70s Classic' Is NOW ERASED From History…The Band & Radio Won't EVER PLAY It AGAIN!-Professor of Rock

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is the GREATEST CONCERT you've ever been to? (I did this one a couple of days ago but it got buried)

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

Zep 1977

[@Code.Name.V]

Planet 96.3 Holiday Hootenanny '97 Leon Redbone '90

[@peterd.9978]

Wango Tango 2003 - Sting, Kiss, Santana, Sugar Ray, Bowling For Soup, Christina Aguilera, and many more!

[@johnfrombrm]

Mellencamp. Lonesome Jubilee Tour. Front row, center.

[@Capybarawithrizz]

Queen in 1980 (I think). Fantastic show!

[@johnathansaegal3156]

14:20 ... Even as a former US Olympic Shooting Team member (1988) and a lifelong target shooter with LOTS of firearms, I never once heard "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" as anything related to shooting. If anything, I thought she stopped singing it due to domestic violence. Normally, when someone is confronting their bully they will stand there with confidence and say, "Yeah? Hit me with your best shot, I dare you!" I always heard the song as that lyric being more sexual than violent, "Hit me with your best shot" meaning a woman saying to the guy, "What pickup line were you going to use?"... as in his "best shot" at getting her to go home with him. Never did I hear that as an actual phrase of violence, especially shooting.

[@glittermama]

I always heard it as sexual too, but what I thought was that she was challenging his sexual ability.

[@dukecraig2402]

I never even took it as something from a woman's point of view on anything, just a person saying to another person or maybe the whole world "go ahead, try your best but no matter what you ain't gonna put me down and make me quit". I'm real sorry that she has to be they way she's chosen to be about this, people like me were her fans 40+ years ago and just wanna see her in concert or hear those songs on the radio from back then to remind us of better times in life, and she's taking that away from people, I don't see how that solves any kind of problems that don't have anything to do with the song in the first place.

[@kariqualters5908]

1st, congratulations for being an Olympic ANYTHING!!! That’s awesome!!! 2nd, I’m with you on the song’s impression, I’m a female and never thought of it being about violence, period, but at least I could see someone making it about domestic abuse but definitely not ‘gun violence’, hate to say it but I gotta think she’s reaching for a way to virtue signal… (just sayin’) 😊

[@AFS-ht7bg]

Reinforces the fact that singers aren't smarter

[@thomasblock1164]

"You come on with a come on, you don't fight fair, that's OK, see what I care" These lyrics establish the song's "fence lines." Virtue acquisition is often a rewrite of history. I suppose that next we will hear that "Hell is for children" can't be played because it is anti southern border child trafficking. Don't even get started on "I need a lover," seems a bit promiscuous. Older women seem to think that they were just younger versions of older women in their youth. No lady, I remember how you used to be. Funny that you dont.

[@davidkenner-rb8go]

I got a severe dressing down when I was 11 years old for bringing Alan O'Day's "Undercover Angel" record to music class. The teacher said it was pornography. But when she played "Slow Ride" by Foghat, she liked it, not understanding that the song was about sexual intercourse! Some people are too stupid to be critical.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha ha.

[@tahoemike5828]

I loved Undercover Angel! Even better was ten(ish) year old me running around belting out chorus's of "Afternoon Delight."

[@MountainCry]

I heard "Slow Ride" for years as a kid/teenager, but I was an adult before I really listened to what they were singing about. Then the lightbulb came on. 😂

[@ClemCadiddlehopper]

Slow Ride is a buildup of a sexual encounter with the big climax at the end. The whole song is sex

[@brockreynolds870]

I wodner if she would know if "Yummy Yummy Yummy" is an ode to oral sex?

[@toddboughn5168]

My mom divorced my drunken, violent father when Hit Me With Your Best Shot was popular. That song was her battle cry when things were tough and she wasn't sure if she could take anymore. It gave her strength.

[@sandrazaleski4373]

I also heard Hit Me With Your Best Shot as coming from a strong woman. Gave me inspiration.

[@mrgraham5521]

That's awesome. Not the divorce, obviously, but that your mom found strength through music. It does have that effect. I'm sorry about your dad. There's nothing I can say that you don't already know. I just hope you and your mom found happiness and normalcy in life. Thank you for sharing.

[@toddboughn5168]

@@mrgraham5521 Thank you for reading. I think we've all had our happy ending. Mom is in her 80s, trucking along with 2 great grandchildren and another on the way. My life turned out not too shabby. Okay, actually pretty awesome. I'm a librarian, which is what I always wanted to do, and I own more board games than is probably healthy.

[@John-k6f9k]

Don't post personal stories designed to get sympathy upvotes, it's really fucking tacky

[@slydog75]

which is exactly how it was meant. I just can't understand Pat's new stance on this song, it makes no sense.

[@nana73carol46]

Good grief! I'm a 77 year old woman, and what I think really doesn't matter, but I don't think most of us thought that much about the lyrics back then. I find that it is like freedom of speech, if you don't like it, just don't listen.

[@bobgreenfield9158]

It is ma'am! Everything is twisted!

[@lindatimmons3675]

EXACTLY

[@jennifermarlow.]

Agreed. I'm 66, and he loves to make things up. It's only the second time I got taken by his click-bait channel. It won't happen again. :P

[@ThePreAmpChannel]

@nana73carol46 of course what you think matters.

[@ChaosOrZen]

65 here. This. We didn't have the internet, if you were lucky you had liner note with lyrics and maybe magazine or local radio station would talk about lyrics. But we didn't really care as long as you could dance or groove to it. If you did care about the lyrics, we were pretty much into what we heard but on our own terms not on the writers' terms. For women, we appropriated what we wanted to including Hit me with your best shot and the bitch is back etc.

[@davidkenner-rb8go]

Being controversial IS rock and roll! Always has been.

[@ProfessorofRock]

So true!

[@williambarry8015]

Not any more

[@davidkenner-rb8go]

@@williambarry8015 I guess you're right, unfortunately.

[@John-k6f9k]

There's nobody left to shock anymore though. The people who grew up with all the original rock & roll rebels are all in their 70s and 80s now and yelling at kids to get off their lawn

[@lessismore74]

Depends what we're talking about. There's a healthy “stick it to the man” part of rock n roll rebellion. But then rockers grow up and realize they may have been irresponsible in some ways. Folly of youth. Good artists grow.

[@Mike--WA7QZR]

"Hit Me With your Best Shot": It's a metaphor. Why is that so difficult to people comprehend?

[@autoharpmug6276]

Indeed a metaphor. But a violent metaphor to be sure. Somehow comparing interpersonal relationships to a gun fight is kinda dark. Just saying.

[@willdwyer6782]

@@autoharpmug6276 who said anything about a gun fight? If you tell me to hit you with my best shot, you're getting a left hook because I'm a southpaw.

[@enajd9552]

Hit me with your best shot of whiskey. It basically means being ‘up’ for something, be it a challenge or a treat.

[@gottapee]

Because ppl are stupid...

[@ac1646]

It also means 'be cleverer with your insults'.

[@bar9973]

Brown Sugar was my wife’s favorite Stones song and I downloaded virtually all of their performances of the song for her to hear. My life was wonderful until she passed away in 2021. I’m 80 and we married in 1965 after having met in 1961. I plan to live alone for the rest of my days in the home we purchased in May 1976.

[@horsehide3039]

Sorry, brother, I know that is painful

[@kimranson4775]

❤

[@Watchoutforsnakez]

What a good report about a long lasting marriage. Beautiful.

[@edr.3229]

I'm sorry for your loss sir. And it happens to be my favorite song too. And I will continue to play it and sing it till the good Lord calls on me. God bless.

[@Inkslinger123]

Get yourself a furry friend my man, never alone with a dog.

[@squirrelly68]

I was 12 years old in 1980 when Queen's "The Game" was released. I bought the album with my allowance money and played the hell out of it. One day several weeks after buying it, my mother took it away from me because of the song "Don't Try Suicide." I was too young to listen to - get this - "Baby when you do it all you do is get on my t*ts." Not about suicide itself. No. The word "t*ts." And also, let's completely disregard that I had, by this time, listened to the album dozens of times and committed all the songs to memory. But there were no issues with my listening to "Lola" (one of her favorite songs) when I was much younger than 12. INSERT EPIC EYE ROLL HERE. Even at 12 I knew she was full of it. Sadly, I couldn't call her on it.

[@Kaotiqua]

My mom was a hippy and I grew up with her music- Steppenwolf, Moody Blues, Iron Butterfly, Alice Cooper... but when I came into my own era, she flipped out when I got hooked on Ozzy. She had always given Black Sabbath a miss, because the name put her off, and she'd never listened to the lyrics. Literally... All of it, anti-war, and pro-mother earth. In her later years, I caught her sleep-talking back to Jimmy Swaggart on the TV. She was worried about _MY_ soul???

[@stevesmith1493]

I was also 12 in 1980

[@danieltx7066]

I don’t know that Queen song, but It sounds like she was embarrassed to hear it, see you hearing it, and think of you understanding what it means.

[@pszczepanski1]

I agree with you re: Hit Me With Your Best Shot. I took it as a young woman telling men that she could take any crap they dished out. Being a young woman of 20 years, it really resonated with me.

[@ProfessorofRock]

That''s awesome!

[@KenLieck]

Really, her logic is kinda confusing. If anything I thought she was maybe worried that the lyrics implied something about battered women "asking for it". There's no reference to gun violence in there whatsoever!

[@VerdantSquare]

I was a battered woman. Fire away hits me in a different way. Times change. Language can hurt.

[@robthomas3664]

I never interpreted the song with gunfire. I did, however, interpret it to possibly mean spousal abuse, which seemed to be a frequent theme at the time. But to me, the message still stands out, whatever you can dish out, she can take, like a champ! A cousin of mine didn't like Brittany Spears' song "Hit me baby, one more time" for the same reason, spousal/partner abuse....

[@halweiss8671]

As an almost 30 year old male when this song came out, that was my interpretation as well.

[@imlistening1137]

I’ve listened to “Hit me with Your Best Shot” since it first played on MTV and never once thought of actual “shooting”- it’s a common adage, for heaven’s sake!

[@hanktraynor4423]

Agreed... I think context should be taken into consideration. "Hit Me With You Best Shot" COULD be considered violent if two people are facing off in a possible fistfight, but in this tune, I see it as an euphemism for "give me your best 'pick up' line."

[@nancyrukavena6992]

I've never once took Benatar's song Best Shot as violent at all. I always took it as "Make your best effort at breaking my heart because I'm willing to see what happens with you." Do people only listen to the chorus, and not the verses? If they'd climb off the high horse, and unbunch their panties, they'd see there was nothing to get worked up over.

[@Basedme944]

Hit me with your best sh0t not never about shooting. It's a bit ridiculous that people think it is. The Beastie Boys and M&N do humor in their songs. It's just awful that people are too butt hurt about everything.

[@DMSProduktions]

Pat trying to stay 'relevant'!

[@loulfw2513]

​@@DMSProduktionsshe has always been relevant

[@c.e.anderson558]

Hit Me With Your Best Shot comes off as a confident woman not being dominated by men.

[@donalddixoninlou]

Exactly!! It's got nothing to do with so called shooting victims. She caved in to the absurd "woke" movement.

[@spark556]

It sounds like a phrase from a badass woman, idk why she thinks the opposite either..

[@kimnach]

And now she won't sing it because of gun violence, although the song has nothing to do with it. I'm pretty sure she wont watch basketball with all the shots on goal. Love her, but really?

[@AnnaTrail-xp8pr]

Agree

[@plp579]

@@kimnach Imagine if rap artists gave up their "music" due to gun violence. . . LOL! Bye bye rap!

[@texcentric]

Best concert I ever saw was Blue Oyster Cult at the Dallas Convention Center in 1980. When they did their typical Roadhouse Blues rendition for the encore, Pat Travers (whom was the opening act), Robbie Kreiger and Todd Rundgren walked onto the stage. It turned into an extended jam with each of them taking turns doing guitar solos. I have never seen a crowd so pumped after a show as that night. WHAT A NIGHT!

[@yellowgoose42]

If today’s “artists” can put out crap like WAP, people should have no issue with any of these old classics.

[@kamz4576]

Amen to that! 👏🏼

[@PaulLoughrin]

💯

[@festivelady826]

Amen! When I saw an interview with Hillary Clinton where she said she loved WAP and bought the album, I REALLY hated it - lol.

[@katyf7090]

Exactly!!!

[@ambergristones]

Bad take is bad

[@grene1955]

Years ago I was the lead singer of a really good cover band in Seattle. We had a band friend, a woman who was battling cancer. She LOVED this song. And she was a decent singer, at any gig we did where she was there, she came up and sang lead on it. She put up one hell of a battle....we ended up playing it for her at her memorial. I will always associate it with a strong woman who was ready for battle. My mistake, I forgot to include the title! Hit Me With Your Best Shot was the song I referred to...

[@tomcervenka3119]

Which song?

[@jmpomerleau]

Great story. Glad she got to enjoy making that her own battle! 🫶

[@707Berto]

Heard all these songs back in the eighties on KISW.

[@eggrollorsoup6052]

This comment reminds me of other comments where someone uses a pronoun to talk about someone in the video. Yet, there's more than one person in the video the pronoun could be attributed to. Heartwarming story otherwise.

[@magtour]

Way to be vague. Good on you. Vague always wins because people tire of trying to figure out what the hell you’re talking about.

[@WorgenGrrl]

As a woman, I never took "Girls" by the Beastie Boys seriously. I felt it was as silly as "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" or "Fight For Your Right to Party" or "Paul Revere". And I think that's a major problem...people taking everything way too seriously!

[@hippiebits2071]

Me either, I thought it was a hilarious song back in the day and tbh watching this didn’t change that for me.

[@soulscanner66]

@@hippiebits2071 Yeah, but once you're over 30 you feel stupid singing it.

[@hippiebits2071]

@@soulscanner66 I think you may have a valid point lol.

[@scharlesworth93]

Yeah I mean Ad-Rock married feminist punk icon Kathleen Hanna she thinks he’s fine

[@gregbasore2108]

I read an interview in Spin or Alternative Press when Ill Communication came out. The band members talked about how their sexist attitudes had changed over time and they realized that they had put out ideals that they no longer felt comfortable with. Particularly crucial was the song Heart Attack Man, which was inspired by Ad Rock almost dying from a heart attack and not wanting his legacy to be a bunch of jokes about treating women like trash.

[@davidssonpeter3529]

Have never ever connected ”Hit me with your best shot” with masshootings or even shooting. Just feels like a really weird interpretation.

[@duncanidaho2097]

I think it’s the tsunami of marxist cultural sensitivities that’s swept over Hollywood, the entertainment industry and academia. The marxist “critical theory,” come up with by marxist theoreticians in the 1960’s, where every institution and founding notion of our nation and western diciety must now be viewed thru the lens of class struggle, racial struggle, sexual struggle. 3rd wave feminism is an offshoot to destroy Western nuclear family and its supportive institutions and traditions, which stand as THE MAIN ROADBLOCK TO TOTAL COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT POWER. That’s why democrats and feminists attack who we considered normal freedom loving people. Notice they and the media don’t even talk about the 2 or more attempts on Prez Trump’s life. That failure frustrated them as they view that as the primary target of their movement of total control.

[@marksladoje8299]

As an 11 year old kid with an AM radio I remember hearing Brown Sugar at least once every hour. 1971 was an awesome year for pop/rock and I still crank it up every time I hear it.

[@gregh3248]

So glad I was alive in the 1970’s. Got to hear these songs live and in the radio.

[@tphillips37]

They're still on the radio.

[@Leskeepingitreal]

We had the best music hair clothes and cars

[@kurttappe]

These songs are still played daily on classic rock radio. Don’t believe him when he says these are now taboo. They’re not.

[@sharonbowers9929]

Me too!

[@manfredmann2766]

Yeah back when you can blast Money For Nothing by Dire Straits, and now the …….. with the earrings and the makeup is bleeped out.

[@FutureOmega]

Not sure how we got so sensitive. But why does Rap get a pass and these classics are called out?

[@Nylon_riot]

Lower expectations. Anyone who virtue signals is covering something.

[@beatlesrgear]

Right?! GOOD POINT!!!!

[@vitalucas9452]

​@@Nylon_riotKids across the street stopped cranking the same revolting rap songs every day after school when I started singing it back. Wish I'd done it sooner.

[@joesmith-t2z]

rap is done by blacks. classic rock was done by whites. so, in the liberals' mini minds, it's OK for the rappers to say the F, N, and MF words all the time, but terrible for 1960's rockers to say "brown sugar"

[@Redbaron_sites]

Excellent point ❤

[@rexmonarch2]

I always thought it was about life hitting you with it's best shot and you get up and fight back -- figuratively.

[@Jhawkkat]

Me too

[@Debisjoy]

Yep

[@truthstillmatters59]

Bob Dylan was once asked what the meaning was behind one of his songs and he said his songs mean whatever people interpret them to mean to them.

[@ritadyer9295]

BINGO!

[@realQuestion]

Always. People who think the artist has the "answers" to their work don't really understand the purpose of art in the first place.

[@johnpeters1980]

Bob Dylan would say or do whatever will make a buck

[@pronkb000]

@@johnpeters1980 Of all the people to say that about, Bob Dylan is a bizarre one. It's not like he's constantly licensing his songs out to commercials (an exception here or there doesn't count) or releasing remixes of old songs.

[@johnpeters1980]

@@pronkb000 Do a deep dive on his career. Everything he did, from the earliest days, was carefully crafted to build an image. He was always, always working behind the scenes cutting deals to make as much money as possible, all while publicly pretending money didn't matter to him. Remember the Traveling Wilburys? Tom Petty and the others were ready to do more albums, more tours, and the biggest hold up was Dylan -- most of the world had forgotten him by the time the Super Group hit it big. So when the Wilburys returned him to some level of relevance, he was busy out hawking his own old albums and booking shows to push merch and his old records, leaving the Wilburys hanging.

[@carlculpepperimages]

Rock & Roll is now afraid of controversy... strange days, indeed. And, yeah, never in my life did I ever think "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" had anything to do with gunplay of any kind.

[@ClaytonFord]

exactly why rock is dying.... rock is supposed to be reckless and a bit dangerous.... otherwise it's "adult contemporary" and dead

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

@@ClaytonFordWelcome to music mediocrity.

[@DeltaEchoGolf]

It's just an old saying akin to "Put up or shut up!"

[@manfredmann2766]

The Gorillaz had a song on Demon Days that had a song about guns circa 2005

[@boataxe4605]

Yes,strange days indeed,most peculiar mama.

[@Smedleydog1]

I always thought Benetar's song Hit Me With Your Best Shot was eluding to a battle of insults between two people in a rocky relationship.

[@spark556]

For me it's a phrase, like 'go on' or 'let's see what you're made of'

[@Gjungling]

Exactly. She's just tired of it, so to make people stop bothering her I believe she came up with a reason that seemed plausible.

[@jacquelinecallejas1390]

Yes me too.

[@jacquelinecallejas1390]

Brown Sugar really IS offensive. The other songs are defensive-able.

[@JamesThompson-zk1ht]

*alluding (= referring) (eluding = evading)

[@papawx3]

The Dire Straights hit "Money for Nothing" is still played on the radio, but a entire verse from it has now been deleted.

[@zyrosqrd2552]

You referring to dude with the earring and makeup and jet airplane on the MTV? Dire Straits had to drop that stanza cuz he wasn't actually a millionaire; all his money spent on coke, and he ended up homeless blowing dudes in alleys to feed his habit. He couldn't give handies, cuz he still had blisters on his fingers from that guitar playing. Sad..

[@papawx3]

@@zyrosqrd2552 He was referring to "Boy George"!

[@KnugLidi]

that still plays on radio up here. Man, the US is messed up.

[@Kaotiqua]

You're refering to the lines, about "that little f-" which is ironic, because he was referring to himself when he wrote it. It was meant to be sardonic, tongue in cheek.

[@papawx3]

@@Kaotiqua No, he was referring to "Boy George". In the first music video that was made for the song, they even had a guy dressed up to loosely resemble Boy George, but MTV's parent company and Culture Club's record label made them shoot another video without that scene, and the first version was pulled and probably destroyed, because it hasn't been seen since.

[@exstock]

I'm a girl. 'Girls' is, and always will be, one of my absolute favorite Beastie Boys songs. People who enjoy being offended by things should really get a better hobby.

[@strummercash5601]

I mean, the Casiotone doo-doo-doo-doo sound is pretty damn playful and infectious. When it was released, I had a number of friends who were Women’s Study majors at U of Minnesota, the first iteration of the “Angry Red” one-side panel of maroon hair days, righteous Fuck the Patriarchy angst. They sang “Girls” like a theme-song. I truly miss those days. ‘80s was not bad. 🙏🏽✌🏽💙 from Minnesota

[@uarenowondirecthotlinetoGod]

I love it all. + pat and very much indeed Britney. Some people do not get the irony which is actually very funny indeed. ❤❤🤗

[@diedonrecord]

I always thought "Girls" was making fun of misogyny by being so over the top and ridiculous about it.

[@ToCraunchAMarmoset]

They just want to be important and have no other way of doing it.

[@W81Researcher]

​@@strummercash5601Why the blue heart?

[@addisonesslinger3653]

Im sick of the stupid mentality of banning, erasing, or destroying everything that originated before 2010.

[@kali550]

Presentism. Holding things of the past to the moral values considered proper today.

[@candicechestnut1832]

Me too! Take the time to understand the back story before just throwing away things you don't understand!!

[@alenaloiselle3604]

Get the collection. The CD or the album, the way the artist wanted you to hear it. No one can ban that.

[@RockyMountainsUSA]

get used to it. It's nothing new and Americans are really good at it.

[@davidhoward4715]

@@alenaloiselle3604 Banning everything that came out before 2010? You don't get out much, do you?

[@maikeru48]

Saying that these songs have been "erased" is hyperbolic to say the least. The Pat Benatar song gets regular airplay where I live, and I know I've heard Lola and Brown Sugar within recent memory.

[@captaincrunch5201]

Avoid 'top 40' rock stations. In the UK we have Caroline and Boom Rock, both dig deep and all of the above will get airplay.

[@magicaltour1]

Yeah, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” plays regularly on the classic rock station in DFW. I don’t recall hearing “Brown Sugar” play very much, but I have noticed “Bitch” seems to have replaced it. I can’t imagine that song ever getting significant airplay back in the seventies! “Can’t you Hear Me Knocking” also gets airplay.

[@AG-bp3ll]

All are still played on the radio where I live.

[@treysimmons7707]

Right, my local classic rock station plays this song every day.

[@dfw6558]

I think they’re talking about most of the songs won’t be played live anymore

[@ThePreAmpChannel]

the first verse she says 'PUT UP YOUR DUKES AND LETS GET DOWN TO IT ,HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT) how could that possibly be mistaken for killing people with a gun?!

[@tullsterx]

Hit Me With You Best Shot is a song about personal strength and perseverance. It's no wonder that some modern views can't stand it.

[@JohnBaker-vm1wf]

Even that's too deep. The song is pretty superficial. It's about a man attempting to pick up a woman while she knows he's a womanizer, and she knows she's not much better and is wise to mens advances. Listen to it again in that context. The song actually was finishing as I pulled into work this morning and I remember thinkionto myself how easy the guitar solo was and I should p[robably just learn it for the repertoire. It's not banned.

[@dragonlee420]

Pat didn't stop singing it due to what it was about, but because she thought certain lines (Fire Away) were problematic in our current mass shooting environment.

[@rdrrr]

@@dragonlee420 Pat Benatar can "pat" herself on the back for singlehandedly solving gun violence. Oh, wait. It's an empty gesture that helps nobody. Guess it's just a sad attempt to drum up controversy so she can pretend to be relevant 40 years after the public has forgotten about her, then. Cool! The song sucks anyway, as does most 80s pop music. Gloopy synths, gated reverb, last-verse modulations. Eww!!

[@dragonlee420]

@@rdrrr did you not watch the video, because you are missing the point. She is not trying to stop gun violence or influence people in any way. SHE does not feel comfortable singing the words. She hasn't sung it in many years, this isn't new. Cute pun though.

[@rdrrr]

@@dragonlee420 Fortunately, Hit Me With Your Best Shot sucks, so nothing of value has been lost. If only Bon Jovi felt the need to virtue signal, we might be rid of "You Give Love a Bad Name" too. Glad you enjoyed my terrible pun and have a nice day.

[@wendyg1059]

What in THE hell does "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" have to do with school shootings? LAME!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

So true.

[@PaulLoughrin]

💯

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

VERY LAME AND OVER REACTING !

[@danfecke]

Publicity stunt?

[@tab207]

Nothing. It’s a good way to virtue signal & cater to political narratives when she simply doesn’t like the song. It’s insanely transparent.

[@thelsel348]

I was waiting for The Boomtown Rats I don't like Mondays. Radio stations in San Diego won't play the song since it was written about San Diego school shooter Brenda Spencer. A 16 year old girl that shot at a school across the street from her house killing 2 people and injuring 9 in 1979. When asked why she did it, her answer was "I don't like Mondays".

[@msigg2656]

Thanks for that. I had no idea prompted the lyrics.

[@squaretriangle9208]

To sing about something that happened maybe very discomforting but it is always true

[@KiwiCatherineJemma]

Having seen the, not as well made as it could have been, tv docu about that incident, I think it's a fair bet that the girl was terribly abused in an intimate manner (to word things carefully). A close male relative was rooting her 15 year old friend, as soon as she was released from a Youth Justice facility ("who was he rooting before?") . One of the senior police/prosecutors/persecutors in the case used "the look in her eyes" as justification for such a long jail sentence without parole. More than anything, she needed counselling by a trauma specialist and a supportive environment (which had been sadly lacking in her life) .

[@waynechapman9823]

And of course, there’s been a number of school shootings since then and will likely be more, so that song will sadly always be relevant. So will Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy.”

[@squaretriangle9208]

@@KiwiCatherineJemma but you are aware ofcthe fact that today many make up sexual abuse or mental disease in order to get a more lenient sentence, as far as I understand she made some preposterous remarks who was to blame, everyone but her

[@kayceegreer4418]

Tuff cookie is fine with me - im 62 - my grandson even knows it means a person, or the hard lumps ya gotta get over in life. "Hit me with your best shot" has always meant that you've got your armor on and you're ready for what's coming. I can understand why a juxtaposition of unsuspecting people getting gunned down could've caused Pat to not wanna sing the song. Personally, I always think of a dirty connotation for that phrase, especially because of the lyric about the notch in the lipstick case. Young women do sow wild oats before they settle down - if they ever settle down, that is. The notches in my lipstick case, as it were, helped me gain sanity after two rapes. I wasn't sowing wild oats when it happened, one was a break-in, and the other was a "Mickey" in my wine with dinner during a couples date on a yacht. I was taking my sexuality back, using men the way they use us. To a lot of women, it's a very empowering song, whatever they're thinking about when they hear it. It fits right in with R-E-S-P-E-C-T and I Will Survive. These and other songs similar to them gave me backbone that I didn't have until trying to get over the trauma, struggling to be normal again.

[@atlantarhythmsection2017]

Brown Sugar so damn good. That guitar riff is energizing. Lola is a song about a real life experience. And now it won’t be played. What bull crap that we can’t even talk about truth these days. Censorship is rampant in America.

[@squaretriangle9208]

Yeah, both songs are positive and especially Lola was so ahead of its time, in Lola's lyrics the straight guy in the end states that he doesn't care about the fact that Lola is a man because he loves her/him

[@francesclarke5121]

Not so in UK. I heard Lola on Sounds of the 70’s - Johnnie Walker’s BBC show - last Sunday

[@joecummings9662]

Fuck all this plc and woke shit

[@ellenstewartbowman3898]

CEnsored until it comes to some of the vulgarity in rap.

[@manfredmann2766]

The only complaint I have about those 2 songs is that they are waaaaay too overplayed. Other than that, people get too butt hurt these days. For the record (no pun intended), my favorite Stones song is Undercover Of The Night and my favorite Kinks song is State Of Confusion

[@glowormrdr6183]

Fortunately, "Lola" is NOT erased. I've seen reactors on KZbin playing and talking about it. People keep things alive.

[@wbcc3388]

I think Al Yankovic has guaranteed that Lola will have a long life. I can't be the only one who gets curious about the original after hearing one of his upgrades.

[@Blazingstoke]

@@wbcc3388 Speaking of Weird Al, he included "Brown Sugar" into his Rolling Stones polka medley

[@richdiddens4059]

But they were forced to change coca cola to cherry cola.

[@Valeman7689]

Lola is played every day multiple times on Virgin Gold. Its on the months playlisy.

[@mumbles215]

That was because or a corporation not government overreach. They woudl have gotten sued. The stones bowing and not playing brown sugar anymore shows how un rock they are in old age

[@lindabaker667]

Hit me with your best shot; take your best shot; give it your best shot--is an idiom that just means make your best attempt. People have been saying it for decades before the song was written. Creating controversy where there isn't any.

[@goanddo2371]

Absolutely, it was one of the most-played songs at our high school games, even years after it was no longer on the charts.

[@l.5832]

This is what happens when they assign new meaning to words and phrases. You can't even speak anymore because of double meanings....

[@torydz]

You explained it perfectly in just three sentences.

[@stevehernandez20]

Pat is free to do what she wants but never once thought of that song in the terms of actually shooting anybody. She should say the truth and it bores her. Her explanation seems to be a solution in search of a problem. And before anyone gets upset, not minimizing shootings of any kind, but I honestly don’t think victims loved ones are triggered by a silly sing along song from the 80’s. Should we ban I shot the sheriff? Either one of the versions? Also professor, another great video.

[@laurabrooks7655]

I would think she'd be more concerned with the song's potential influence on domestic violence (hitting rather than shooting) than mass shootings, though I agree with the above definition.

[@MichaelLaBarbera-r3p]

Adam, thank you for the informatively unique perspective that you deliver so adeptly. It's fascinating and entertaining. Appreciate your encyclopedic insights. 🌴

[@jefferydaley4478]

I have always felt the simple, and positive, message of 'Hit me with Your Best Shot' is, "I am feeling confident, and there is nothing you can do to bring me down". The song should be considered a positive song of personal empowerment. 👍😀

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Same here.

[@beenaplumber8379]

I was a 13 yo boy when I bought the Crimes of Passion LP, and that was also the message I got from that song - you can't hurt me anymore. It's not too far from "You Better Run" in that respect. I think Pat's more concerned with the title and how others might hear it apart from the song. She's also the one who brought us "Hell Is for Children."

[@chrisoakley5830]

Man, I'm so thankful that I grew up in the 70s and 80s when the world was normal, people have a seriously screwed up way of thinking nowadays.

[@beenaplumber8379]

The world was normal then? Which world was that? The one without Apartheid? The constant threat of nuclear war? Ketchup offered as a vegetable for school lunches? A river that kept catching fire from all the pollution in it? Leaded gas? Air that nobody could breathe? Generalissimo Francisco Franco? Nice world you grew up in.

[@redcat9436]

​@@beenaplumber8379In some ways the world WAS much better in the past.

[@gardengatesopen]

Definitely.

[@beenaplumber8379]

@@redcat9436 I'm glad you got to read my post because it seems to be gone now. (I wish they wouldn't do that without saying why.) Yeah, some things were better, but it wasn't a utopia either.

[@Krullmatic]

​@@beenaplumber8379They do it me all the time. They either remove it, or shadow ban it. I got put in YouBoob jail for a day, a while back lol! I wasn't able to post for twenty-four hours lol. I felt honored! The thing is, they wouldn't show me the "offending" comment though.

[@gordonwallin2368]

Lola has the most clever use of English, brilliant. Great vido, Adam. Cheers from the Pacific West coast of Canada.

[@rhymeswithsomethingy4766]

I really appreciate the deep digs the Professor does into these bands and songs. I never saw that message in "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" either..🤷‍♂️

[@arnewoodman]

Seems appropriate to tell this here... in the UK there is a very controversial standup comic called Jimmy Carr. He regularly gets criticized, heckled and even cancelled for his 'offensive' material. The heckler insisted he apologise for a joke. Carr put on a funny voice and silly facial expression, and said he was very sorry. The heckler objected "but you're just saying the words but clearly you don't mean them". Carr replied "Aaah, so you realise that I can say something without actually meaning it. We're making progress sir!". Sums up the issue over lyrics being taken too literally.

[@SugerCreek]

Jimmy Carr is one of my favorite comedians, especially when he goes after hecklers. 🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱

[@alicemilne1444]

​@@SugerCreekJimmy Carr is a very unpleasant snark.

[@sirfultonbishop]

@arnewoodman- 🎯

[@WhiteIkiryo-yt2it]

Jimmy is awesome.

[@jr2904]

​@@alicemilne1444 you sound like a stick in the mud then lol

[@kagestone56]

Boomer here, grew up with all of them, NOBODY I knew had any problem with any of these. People are SUCH weenies today. 🤦‍♀️

[@jcole4]

Or those ‘weenieless’

[@jcole4]

Crocodile Dundee explained pretend women much better…

[@dennishitchcock560]

Boomer here too. I agree.

[@Hagen-s7y]

Completely agree

[@loganmedia4401]

Growing up in a community dominated by religious conservatives they had a problem with plenty of popular music and regularly banned songs.

[@thekingcobra63]

Nothing will ever stop me from blasting Brown Sugar when I am in a Stones groove. The Song kicks ass and always will.

[@kumaranvij]

A good song with terrible lyrics that promote...well, you know.

[@EEK112211]

My band performs it live every so often. People love it.

[@216trixie]

I play professionally, in a few bands. I realized about 10 years ago I couldn't play brown sugar any longer. The song blatantly is disgusting.​@@EEK112211

[@JohnBaker-vm1wf]

@@kumaranvij Say it. SLAVERY. We've all been victims of it, regardless of colour. WTf is wrong with this society?

[@s.e.wagger3888]

Why would a song "kick a donkey"? Isn't a donkey also known as an Ass? Maybe you meant "It kicks arse"?

[@schmoop14]

“Brown Sugar” taught me how little people pay attention listen to lyrics. Great, rocking song and this Black man has loved it since I really got into The Stones during my 1980s college days. But, I was shocked a few years ago when even people who had been listening to the song for 50 years said, “I didn’t know it was about slavery” or “I didn’t catch the slavery references…” I was thinking “How?” It wasn’t exactly subtle.

[@BadgerBoy5150]

I got my start as a DJ in 7th grade in 1975. We put our PhyEd speakers on volleyball poles and hung Christmas lights to transform our Catholic Grade School into a Dance Club. We had one turntable and no mixer so there was a noticeable gap between songs. I played Sammy Johns’ Chevy Van and it was abruptly snatched off the turntable by our strict and stern Principal, Sister Rose. She told me to ‘Come to my office Monday’ I went in and she broke my 45 and tossed it into the wastebasket and called it ‘trash’ as it contained the lyric ‘We made love in my Chevy Van’ I started a Mobile DJ biz and spun that into a regular Club spot. The first song I played as a 7th grader was the extended version of Wildfire and fittingly enough when I hung up my headphones 35 years later my last song was Wildfire. I still get teary eyed when I hear that piano intro and then when the guitar kicks in back to slow dancing in the 7th grade in the basement of St Thomas More.

[@dannyobrien8314]

Love Wildfire. Takes me right back to 8th grade. LaurieO

[@dennisv8934]

I was in 7th grade the same time you were. I still remember those first slow dances at those afternoon dances in the school auditorium!

[@mikefisher2673]

I was in 7th grade 74/75 at the same time. Now I'm going to play Wildfire been awhile since I heard it.

[@chuckhutton5087]

There is a great video on KZbin of Michael Martin Murphy and the Rio Grande Band performing “ Wildfire” on a Country show in the late 80’s. Long version and superbly done. He speaks in the intro about the night he wrote the song.

[@EffdaBlx]

She was right look how trashy things are now

[@leslieperkel5594]

This makes me so angry. I'm sick of people canceling the work of artists because they are "offended". Nobody is forcing you to listen to music you don't like. Art MUST be viewed in the context of the era it was created. What one person finds offensive, another will not. Artists need to stop caving into this generation that is offended by everything! They need to be offended by the atrocities in the world and by things that actually cause harm. The expression, "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" needs to be part of a child's education. Words can only offend or hurt if you allow them to. These people will never survive a major disaster or challenge because they have no spine.

[@susannahhunt100]

It depends on the words. I doubt if you have ever been called the N word, monkey and coon.

[@grahamrich3368]

Well said! 👏👏

[@heatherknopp3723]

Thing is, these are songs that the ARTISTS THEMSELVES chose not to play anymore.

[@AirdrieRambler]

No one cancelled these songs but the artists themselves.

[@susannahhunt100]

@@AirdrieRambler Exactly, you listenned to the video.

[@anotherlover6954]

I don't think "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" comes to most people's minds regarding the school situation. No.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Nope.

[@douglasbrittain7018]

I guess you can take any situation and make it out of whatever someone chooses. I don’t think when that song and lyrics were created that’s the inspiration of the song.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Especially back in the 80s

[@Bubbachuck4910]

For me it was and is just about being tough. Weather in sports, business, people trying to be mean. Take your best shot because I can take it.

[@alenaloiselle3604]

Not until I saw this video, then, I still can't see it.

[@ProbablyTooLoud]

If it’s not controversial, it’s not Rock & Roll !

[@KevyB1990]

Pat and Neil had no reason to do that. It doesn't even refer to shooting someone. You aren't the only one Adam.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks!

[@teerexness]

The virtue-signaling is far worse than any warped interpretations it may conjure.

[@dcinsc7]

@@teerexnessTru!

[@jeenkzk5919]

Well I guess they can’t say “shoot the breeze” or “give something a shot”. As a matter of fact they might as well remove the word “shoot” or “shot” from their vocabulary.

[@teerexness]

@@jeenkzk5919 One of Marxism's favorite tools. Manipulate and regulate the language. "Hate speech" has been shot down by the Supreme Court twice and the First Amendment certainly doesn't acknowledge the existence of special speech that only applies to certain groups. And yet, you'll hear "hate speech" mentioned in the mainstream and by opportunistic politicians endlessly...daily. This is the pernicious nature of what we are experiencing with language and culture (music = both).

[@DrewBlankMusic]

"Lola" is a great song and was an unbelievable culture shock in its day. It was hard to believe US radio aired the track, and it engendered (!) a measure of tolerance for diversity. Pointing out that Lola influenced acceptance of Bowie is a great insight on your part.

[@dinadelvalle6910]

Yeah, Lola is much more accepted now. Lola is always presented as being confident and secure with who they are. The language is dated, but the song is also 54 years old. Can't expect them to use modern language.

[@AndalusianIrish]

I think Pat Benatar ditching 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' is the most bizarre because it's clearly a metaphor.

[@squirrelly68]

I don't blame her. There are so many idiots in the US that I'm sure have gone after her or would go after her for "violent" lyrics. No critical thinking skills. I'm sure she is erring on the side of caution lest she be skewered in court like Judas Priest and Twisted Sister.

[@AndalusianIrish]

The James Vance and Raymond Belknap incident was almost 40 years ago. Surely if that had been her concern she would have withdrawn it from her setlist long before she did? She'd be better to say she doesn't fancy singing it anymore which is probably closer to the truth. She's been singing it for close to 45 years. I wouldn't blame her if she's fed up with it.

[@jackaction7077]

I dated drummer Myrons sisters daughter and Pat said herself that she's sick of performing this song and this was when Gravitys Rainbow was released in 1993. I can't stand hearing it anymore on the radio myself..It's been way beyond overplayed

[@AndalusianIrish]

@@jackaction7077 That makes more sense.

[@dragonlee420]

Metaphor or not mass shootings are a real thing. It's about empathy not cancel culture.

[@sandrastreifel6452]

I never realized the lyrics of “Brown Sugar” treated the slave trade, so lightly. I still love all these songs and listen often. Professor, thanks for your videos!

[@ronl7131]

Brown Sugar: instantly recognizable as Rolling Stones. Fantastic ballade of dark History. One of the best sax solos in a rock song. A gritty enduring Stone’s classic. (BTW: Foreigner’s “Urgent”, another fantastic sax solo)

[@ProfessorofRock]

YES!

[@grangrampa832]

I love brown sugar so much it is fantastic

[@scottburton9701]

Bobby Keyes performed the sax solo on "Brown Sugar",Junior Walker on "Urgent".

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

That’s right!

[@bretthibbs6083]

Another great sax solo is in simply the best by Tina Turner I just heard it yesterday and it's still the best sax solo yet.

[@raymondbonington9355]

Bass player on walk on the wild side passed away 2 weeks ago ,Herbie flowers ,

[@otaku1524]

His bass playing on Nillson's 'Jump Into The Fire' almost made me want to take up the Bass! Badass!

[@MicahMicahel]

I was in bands for fun for a while... Bass was my favourite. You can kind of lead the whole sound playing base. (I don't mean tyrannically) I hated playing lead. With bass you can drive the melody. My stupid brother traded my bass guitar for the recipe for wonton soup.... I was so mad. You could find the recipe in books! Still kind of peeved.

[@themadmattster9647]

Wow RIP

[@beatlesrgear]

Didn't he play bass on David Bowie's "A Space Oddity"??

[@raymondbonington9355]

@@beatlesrgear yes and played on live affairs number one everlasting love ,

[@Thomas..Anderson]

2:00 #5 Lou Redd - Walk on the Wild Side, The Kinks - Lola 8:22 #4 Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot 14:25 #3 BEastie Boys - Girls 18:07 #2 Heart - Make Love to You 25:40 #1 Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar

[@jr2904]

You deserve more likes

[@jonathanduttweiler4946]

I was in my early 20s when Benatar's song came out and never thought it implied any physical violence. It was simply a colloquialism meaning give me your best try; do your best, I can take it and still beat you at your own game. The irony is the more "empowered" women seem to be in our culture, the LESS they are able to actually deal with the metaphorical "best shots".

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

I've seen the Stones a dozen times and heard "Brown Sugar" every time. Love it, but it's so much better on vinyl than live. And I will always continue to listen to it just like the rest of you.

[@markwalker8055]

Professor needs to go back to school!

[@eddieonthegotravel]

Nonsense, I’ve seen “Brown Sugar” on Ron Wood’s hand drawn and other printed set lists every tour right up until the latest.

[@crazycatlady68]

You want controversy have a listen to Stray Cat Blues live where Mick is singing about meeting a girl that is 13. "I can see that you're 13 years old,nah I don't want no ID"

[@Peter-m7i1s]

I saw Bob Dylan in Sydney and he did an excellent version of Brown Sugar.

[@LarrySwetnam]

Hey, Prof! I gotta say I really dig your show the most! I remember buying vinyl, even before 8-track tapes. I liked to read every bit of the liner notes and credits to find out the story behind the music I liked. A lyric sheet was always a treat! I used to read Hit Parader, Creem, Crawdaddy, Rolling Stone, and before that Tiger Beat. I saw the Monkees live in the afternoon during their 1967 tour. And yes, they all played their instruments well. Then, it was on to Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy Tour, CSNY in 1974, George Harrison and Ravi around that time. Saw Heart open for Supertramp. Beautiful! Aerosmith, Tyler thanked us for making them millionaires and launched into Dream On. Three Dog Night was the main act, but of course, Aerosmith stole the show. Saw my fave-raves the Strawbs at a small venue downtown then we ran down to the Edgewater Inn to meet them. I was so overwhelmed shaking the great David Cousins' hand. I could only stare into his eyes. I was speechless! My friend elbowed me in the ribs. Say something, he said. Why, I thought. This is it! Anyway, I started reading any rock star biography i could find, Lennon's In His Own Right, Dylan's Tarantula (I loved his songs but thought that book was rambling nowhere). Jim Morrison The Lords and New Creatures (better than Dylan's) The Unauthorized Beatles Bio (the big one at the time), Hey, do you remember Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia? In it, she read under the new group, Deep Purple, just another rock band. Who knew, huh? But my question is this, what do you know about this legend. When Eric Burden was trying out guitarists for the New Animals, he rejected Justin Hayward, but told him he knew a band who would be a perfect fit for him, the new Moody Blues. The beginning of a new sound in Rock, Progressive, Classical-Rock, Art-Rock! London was a small town in some ways, and everybody knew everyone who was in a group. The Clapton-Beck-Page Yardbirds who evolved into Renaissance with Annie Haslam, If you haven't done one already, could you make one about the Burden/Moody Blues connection or Yardbirds/Renaissance? Keep up the good work!

[@raykaufman7156]

All the cool songs that we listened to for 30 years are now censored to death. Today's world is a joke...

[@jrosner6123]

Hit me with your best shot? It's a song about the girl telling a womanizer that he's insignificant to her, that she's stronger. The original was a guy telling a domineering Maneater the same. So damned ridiculous.

[@sdrc92126]

“Nothing is more unfair than to judge men of the past by the ideas of the present. Whatever may be said of morality, political wisdom is certainly ambulatory.” --Winstanley, 1912

[@c.brooks852]

Even if it was nonsense with a nice riff, we understood it was nonsense with a nice riff!

[@richardjames6087]

Censoring old songs (if it really happens) is no bueno, but not surprising in a climate where fragile old heads are trying to ban classic literature, truthful history (the good *and* bad should be represented), taking away women’s rights, telling blatant lies about non-white immigrants, etc. Don’t let the truth trigger you! 😂

[@kristinmarra7005]

Just like great books being banned by the bible thumpers who’ve never read the books. Crazy times

[@alwaysemployed656]

It should be noted that when these songs were written and released, the general public did not take them seriously. People viewed them as comical, similar to a Weird Al song. The context of these songs was intentionally immature, and people were aware of that. For example, people knew Lola was meant to be comical. They knew Hit Me With Your Best Shot had a comical innuendo. They knew Girls was meant to be seen as a silly, misogynistic song. The bluntness of the Hart song was seen as comical. Brown Sugar was intended to be a silly, comical song about Jungle Fever. The point is, when these songs were new, people understood that their context wasn’t serious and didn’t reflect the artists' personal views. The one incident that changed all of that and made the general public start taking lyric context more seriously was the Guns N' Roses song One in a Million. Axl wrote an angry, bigoted song, and that’s when artists’ playful use of lyrics quickly began to dissolve.

[@TPMH__]

That's ridiculous that Pat Benetar associates that song with school shootings, i thought you were going to say she doesn't like to sing it because it associates with domestic abuse

[@johntiggleman4686]

@TPMH_ That is exactly what I've taken that song for, not any shooting, school or otherwise.

[@tinahs8269]

That was my first thought as well.

[@timfarney5165]

Yep, domestic abuse was my thought as well. Associating it with school shootings is a REAL stretch imo, but it's clearly only Pat Benatars call.

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

Ditto

[@l.t.w8985]

Nope it is because she thinks somebody is going to shoot someone

[@GlennHamblin]

I just don't like the way we feel the need to rewrite history. What you think now does not erase the past. Yes, things change, attitudes change, it's just part of life.

[@Whisper_292]

You're right. Attitudes do change, but it should be _because_ of the past. Sweeping it under the rug doesn't do anybody any good.

[@douglasbrittain7018]

Just another form of control some people like to have. For those living in those times they knew that no one cared. It was just a song and nothing necessarily a promotion of those ideas

[@270yis7]

@@douglasbrittain7018 Doing so requires a modicum of emotional maturity that appears less common than it once was. Among the first precepts of emotional maturity is being able to distinguish between ideas and reality. People appear to struggle more with this today than they did in the past.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Exactly. If everything stayed the same for years, then life would become meaningless.

[@queenslanddiva]

It's not rewritng history - it's having the grace to know that these things are no longer acceptable. I LOVE Brown Sugar, but I've often thought it was inappropriate. Times change.

[@lubsnewfie6122]

All, except the Beastie Boys "Girls" still get a lot of airplay here in Canada. They tried banning Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" here in Canada too but it didn't work. A listener in Florida was streaming one of the Canadian stations, which played the album version of the song. The listener complained to the CRTC (Canada's version of the FCC) about the song containing a certain word in one of the verses. The CRTC then told the station in question, that they either had to edit that part of the song out or they would not be allowed to play it anymore. That's when the fight started. All the other Canadian stations and fans alike protested the CRTC's call and they backed down. Our argument was if someone in the U.S. didn't like what the Canadian stations were playing, then they don't have to listen. Safe to say that "Money for Nothing" is still being played, on all stations, in it's entirety.

[@brhoades0970]

Here in the USA, the radio stations will either take out the homophobic slur or just take the whole second verse out when playing “Money For Nothing”. But the radio stations somehow don’t have any qualms about the “Chicks for free” portion of the song… Just doesn’t make any sense!

[@TheEman590]

​@@brhoades0970I thought it was checks for free

[@lubsnewfie6122]

@@brhoades0970 On the 45 single, the verse was edited out. If anyone knows anything about that song knows that it wasn't a stab at the gay community. It was in reference to what was being said about another British artist at the time and the point being made in the song, was that this artist was making lots of money no matter what was being said about him.

[@chrisjohnston3512]

I always felt personally "banging on them bongos like a chimpanzee" is an insidiously worse line for its racist connotations. But with both, it was Knopfler putting those words in the mouth of an oafish character who's kind of being made fun of by the song. If we say "bad" characters in songs can't say bad things, what's the difference between a villain in a play or movie saying bad things? On the other side, I can understand why someone wouldn't want to constantly hear a word that''s associated with abuse they've been subjected to, but nowadays radio isn't as pervasive as it used to be, so maybe that's less of a concern?

[@edkollin]

I always thought of "Girls" as tongue in cheek

[@ChrisP3000x]

"After 50+ years and millions of dollars, I'm taking a stand....on 1 song." What a sacrifice, Pat!

[@Kaotiqua]

I think she's probably just tired of singing it. *lol*

[@thejackal007]

Great list. I had a feeling Brown Sugar was going to be on here at some point. If you ever want to cover a touchy song from Pat Benatar, I'd like to see Hell is for Children here at some point.

[@geneblaha8100]

I agree 💯

[@frankmiller4550]

Dead Babies by Alice Cooper

[@kelp7060]

Hell is for Children is an amazing song. What the hell is wrong with you people? Absolutely disgraceful.

[@thejackal007]

@@kelp7060 What are you talking about?

[@kelp7060]

@@thejackal007 Are you not saying you want Hell is for Children to never be played again?

[@francisseidel8014]

I think we need to contextualize lyrics to the timeframe they were written in and not ignore history, even if it is painful. It is important to not ignore it but face it head-on. Doesn't mean we should like that part of our history, but we should also never create an environment where it is forgotten. There are some songs that get a tear going in my eye just because of the personal context. One example is You'll Be In My Heart, which was a hit for Phil Collins around the same time my wife had a miscarriage. Love the song, but it brings back painful memories, too. Another is Brad Paisley with Dolly Parton, When I Get Where I'm Going. My nephew Rob (1LT US Army - Ranger and West Point Graduate - KIA Baghdad Iraq, May 18, 2006) played that song for me the last time I saw him alive when he was home on R&R during February 2006. It was his favorite. RBrad and his team were so supportive of my brother and sister-in-law after my nephew's death, after I reached out to his publicists. Brad had a prior commitment and couldn't come to the funeral because of a contractual obligation, but his team was seriously trying to figure out a way for him to perform it at the funeral. When I played the song from the recording there wasn't a dry eye among the more than a thousand people in attendance. Whenever I hear that song, I still tear up. Songs have context, and we should never shy away from that.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I totally agree.

[@glittermama]

There is a focused movement that seeks to erase our history; not only our music, but our events themselves. Think of all the statues that were destroyed and the history that has been tampered with--for example, the idea that the country was founded in 1621 and not 1776. It is a communist tactic to erase history and begin it again with new events, such as 20 million people entering the country illegally.

[@fastguned]

I own the album. I own the 45. I 've played in many different bands that played the song "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". I have never, ever thought of the song in the context of mass shootings until your video.

[@thepuppethead1188]

Which makes you an above average Pat Benetar fan and a totally average person not personally affected by a mass shooting. Of course you specifically don't associate the two things.

[@fastguned]

@@thepuppethead1188 I guess you put the following songs in the same category. Double Shot, You Give Love a Bad Name(with lyric Shot through the Heart), and I Shot the Sheriff. That is really reaching

[@thepuppethead1188]

@@fastguned I don't think I've ever heard I Shot The Sheriff on the radio? Anyways, nah I wouldn't 'cause Pat Benetar didn't personally and I haven't really been affected by mass shootings. Am I reaching or are you bad at critical thinking?

[@Ravyne]

I lived in a small southern Virginia town where the local Baptist preacher controlled everything we were 'allowed' to listen to and yes, my mother went along with his recommendations. It wouldn't be until my early teens that my mother stopped attending that church and I was finally able to listen to the kind of music I wanted to hear. Prince became my favorite, but his music was banned from local radio stations because of his risqué lyrics. I first heard him on Soul Train and then saw some of his videos on a Friday late night video show (that I snuck downstairs to watch). I mowed grass an entire summer to save up the money to buy his 1999 album. I could only listen to it with my headphones on though because my mother disapproved of his music. I listened to a lot of 'disapproved' music back in my teens, I think just to spite my mother - The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John, ACDC, Queen, KISS, etc. I still don't let people tell me who or what to like and will rebel if they try.

[@laurene5806]

Most of these hits were written and performed in a time where people were not afraid of reality. Good and bad were not hidden. The growing censorship of today really scares me. These songs define an era. I can understand burn out, this is why we collect music.

[@emerald1805]

I always preferred “Girls” by David Johansson 1978. Beastie Boys “Girls” is just a rip-off.

[@nasty_slapper]

@@emerald1805 Who cares?

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

💯

[@chariotdrvr14]

YOUR reality, not everyone's.

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

@@chariotdrvr14 What’s your imaginary reality then?

[@davidkenner-rb8go]

All Pat Benatar is accomplishing by not playing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" live is disappointing fans at her concerts.

[@ProfessorofRock]

And bringing more attention to that lyric anyway....

[@user-kcrpine]

Woke joke.

[@acerjuglans383]

@@user-kcrpine go away with that

[@offgridnightmarenewhomeste3215]

Absolutely

[@yourpowell]

Probably, but I respect and admire her integrity to not do something she apparently doesn’t feel is right. I love the song, but at the end of the day she isn’t obligated to perform the song and she broadcast before and during that tour she wouldn’t be performing it.

[@DudeEnterprise]

Same for a movie like Blazing Saddles. The new generation takes things way too seriously.

[@parkerbrown-nesbit1747]

I LOVE that movie!

[@beatlesrgear]

Most Millennials and Zoomers are mentally ill.

[@pronkb000]

LOL, the right would criticize Blazing Saddles as "woke." It is a virulently anti-racist movie. You'd get the rednecks and hillbillies getting upset with Gene Wilder for calling them morons.

[@daverobinson6110]

It’s twoooo it’s twooooooo😂

[@Ali_OT7]

I agree with you and Ann Wilson; I have always HATED All I wanna do. Hit Me With Your Best Shot is so far away from being about mass shootings that I can't believe anyone thinks that, lol. And I've been a Beastie Boys fan from License To Ill through their most recent stuff and have seen them several times, I'm a woman and honestly the misogyny never bothered me because their frat boy shtick always seemed tongue-in-cheek to me, but props to the guys for listening to fan feedback and their own personal growth.

[@raysearch-iu3fr]

Sticky Fingers is the Stones BEST album, and Brown Sugar is one of the top tunes on it. The riff is absolute MAGIC! Couldn't they just please make a slight adjustment to those dark lyrics?! Do it, Mick, and make it official... because this track will never die!!!

[@ildarrrr2]

So it won't die anyway)))

[@rebeccam439]

I never thought of actual shooting with Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Even at age 14 when it came out I saw it as a song about a woman saying I’m tough, come at me.

[@kathleenmcfarlane2555]

Hit Me With your best shot was always fun to sing along to I was a tween when that came out so I never thought too much about the lyrics. I was also in the habit of winning into a lot of fist fights with handsy boys, so the lyrics "Put up your dukes let's get down to it". Really resonated with me. 10 years old boys needed to learn to keep their hands to themselves. I sang that song with pride at the top of my lungs. There were no sexual harassment rules in the late 70s early 80's elementary school. A 5th grade girl wearing a D cup bra needed to know how to fight.

[@katemaloney4296]

The first time I ever heard the song was when it was used to promote the Jerry Cooney vs Leon Spinks fight.

[@quietone748]

What is super bizarre to me is that not only have I always had problems understanding the Rolling Stones' lyrics, but that I misunderstood them so much that the lyrics of Brown Sugar never hit me until you explained them today. Holy shit. I always felt Jagger filled his mouth with cotton so he could squeak lyrics by that otherwise would have been immediately caught by music executives, I guess I was right.

[@nancygauss4922]

Lol I was quite surprised to read the lyrics of Brown Sugar too😮😅

[@Kaotiqua]

@@nancygauss4922 I honestly think the only reason it wasn't a huge scandal _then_ was because no one had a clue what he was saying.

[@randytessman6750]

Professor you my friend are a lucky man, to do what you love as job is rare enough. But to get to meet and talk with so many legends in music, that is truly special

[@ProfessorofRock]

I agree!

[@williambarry8015]

When he does interviews you can tell the artist are fans of him.

[@TheSlowoldman]

Brown Sugar was the first 45 I ever bought for myself.... I paid a dime for it at a garage sale.

[@ProfessorofRock]

What was the flip side?

[@TheSlowoldman]

@@ProfessorofRock at almost 60 I honestly don't remember Prof! 🤔🤣

[@joermnyc]

@@ProfessorofRockLooked it up, US version just had "Bitch" but the UK version had that song AND a live cover of "Let It Rock" by Chuck Berry.

[@davidduff5123]

My 1st was The Partridge Family for $1.25

[@marktait2371]

lasr summer i bought a pile of 45s from a neighbor crazy pn you heart step.born to wild mca series have 99cent stickers ironic paid a dollar each think was same price as grants or woolworth .99 cents first was either eltom john or zz top maybe b.t.o. recall those two others i gotchubby checker and roger miller dang me each have the sticker from.the same store .36 cents

[@mgk920]

If they REALLY want to disown those songs, they should order that their copyrights be cancelled and they be placed into the public domain.

[@ProfessorofRock]

That's a good point.

[@3rdOption-l9t]

And they should donate every dollar of revenue they brought in from sales & royalties to "victims" of the song. Principles stop when they hit the ledger.

[@ALM1936]

@@3rdOption-l9t👏👏

[@jayrussell3796]

​@@3rdOption-l9tGreat comment. The buck stops there, doesn't it 😅😅?

[@angelaharris1112]

Yeah, right!!!!!​@@3rdOption-l9t

[@johnlagreca6288]

Good stuff. Never thought about "best shot" having any reference to violence. It is an emotional 'shot' to me, and always will be. I do hear the song on college radio frequently. One that I miss is Stones Sweet Black Angel, some great music in that song but lyrics didn't age well, even taking into account the true social meaning of the song.

[@jameschancey251]

I've never even been able to understand the words to "Brown Sugar". Like most Rolling Stones songs, it's like a foriegn language to me.

[@jimrogers6138]

I agree. I always thought that brown sugar was performing oral sex on a black woman.

[@alenaloiselle3604]

THANK you. Maybe if he took the marbles out of his mouth before he stepped up to the mic?

[@trishacomer3883]

it was a song he sang for tina turner, she helped him along is music career

[@colecolettecole]

same here ~

[@Paul-in-Viet-Nam]

I couldn't understand anything but the chorus, either. Knowing R&R's rebellious nature, I assumed it was a song about mixed-racial relationships, which were taboo in that era.

[@brianwatkinson6187]

I still love Lola , especially with the double meaning in the line, " I'm glad I'm a man, and so is Lola." And Brown Sugar is my favourite Stones song . The first verse maybe near the mark, ok but later in the song where Mick sings "tastes just like a black girl should" stand out more for me , anyway , another excellent video and looking forward to more.

[@katemaloney4296]

I think Weird Al's parody 'Yoda' is superior to the original.

[@pelletman65]

​@@katemaloney4296I don't, but I love them both.

[@electronics-girl]

I'm a trans woman, and I have no problem with Lola. (Or with Aerosmith's "Dude", either.) Those songs use terminology I wouldn't use today, but it's no reason to cancel them. I do admit that I think "Yoda" is superior to the original, but both are good.

[@billbailey7193]

It’s an established part of musical folklore that The Carpenters were the first group to sing about a trans woman. Although the song never made it onto vinyl, Richard’s composition ‘My Girlfriend’s Got a Huge Cock and Balls’ was an easy listening classic, Karen’s vocals could tear your heart out. You can’t beat the Carpenters

[@motherlesschild102]

Still like the original Kinks version- but I think The Raincoats' cover was even better.

[@jamesmabry5776]

Controversy only to those without critical thinking abilities.

[@PaulLoughrin]

Bingo!

[@nasty_slapper]

Exactly. And to those who are so psychotically "woke" that they place virtue signaling above all else. This includes Pat Benatar, apparently.

[@davidhoward4715]

The very concept behind controversy is critical thinking. A society without controversy is a banal, feeble-minded society.

[@billyalarie929]

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@billyalarie929]

@@davidhoward4715exactly. Societies are supposed to grow and learn, and do better. Without that, we have f@$cist states like America

[@johnbroadwell2603]

I was at the Champagne Jam, I am not sure if it was the 77 or 78 year concert. Every time I hear one of their songs I hear and see them again. They were the best group there. Thanks Professor for bring them back to my memories ....

[@The_Sound_Doctor1957]

I did a few shows with PB many years ago and like you I've heard "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" at least a thousand times and also like you never once did it make me think of gunfire. I respect her feelings but it seems a shame to think nobody will ever hear it live again.

[@ProfessorofRock]

I agree.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I never thought of shootings until she came out with the reason why she was going to stop performing that song.

[@OldcarsNmusic]

Classic Rewind on SiriusXM still plays it. Screw the lesser among us!

[@cariwaldick4898]

The sad thing is, by not playing it due to school shootings, she's giving it exactly that vibe. It was never about that, until she MADE it about that.

[@jtmichaelson]

They've threatened rock with being dead since 1955, even more in the 70s, but it's more apparent now than ever. When Rock and Roll songs are finally banned, stopped, prohibited, forbidden, outlawed, forgotten, disallowed, blocked, stopped... that is your clue that it's finally over. We've lost the edge. They've won their 70 year fight against Rock and Roll.

[@gwiyomikim5988]

It’s not just R&R. “Thought (Woke) Police” are working overtime to rebrand “Free Speech” as government approved free speech.

[@Kevvinm]

And it’s coming from both sides. It was the right , now it’s the left.

[@Dilberts_Dogbert]

​@@Kevvinm Just pick up your guitar and play and get down on your knees and pray we don't get fooled again😎😎😎

[@rogerstone3068]

They're all still on MY playlist.

[@Joshua-l7g]

Spot on! I have said the exact same thing!

[@joermnyc]

I remember after 9/11 the radio stations all got a list of songs they couldn't play for a while. Some made sense, but others were kind of head scratchers. Biggest one: why did they temporarily ban "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong!

[@davidkenner-rb8go]

That list was stupid, ludicrous and pointless. We're not a world of pre-schoolers who need to be coddled.

[@petercena9497]

I Got High by Afroman was in the top 10, but fell off the charts in two weeks.

[@guessundheit6494]

Split Enz's "Six Months In A Leaky Boat" was banned in England for "criticizing the navy", despite the fact the song was released MONTHS before Argentina invaded the Falklands.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

That makes no sense!

[@R.M.MacFru]

They banned all the 60's anti war songs. 😒

[@ThePreAmpChannel]

I hear these songs on the radio all the time. In fact, I just heard Lola playing in a grocery store the other day. What the hell is this guy talking about?

[@pronkb000]

I work in retail, traveling to various stores under various chains. I hear Hit Me With Your Best Shot probably every day, or at least every other day. Lola definitely not so much but I doubt it was playing on Muzak systems in the '80s or '90s, either. Same for Brown Sugar.

[@davidkenner-rb8go]

I still hear "Brown Sugar" and "Lola" regularly on the radio. I hear "Best Shot" every single day. (I work in a store where we have the radio on all day.) Radio must not have gotten the memo.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Yes. Though Brown Sugar is on a list of songs that are frowned upon... I've seen it.

[@whodatcatt]

It’s sad that we think we can’t sing songs that negatively portray our history. I’ve always understood the meaning in Brown Sugar but never felt it reflected any of the Stonea personal feelings. We shouldn’t erase our bad history.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Does your store play the same radio station every single day?

[@jenx5870]

Same here. I often hear those songs, along with the long version of Money for Nothing by Dire Straits. I live in DFW, TX. Perhaps our stations down here never received the list of songs that shouldn't have airplay, or they just don't care, because they believe in Freedom of Speech. I play a variety of an oldies station, alternative, and classic rock. I have heard these songs on multiple stations. What I dread, is the day that 70s and 80s music is considered too "old" to be played on the radio anymore. Just like 60s music now. I don't know what I will do then. I hate the idea of having to pay for my music like Sirius XM, etc.

[@lisachristoph437]

I can't believe Black Betty isn't on someone's banned list.

[@OtherSideOfMorning]

Was banned for years if Im not mistaken

[@odditiesparanormalmysterie1723]

It very well might be. I recall Puff The Magic Dragon and the Association's Along Comes Mary being on a naughty list for herbal references.

[@Whisper_292]

​@OtherSideOfMorning But then Spiderbait did it, and it became a hit again.

[@dennismetzger9287]

They did but the damn thing went wild!

[@luissallard9761]

Whoa,I didn't know Along comes Mary was about herbal remedies 😁thank you for pointing that out ​@@odditiesparanormalmysterie1723

[@jimmerhardy]

Too bad social norms got so sensitive and fragile. I liked when arts could deliver punch and not apologize. Great insights. Thanks.

[@loganmedia4401]

When was it that the arts could deliver punch and not apologise?

[@jimmerhardy]

@@loganmedia4401 Not now.

[@ericdailey8587]

@@jimmerhardy Depends on the subject.

[@evogamestube]

I went into my hockey locker room singing Under My Thumb by The Rolling Stones. My buddy’s laughed and said, “Now we gotta cancel ya!”. Guess the Professor knows that song is just too good to cancel as well. Lighten up people. It’s art.

[@derekbootle8316]

Pat Benatar isn't banning the song because of shooting. She's just tired of it and wanted to find a reason. There's no single connection between the song and shootings.

[@ProfessorofRock]

I think that sounds right.

[@jrk9679]

I dunno why she would ban one of the very few hit songs she has. Like many, I only know of and care about maybe 3 of her songs. That’s it, and Hit me with your best shot is one of those 3. Like many I was never a hard core or super fan of hers, just a whatever they played on the radio fan and I could actually do without her.

[@benjaminolson7206]

I do think that's a major part of it, but (as I think was mentioned in another PoR video covering the song in more detail) she also got frustrated with feeling she needed to remove it from the set list on the fly whenever there had just been a particularly high profile mass shooting near the venue of a concert. I think she got tired of stressing out about a song she was already very tired of singing.

[@salthead3]

She didn't write the song, and it's not a particularly complex song. But it's one of my favorites and I won't go see her again until she adds it back.

[@janc8199]

If she's a liberal loon it would make sense.

[@SPak-rt2gb]

Thanks for using my blacklight poster idea. Love it!

[@vastariner]

Until literally about 3 years ago, my mother thought "Lola" was about a woman who happened to be strong. When I explained it, she was LITERALLY stunned. "Ohhhhhhh. That explains why she was so strong..."

[@alisonsmith8653]

"Dude Looks like a Lady."

[@Crazy_Joe_Davola]

She's a man, baby!

[@plcwboy]

Now Lola would be a champion in girls college sports

[@alisonsmith8653]

@@plcwboy 🤣

[@raymondfryar1533]

I'm sure many mothers and fathers for that matter thought the same. This generation was a bit more normal gotta love em.

[@kat1959]

I do agree back in the 60s Lola! Wow, I didn’t know the story. Very interesting

[@acerjuglans383]

I've never thought of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" as having any connotations to mass shooting--and still don't, even after hearing this. I was expecting Benatar to drop it because it sounded like a domestic violence line, if anything.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Neither have i.

[@calvinkatt662]

Totally agree. I assumed that Pat's issue was that it might be seen as being about domestic violence, not shootings.

[@EJY318]

Some people hear “fire away” and think of gunshots.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Her reasoning is valid, but if I were to attend a concert of hers, I would want her to sing this song just so I could feel stronger.

[@gunsofsteele]

​@@EJY318I think, and always will, that "Fire Away" was a strong woman telling the guys to go ahead and throw your best shit at me. I can take it.

[@donalddixoninlou]

Those who forget or ignore history are someday doomed to repeat it - Keep these great songs alive!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Indeed.

[@nancye5484]

Don’t try to explain that to the “woke” generation. They know better. Just look at the world they are creating. 😂

[@michaelcaffery5038]

"Oo you can't mention that because it triggers my feelings because I'm so precious and special".

[@peppergrand1072]

Hell is for Children

[@peppergrand1072]

Sadly , Humor may not involve female content, Girls.

[@peppergrand1072]

Hell is for Children -Pat Benetar

[@gregbasore2108]

"Oh no a band doesn't want to play my favorite song live anymore and now I have to settle for listening to it on CD, Vinyl or Digital! This is a crime against free speech!" That's gotta be one of the snow flakiest things I've ever heard.

[@thisperson5294]

"I'm a white cishet man and everyone has to please me or I will start having a tantrum."