex Pistols weren't around in the 60s... If you're going to include them, Where is the "2 live crew"?

[@jacklow9611]

If this was supposed to be '60s music, why were songs from the '70s included?

[@joemarx8179]

The word “damn” in Spanky & Our Gang’s record of “Give A Damn” got it banned from many radio station playlists.

[@WarrenBridges-um5cg]

@joemarx8179 So was Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs' "You Can't Go 'round Saying Fuck On Stage" 1969.

[@laurabailey1054]

My mum used to sing Tell Laura I Love Her to me and so did a friend’s dad when he first found out my name. They both did it to annoy me because I hated the song

[@ronstreet6706]

I get the same thing, only it's Dan Doo Ron Ron!

[@drbluzer]

I think that every song by DAVID PEEL AND THE LOWER EAST SIDE was banned from radio airplay due to his promoting marijuana stance . Radio stations would never play the songs " I LIKE MARIJUANA" and "THE POPE SMOKES DOPE" which became hit songs for the hippies at the time .

[@janealexander1378]

I love 'Reefer Songs of the '30's and '40's. wonder if they were banned? Cab Calloway s 'Smooookin' Reefer' is unmistakable. Mom was Forbidden to go see him.

[@kenthompson5723]

Radio stations in 1960s America were terribly provincial and easily manipulated by conservative parents. Indeed, Dick Clark's American Bandstand was heavily criticized in the late 50s for promoting all that godless rock n' roll trash. 😂😂😂

[@surfernorm6360]

LOL I bought that album at a Licorice Pizza shop in LosAngeles for 22 cents I never heard of it and bought is just because "Marijuana" was in the title. I didn't think much of it because it was pretty raw. Now its a classic.

[@artnickel1664]

Some of the greatest songs of my life!

[@davewebb9452]

It's ironic there's an ad for AI scripts when this video has one of the worst I've ever heard. Wanted to watch, but couldn't.

[@traceythompson1092]

Did you know a video could ask so many stupid questions that it could render the content unwatchable?

[@dakotanorth1640]

There's also the harmless Puff the Magic Dragon, where people falsely attributed it to drug use.

[@MidKid61]

Another song that should have been mentioned as banned songs was "Ebony Eyes' by The Everly Brothers. It told the story of a soldier that was going to marry his sweetheart who was coming on a plane (Flight 1203) as he waited for hours until it was announce that the plane had crashed killing his sweetheart. It was pulled from some radio stations in February of 1961 when it hit the Top 40 after the crash of Sabena Belgian World Airways flight 548 in Brussels which 18 members of the U.S. Figure Skating team were on their way to the World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Among the dead were men's champion Bradley Lord and ladies champion Laurence Owen who were to carry on the dominance of U.S. figure skating and the best hope for medals at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. No American skater would win the World Championship until 1966 when Peggy Fleming won.

[@BigBear11141]

I've been listing to 'Louie, Louie' since the original release! This is about the 200th time I have heard that 'Louie, Louie' was not a 'Dirty Song'... And I've heard that because of the position of the Mic while taping the song, the Lyrics were distorted... Okay - But how come no one, and I mean, NO ONE!; Ever came forward with the Actual Lyrics?!?!?!?

[@dianaswan7655]

Not sure if banned or not,but"Coming to Take Me Away"by Napoleon X IV was controversial because seemed insensitive to mental health concerns.Altho,not in the 60s,but 1971 the songs that I found disturbing (I'm no prude&only think that censorship creates bestsellers 😅😮)but was creeped out by "Timothy"the Buoys.. cannibalism.And""Gravedigger "New York Rock&Roll Ensemble.. necrophilia

[@Rosyglowofchristmas]

Plastic Man by The Kinks was banned by the BBC for the use of "Bum "in the lyric.....Scott Walker's suffered a similar fate for Jackie , containing the word "Ass" in its lyric.

[@suburban60sKid]

Yup. Those were never released as US singles. However, Marc Almond of Soft Cell recorded a great version in the '90s that got alternative airplay. I never knew it was a Scott Walker UK hit originally as his solo material wasn't issued here. I forgot the word "ass" in the lyrics in Marc's recording, and he mentions "And if one day I should become a singer with a Spanish bum", which wouldn't matter to US audiences, but mentioning "an opium den", "China men" could raise eyebrows at top 40 radio, but when it came out it would fly unnoticed as it doesn't contain any of the infamous FCC "7 dirty words" that would cause a radio or TV station to be fined. With the overtly British references, it didn't get much pop airplay here. In the US "bloody" is not a profanity like it is in the UK. Did U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" get banned since "bloody" isn't used as an expletive in this context?

[@eloiseshea577]

Where were these radio stations? Not in NYC a thank goodness. Grew up on this music and happy I did.

[@arjaygee]

Not in Detroit, either …

[@jeanglendinning1860]

i was lucky enough to get a record of "tell Laura i love her"" before it was banned in Britain a few weeks later, My mum bought it for me. here was also a sequal called "tell Tommy i miss him" but cant remember the same of the woman who was the singer of that

[@ronstreet6706]

Skeeter Davis was the artist

[@martydavies7198]

You missed out GLORIA, a live recording by the DOORS

[@curtisthomas2670]

The FBl could've saved themselves 2 years of investigating Louie Louie by the Kingsmen by just listening to the original by black singer Richard Berry 😅

[@CorneliusWilliams-j8j]

understandably, there is one song that was banned so hard it's even missing from THIS list. "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha & the Vandellas. It was "super banned" from airing on the radio because the establishment felt just the title would incite people to rioting. Black radio stations played it anyway and then THEY were banned.

[@stischer47]

Interesting because it was played all the time here in San Antonio on the Top Ten AM stations.

[@marthawelch4289]

​@@stischer47Same here in El Paso - no banning on radio or TV.

[@junedarling6657]

I heard Dancing in the Streets a lot on UK pirate stations. Happy days! Saw Martha Reeves sing it live in Shanklin theatre a few years ago. Still rocked it!

[@marthawelch4289]

@@CorneliusWilliams-j8jJust like San Antonio, "Dancing..." was not banned in El Paso, TX. We had two rock and R&B stations headed by very popular DJ's who delivered the hit music to their audiences and the ratings/income to the owners.

[@ShaneHill-mu4yi]

Disgusting rascism.

[@charmaynebruce6215]

Oh please, back in the late 60s, there was a song in Australia called, "They're coming to take you away, haha hee hee"; they wound up banning it cos it "was scaring people." I was 11 and it didn't scare me! It's like that these daze (pun intended) they freak out over nothing. Really stupid things.

[@cathygould]

It was by "Napoleon the 14th". I had the whole album ❣️Another on it was "I'm Happy To Live In My Split Level Head" and "I'm Happy They Took Me Away, Ha Ha"

[@joanmayer304]

To the funny farm! ❤️ from 🇨🇦

[@WarrenBridges-um5cg]

@charmaynebruce6215 What about Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs' "You Can't Go 'round Saying Fuck On Stage" 1969?

[@charmaynebruce6215]

@@WarrenBridges-um5cg 😅

[@Doc_Cartwright]

Very well researched,, but why is the commentator shouting like he's trapped at the bottom of a well ?

[@mrcryptozoic817]

DOA was banned almost everywhere until they toned it down. Afterwards it was still banned in a lot of places.

[@molonlabe8792]

TWO SONGS THAT SHOULD'VE MADE THE LIST ARE "WORKING CLASS HERO" AND "SUSIE CREAMCHEESE"!

[@wendymartin6853]

Black day in july written and sung by Gordon Lightfoot It about the riots in Detroit in 68 Amazing song Was banned in most states

[@stischer47]

Sheesh. All of these songs were played on Top Ten AM stations here in San Antonio and the records sold in record stores. Then again, Houston and Dallas banned the performance of "Hair" but it was performed in "conservative" San Antonio.

[@matthewwallace1374]

"Fortunate Son"!!!

[@leadeterding8808]

Eve of Destruction said it all.

[@shadrach6299]

I Am The Walrus is one of the most silliest songs of the Beatles!

[@thomasnaas2813]

There was a sub-genre of blues years ago that focused on sex and used many clever metaphors to evade censorship. I am sure they got a kick from knowing that the white censors were clueless about american black vernacular and that what they were singing about would make an eighty year old prostitute blush. It was a way of 'getting one over' on the establishment. 'Brown eye' was a metaphor for anal sex. Early Rock&Roll had examples too. Several Little Richard songs never would have gotten airplay if the censors had known what the lyrics meant.

[@bondsons]

Can you imagine this happening today?

[@danielnicholson201]

Annoying presentation and they missed one. The Doors song 5 to 1 had the FBI looking into the Doors because of lines like “they have the guns but we have the numbers”

[@James-bd3ei]

Nina Simone was a Goddess.

[@mutantryeff]

Go find songs by 'The Fugs' if you want banned songs.

[@nsnopper]

I’m surprised “Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March” (1969) by The Box Tops didn’t make the list. It’s an ode to prostitutes, but it was so subtly written that it seemed to go right over the heads of adults of the day. And then a whipped cream company thought it would make a terrific jingle for its product. It released a TV commercial extolling the virtues of 🎶Cream pie ladies forward march [cream pie men adore you . . .]🎶 🤦‍♂️ 😂😂😂😂 Those were the days.

[@TerryPlatt-vw1df]

Labelle's "Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi" sailed directly under the radar - and another version a few years later - straight to the top of the charts. Because it was in French, which nobody but the educated public could understand. And it pisses me off even in these so-called enlightened times that every time the word sex comes up in a YT clip description, they are still determined to print it as S3X. What the hell are they afraid of? It's how we all got here... innit?!!

[@davidzasloff8797]

As to “Brown Eyed Girl”, another commentary pointed out not only the “making love in the green grass” line and the pearl-clutching that led to, but also the line in the next verse that says “my, how you have grown”. Good heavens - a line about teen pregnancy in the early 1960s!

[@KarenOCallaghan-u5o]

Or that she was so young that she hadn’t reached her final height.

[@davidzasloff8797]

@@KarenOCallaghan-u5o Could be, but that's not the interpretation that led to all the pearl-clutching

[@Johnboy33545]

It wasn't intended to be about teen pregnancy but growing up.

[@davidzasloff8797]

@@Johnboy33545 No doubt. Back then, non-rock fans were looking for content they didn't like, whether it was intended or not.

[@pcno2832]

"They're Coming To Take Me Away (Ha Ha)" by Napolian XIV should be in the top 5. It was on the edge of the top 10 in early August, 1966, when the mass-sh------ took place at the University of Texas, in which a deranged man targeted a number of pedestrians from a clock tower, after which some radio stations banned the record for being in bad taste, while others removed it from their playlists for fear that it would trigger another mass-casualty incident. The Governor of NY specifically requested that NY stations stop playing it. After that, it fell off the charts faster than any other record in history.

[@SSGLew]

Wrong Byrds. Ronnie was in the English Birds.

[@blackplatypus6755]

It's funny, I'm used to the images of The Birds/Byrds being mixed up the other way round.

[@ybor20]

Did you know that this could have been a fantastically good video, but unfortunately there was some idiot who thought that repeating a stupid tune over and over was the right background music filler for a video about great music? Did you know that this could have been a fantastically good video, but unfortunately there was some idiot who thought that repeating stupid sentences spoken in a horrible way was a good addition to the otherwise excellent information?

[@TerryPlatt-vw1df]

...and some moron who thought that making the video look like it was recorded on old, stressed film stock enhanced the visual enjoyment. It doesn't. Pathetic!!

[@Barry-lf7jx]

I remember when Puff the magic Dragon was banned

[@Johnboy33545]

Where?

[@bobechs7905]

I remember when it was very popular on Armed Forces Radio in the Far East

[@jerig2820]

Im a 69 y old woman and that song still makes me cry!!😢😂

[@patrickeffiom97]

We sang that at primary/elementary school in the mid 1970's.

[@anthonylovavto3228]

If it's unacceptable, don't listen to it but people have no right to ban it for any one else!

[@m.minikel1246]

Not all were banned, personally I think some were drug re[ated, but hey that was the era!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ☮

[@glen7228]

How can a list of banned songs not contain "Rumble" by Link Wray. It may have been the song that started the whole "Ban it, it's scary" craze.

[@evanlindsey1100]

Because Rumble is 50s song, and this is 60s list.

[@glen7228]

@@evanlindsey1100 - What about all the 70s song included on the list?

[@joanmayer304]

Two wrongs don’t make a right. lol.🤣🤣

[@glen7228]

@@joanmayer304 - You are soooo right!

[@sept6422]

Im Bayerischen Rundfunk wurde 1965 „Marmor Stein und Eisen bricht“ von Drafi Deutscher gebannt, wegen grammatischer Verfehlung. Es hätte heißen müssen: Marmor Stein und Eisen brechen“ (Ban due to grammatical error → Singular instead of Plural)

[@theesperanzacompromisebyja9044]

"Louie Louie" by the Kinsmen was considered obscene until one of the idiot censors realized the lyrics were complete gibberish and looking to censor it made him and his ilk look like reactionary lunatics.