They banned relax but kept playing......

[Nicko]

....Brown Sugar.   Talking to out vocalist the other day, she said she woud never sing it because the lyrics were offensive (not that it would ever get on the setlist anyway)  I'd never really listened to the lyrics but they are a bit, erm non PC.   Any others?

[fretmeister]

My Sharona 

 

[taunton-hobbit]

Last time I looked there were about 152 different(ish) versions of Relax

 -

I always thought of Brown Sugar being slighltly risque, but of its time..........

this is, of course where art & populist sensitivety get shot with the same gun........

😎

[Hellzero]

What about Upside Down, by Diana ROSS ? 🙃

[casapete]

Roll over lay down - Status Quo?

Centerfold - J.Geils Band?

Some girls will - Racey?

And for some balance - It’s raining men - The Weather Girls 😅

[Hobbayne]

Deep Purple - Knocking On your Back Door  😉

 

[taunton-hobbit]

Slade - Thanks for the memory ?

😎

[Japhet]

Cool For Cats.

'I'm invited in for coffee and I give the dog a bone...'

[wateroftyne]

It was ever thus...

 

[chris_b]

Banning songs in the radio is pointless and ineffective censorship. It brings more attention and success and is a comment on the sensibilities of the censor rather than the song.

After about 55 years of broadcasting, I believe these days Walk On The Wild Side is "banned".

[AndyTravis]

Maggie Mae - older woman seduces school boy. Wears him out etc.

[ambient]

I’ve never really listened to the words of any of these, mainly because, with the exception of walk on the wild side, they’re such god-awful songs 😁.

But how many people do actually listen to the lyrics? Relax was only banned after a radio DJ did just that and realised what they meant.

[Maude]

Surely it's based on context at that moment in time. Most, if not all the others, were about heterosexual acts which weren't out of keeping with thoughts at that period, 70s and 80s TV were fine with hinting at underage sex at the time but Relax was blatantly about promiscuous homosexual sex at a time when the establishment couldn't handle it, not in public anyway. They wanted a reaction and they got one. 

[dave_bass5]

If songs get banned because the ‘might’ offend someone, shouldn’t some books also be banned for the same reason. 

[lowdown]

1968 'Wet Dream' - Max Romeo.

 

 Romeo claimed that it was about a leaky roof.

Make your own mind up. 

 

https://genius.com/Max-romeo-wet-dream-lyrics

 

[Guest oZZma]

3 hours ago, Nicko said:

....Brown Sugar.   Talking to out vocalist the other day, she said she woud never sing it because the lyrics were offensive (not that it would ever get on the setlist anyway)  I'd never really listened to the lyrics but they are a bit, erm non PC.   Any others?

And who is supposed to be "offended" by "Relax", exactly? 

[geoffbyrne]

Listen to the words of 'Downtown Train' - he's a stalker.

G.

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, geoffbyrne said:

Listen to the words of 'Downtown Train' - he's a stalker.

G.

Wasn’t Every Breath You Take “i’ll Be watching you” by The Police a stalker tune too?

Edited June 9, 2019 by AndyTravis

[Doctor J]

As is "One Way or Another" by Blondie

[skankdelvar]

1 hour ago, AndyTravis said:

Wasn’t Every Breath You Take “i’ll Be watching you” by The Police a stalker tune too?

It's a very clever bit of work. Ostensibly a simple love song, closer inspection suggests it's about a stalker. Indeed, Sting has at times suggested that it's based on his break-up with his then wife Frances Tomelty.

Then years after its release he finally reveals that it's all about him as a child observing his mother's infidelities and betrayals. What to believe?

Edited June 9, 2019 by skankdelvar

[Cato]

Unbelievable by EMF.

The track has a sample running through it that repeats 'Whoah! What the F*ck' throughout the song.

For the avoidance of doubt the wording of the sample was included with the lyric sheet that came with the CD.

The unedited song received widespread nationwide airplay.

Apparently no one noticed the naughty language.

Edited June 9, 2019 by Cato

[casapete]

When you think about it, so many tunes ( Rock, reggae, rap etc etc)  have lyrics which can maybe be interpreted in different ways. I remember seeing George Melly years ago singing 1920’s Bessie Smith songs which were full of double entendre and the audience ( including my mother embarrassingly enough!) loved him. It was the humour and clever innuendo that made it acceptable I think, unlike today’s more obvious and blatant references. ( Just realised I’m sounding like a Daily Mail reader, apologies...)

Other songs which later fell into that category include ‘Shake rattle and roll’ ( “I’m like a one eyed cat peepin in a seafood store”) and The Coaster’s ‘Poison Ivy’, all about STD’s !!

On a slightly different tack, not sure how ‘Little Children’ ( Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas ), ‘Clare’ ( Gilbert O’Sullivan ‘) or ‘Save all your kisses for me’ ( Brotherhood of Man’) would be viewed in these perhaps less innocent times?

[T-Bay]

No mention of Lou Reed yet? I think the grunts on relax may have been the tipping point for the beeb. Seems incredibly tame now!

[taunton-hobbit]

I recall a bit of a shouting match over in the Good Ole USof A over Ringo Starr

doing a very passable version of 'You're Sixteen' (age of consent 'n' all that)

😎

[Rich]

Hey Jude has Paul McCartney audibly saying "Whoa! F**kin 'ell", after hitting a bum note. (2:56)