List of songs banned by the BBC
This article lists songs which have been banned by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) over the years. During its history the corporation has banned songs from a number of high-profile artists, including Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Noël Coward, the Beatles, Ken Dodd, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, the BBC Dance Orchestra, Tom Lehrer, Glenn Miller, and George Formby. Some songs were banned for only a limited period, and have since received BBC airplay, while others were banned many years after having been first aired, as was the case of the Cure's "Killing an Arab", ABBA's "Waterloo", Queen's "Killer Queen", the Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays" and 67 other songs which were banned from BBC airplay as the first Gulf War began.[1]
History[]
On occasion the BBC has seen fit to prevent certain pieces of music from being broadcast if it was felt that these recordings were unsuitable for the British public.[2] Files in the BBC's Written Archives Centre in Caversham, Berkshire that are now available for public inspection show that the Dance Music Policy Committee, set up in the 1930s, took its role as Britain's cultural guardian seriously: one 1942 directive read:
We have recently adopted a policy of excluding sickly sentimentality which, particularly when sung by certain vocalists, can become nauseating and not at all in keeping with what we feel to be the need of the public in this country in the fourth year of war.[2]
The BBC's director of music, Sir Arthur Bliss, wrote instructions during World War II advising the committee to ban songs "which are slushy in sentiment" or "pop" versions of classical pieces, such as "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" from the 1918 Broadway show Oh, Look!, which made use of Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. Other songs based on Classical music themes that were later banned by the committee due to "distortion of melody, harmony and rhythm" were the Cougars' 1963 single "Saturday Nite at the Duck-Pond", which used music from Swan Lake, and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads", from the 1953 musical Kismet, which was based on the second movement of Alexander Borodin's String Quartet in D.[3]
Other justifications for such bans have included the use of foul language in lyrics, explicit sexual content, alleged drug references, and controversial political subject matter.[3] Don Cornell's 1954 song "Hold My Hand" was banned from airplay due to religious references.[3] Bob Dylan's song "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" was banned in 1962, as it included the phrase, "God-almighty world".[3] The work of British folk singer Ewan MacColl was banned by the BBC owing to his sympathies with communism.[4] Satire was another possible reason for banning: in 1953, ten of the twelve tracks on humorist Tom Lehrer's album Songs by Tom Lehrer were banned.[3] In February 1956, the British music magazine NME reported that the theme for the film The Man with the Golden Arm, recorded by Eddie Calvert, was also banned.[5] Despite the song being an instrumental, a BBC spokesman reported: "The ban is due to its connection with a film about drugs." Billy May's version, retitled "Main Theme", was approved for transmission.[5]
In certain cases, appeals to the BBC in favour of banning a song have failed or have only been partial. In 1972, Christian morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse failed in her campaign to stop the BBC playing Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling",[6][7] and featuring Alice Cooper's "School's Out" on Top of the Pops.[8] In the case of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's 1980 anti-war song "Enola Gay", a ban was applied only to its airing on the BBC's children's programming, as some within the organisation perceived the word "gay" as a corrupting sexual influence.[9] Occasionally, a ban has first been imposed by an individual DJ refusing to play a particular song; in January 1984, Radio 1's Mike Read refused to play Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" on his mid-morning show, declaring it "overtly obscene",[10] a decision which the BBC then followed.[11]
In 1997, "Smack My Bitch Up" by the Prodigy was banned due to controversy regarding its lyrics, "change my pitch up, smack my bitch up", which prompted criticism from feminist groups.[12][13] At the time, the BBC was attempting to shed its old-fashioned image and embrace dance culture, but at the same time they were concerned about broadcasting a song that was believed by some to be about physically assaulting women.[13] In the end, the corporation decided to restrict the song's airplay to a minimum and generally used an instrumental remix version whenever they did play it.[13]
Since the early 2000s, the BBC has claimed that it no longer bans any records.[14] However, cases of direct or indirect censorship have occurred; according to a BBC spokesperson, no official ban was imposed in the case of Linda McCartney's posthumous "The Light Comes from Within", despite her widower Paul McCartney running advertisements in the national press criticising a supposed ban.[15] While the bans on some songs have been lifted, other songs have never been officially cleared for airing on BBC radio, and their status is uncertain – in some cases, records which had been banned have since been played on BBC radio without any official announcement that the ban has ended, such as the Beatles' "A Day in the Life".[16] BBC Radio One banned the full version of the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" in 2007, replacing it with an edited version; however, the ban was quickly lifted due to public outcry.[17]
Censored versus banned[]
In some cases, it was considered sufficient to censor certain words, rather than banning a song outright. In the case of the Kinks' song "Lola", the BBC's strict ban on advertising led to singer and songwriter Ray Davies replacing the brand name "Coca-Cola" with "cherry cola" in the lyrics prior to the release of the record to avoid a possible ban.[18] In other cases, it was not necessary for the BBC to formally ban a particular song, since both parties were well aware of what would be acceptable or not, as was the case of George Formby's 1937 song "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock".[19]
In the case of songs that the BBC deemed politically controversial, many were not banned outright and were instead placed on a "restricted" list, in order that they not be used in "general entertainment programmes".[3] Some of Bob Dylan's early 1960s protest songs were put on this list and so too was Barry McGuire's 1965 hit, "Eve of Destruction".[3]
After the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher on 8 April 2013, anti-Thatcher sentiment prompted campaigns on social media platforms which resulted in the song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[20] On 12 April, Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper said that the station's chart show would not play the song in the usual format, but that a short snippet would be aired as part of a news item.[21]
List of banned songs[]
The following is a list of songs which have been banned by the BBC over the years. Some were banned from particular shows (e.g. children's programming), while others were banned for a limited period, and have since received BBC airplay. In some cases, more information about the banned songs can be found in their respective articles.
A[]
- "A-huggin' and A-chalkin'" – Johnny Mercer (1946)[22]
- "All the Young Dudes" – Mott the Hoople (1972)[23]
- "Angels in the Sky" – The Crew-Cuts (1955)[24]
- "Answer Me" – Frankie Laine (1953)[2]
B
- "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" – Bob Dylan (1962)[3]
- "The Battle of New Orleans" – Johnny Horton (1959)[24]
- "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" – Kirby Stone Four (1958)[24]
- "Be Prepared" – Tom Lehrer (1953)[24]
- "Beep Beep" – The Playmates (1958)[24]
- "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" – Ella Fitzgerald (1958)[22]
- "Big Eight" – Judge Dread (1973)[25]
- "Big Seven" – Judge Dread (1972)[25]
- "Big Six" – Judge Dread (1972)[25]
- "Big Ten" – Judge Dread (1975)[25]
- "The Blue Danube" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1945)[22]
- "Boris Johnson Is a Fucking Cunt" – The Kunts (2020)[26]
- "Burn My Candle" – Shirley Bassey (1956)[22]
C
- "(Celebrate) The Day After You" – The Blow Monkeys and Curtis Mayfield (1987)[27]
- "Celebrate the Bullet" – The Selecter (1981)[28]
- "Chaabian Boyz" – Frenzo Harami (2019)[29]
- "Charlie Brown" – The Coasters (1959)[30]
- "The Christening" – Arthur Askey (1943)[22]
- "Come Again" – Au Pairs (1981)[31]
- "Come Monday" – Jimmy Buffett (1974)[32]
- "Come Together" – The Beatles (1969)[33]
- "The Cover of Rolling Stone" – Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (1973)[34]
- "Cradle Song (Brahms' Lullaby)" – Frank Sinatra (1944)[22]
- "Creep" – Radiohead (1992)[35]
- "Croce di Oro (Cross of Gold)" – Joan Regan (1955)[22]
- "Crying in the Chapel" – Lee Lawrence (1953)[22]
- "Cuddle Me" – Ted Heath featuring Dennis Lotis (1954)[22]
D
- "Danny Boy" – Conway Twitty (1959)[24]
- "A Day in the Life" – The Beatles (1967)[16]
- "The Deck of Cards" – T. Texas Tyler (1948)[22]
- "Deep in the Heart of Texas" – Bing Crosby and Woody Herman (1942)[22]
- "The Devil Is a Woman" – Herb Jeffries (1957)[22]
- "Diggin' My Potatoes" – Lonnie Donegan (1954)[14]
- "Dinner with Drac" – John Zacherle (1958)[24]
- "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans" – Noël Coward (1943)[14]
- "Disarm" – The Smashing Pumpkins (1994)[36]
E
- "Ebeneezer Goode" – The Shamen (1992)[37]
- "Ebony Eyes" – The Everly Brothers (1961)[38]
- "Enola Gay" – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark[9]
- "Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire (1965)[3][note 1]
F
- "The Foggy, Foggy, Dew" – Peter Pears (1950)[22]
- "French Kiss" – Lil Louis (1989)[27]
- "Fucking in Heaven" – Fatboy Slim (1998)[1]
G
- "The Garden of Eden" – Frankie Vaughan (1957)[22]
- "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" – Bessie Smith (1933)[24]
- "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" – Wings (1972)[39]
- "Glad to Be Gay" – Tom Robinson Band (1978)[40]
- "Gloomy Sunday" – Billie Holiday (1941)[2]
- "God Bless the Child" – Billie Holiday (1942)[22]
- "God Save the Queen" – Sex Pistols (1977)[10]
- "Green Jeans" – The Flee-Rekkers (1960)[3]
- "Granny Takes a Trip" – Purple Gang (1967)[41]
- "Greensleeves" – The Beverley Sisters (1956)[22]
- "Guess Things Happen That Way" – Johnny Cash (1958)[24]
H
- "Hank Janson Blues" – Anne Shelton (1953)[22]
- "Have a Whiff on Me" – Mungo Jerry (1971)[42]
- "Hard Headed Woman" – Elvis Presley (1958)[24]
- "He" – Al Hibbler (1955)[24]
- "Heaven and Hell" – The Easybeats (1967)[43]
- "The Heel" – Eartha Kitt (1955)[22]
- "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Wings (1972)[39]
- "High Class Baby" – Cliff Richard and the Drifters (1958)[24]
- "Hold My Hand" – Don Cornell (1954)[44]
- "Honey Hush" – The Rock and Roll Trio (1956)[24]
- "Honey Love" – Dennis Lotis (1954)[22]
- "Honeycomb" – Jimmie Rodgers (1957)[22]
- "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know" – Frank Sinatra (1956)[22]
- "The House of the Rising Sun" – Josh White (1950)[22]
- "Hype on the Mic" – Frenzo Harami (2019)[45]
I
- "I Am the Walrus" – The Beatles (1967)[1][note 2]
- "I Can't Control Myself" – The Troggs (1966)[47]
- "I Can't Make It" – Small Faces (1967)[48][49]
- "I Hear the Angels Singing" – Frankie Laine (1954)[22]
- "I Leaned on a Man" – Connie Francis (1957)[24]
- "I Love a Man in Uniform" – Gang of Four (1982)[50]
- "I Want to Be Evil" – Eartha Kitt (1953)[24]
- "I Want You to Be My Baby" – Annie Ross (1956)[5]
- "I Want Your Sex" – George Michael (1987)[27]
- "I Went to Your Wedding" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1953)[22]
- "I'll Be Home for Christmas" – Bing Crosby (1943)[3]
- "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" – Ken Dodd (1963)[2]
- "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" – Perry Como (1949)[2]
- "I'm Nobody's Baby" – Frankie Howerd (1948)[22]
- "In the Beginning" – Frankie Laine (1955)[24]
- "In the Hall of the Mountain King" – Nero and the Gladiators (1961)[51]
- "Invisible Sun" – The Police (1981)[52]
- "It Is No Secret" – Jo Stafford (1954)[22]
- "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" – Kitty Wells (1952)[22]
- "It Would Be So Nice" – Pink Floyd (1968)[53]
- "I've Come of Age" – Billy Storm (1959)[24]
J
- "Jack The Ripper" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1963)[50]
- "Jackie" – Scott Walker (1967)[54]
- "Je t'aime... moi non-plus" – Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (1969)[35][55]
- "John and Marsha" – Stan Freberg (1950)[22]
- "Johnny Remember Me" – John Leyton (1961)[56]
- "Jungle Fever" – The Chakachas (1971)[57][unreliable source?]
K
- "Keep Me in Mind" – Lita Roza and Al Timothy (1955)[22]
- "Killing an Arab" – The Cure (1979) (banned during Gulf War)[1]
- "Kodachrome" – Paul Simon (1973)[58]
L
- "Landing of the Daleks" – The Earthlings (1965)[59]
- "La Petite Tonkinoise" – Josephine Baker (1930)[22]
- "Lazy Mary" – Lou Monte (1958)[24]
- "Leader of the Pack" – The Shangri-Las (1964)[60]
- "Let the People Go" – McGuinness Flint (1972)[52]
- "Let's Spend the Night Together" – The Rolling Stones (1967)[1]
- "Light a Candle in the Chapel" – Frank Sinatra (1942)[22]
- "Lili Marleen" – Lale Andersen (1939)[24]
- "Little Star" – The Elegants (1958)[24]
- "Lola" – The Kinks (1970)[1]
- Lostprophets' entire discography (2001–2012)[61]
- "Love for Sale" – Cole Porter (1930)[44]
- "Love for Sale" – Ella Fitzgerald (1956)[22]
- "Love Is" – Alma Cogan (1958)[24]
- "Love Is Strange" – Mickey & Sylvia (1956)[22]
- "Love to Love You Baby" – Donna Summer (1975)[19]
- "Lovin' Machine" – Wynonie Harris (1951)[24]
- "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" – The Beatles (1967)[14][note 2]
M
- "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959)[62]
- "Made You" – Adam Faith (1960)[63]
- "Maggie May" – The Vipers Skiffle Group (1957)[22]
- "The Man with the Golden Arm" – Eddie Calvert (1956)[5]
- "Maybellene" – Chuck Berry (1955)[64]
- "Mighty Mighty Man" – Bobby Darin (1958)[24]
- "Minnie the Moocher" – Cab Calloway (1931)[22]
- "Miss You" – Bing Crosby (1942)[24]
- "Mix-A-Fix" – Haydock's Rockhouse (1967)[65]
- "The Mocking Bird" – The Four Lads (1958)[24]
- "Monster Mash" – Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962)[66]
- "Moonlight Love" – Perry Como (1956)[24]
- "My Christmas Prayer" – Billy Fury (1959)[2]
- "My Friend" – Eddie Fisher (1954)[22]
- "My Friend Jack" – The Smoke (1967)[2]
- "My Generation" – The Who (1965)[67]
- "My Little Ukulele" – Joe Brown and The Bruvvers (1963)[68]
N
- "Night of the Vampire" – The Moontrekkers (1961)[14]
- "Ninety-Nine Years (Dead or Alive)" – Guy Mitchell (1956)[24]
- "Nobody Loves Like an Irishman" – Lonnie Donegan (1958)[24]
O
- "The Old Dope Peddler" – Tom Lehrer (1953)[22]
- "Old Man Atom" – The Sons of the Pioneers (1950)[24]
- "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" – Jimmy Wakely (1948)[24]
P
- "Paper Doll" – The Mills Brothers (1943)[2]
- "Pass It Around" - Smokie (1975)[69]
- "Peaceful Street" – Ernest Butcher (1936)[24]
- "Peaches" – The Stranglers (1977)[70]
- "Please No Squeeza da Banana" – Louis Prima (1945)[24]
R
- "Radio Times" – The BBC Dance Orchestra (1935)[22]
- "The Reefer Song (If You're a Viper)" – Fats Waller (1943)[24]
- "Relax" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)[10]
- "Respectable Street" – XTC (1981)[71]
- "Rock You Sinners" – Art Baxter and His Rock 'n' Roll Sinners (1958)[22]
- "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" – George Hamilton IV (1956)[22]
- "Rum and Coca-Cola" – The Andrews Sisters (1945)[22]
- "A Russian Love Song" – The Goons (1957)[24]
S
- "The Sabre Dance" – Woody Herman (1948)[22]
- "Sad Affair" – Marxman (1993)[52]
- "Saturday Nite at the Duckpond" – The Cougars (1963)[3]
- "Say a Prayer for the Boys Over There" – Deanna Durbin (1943)[22]
- "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" – George Melly (1953)[22]
- "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – Ian Dury (1977)[72]
- "The Shag (Is Totally Cool)" – Billy Graves (1958)[24]
- "Shall We Take a Trip" – Northside (1990)[73]
- "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor" – Johnny Messner (1939)[22]
- "She Was Only a Postmaster's Daughter" – Durium Dance Band (1933)[24]
- "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" – Mike and the Mechanics (1985)[74]
- "The Silver Madonna" – Kirk Stevens (1957)[22]
- "Sincerely" – Liberace (1955)[22]
- "Sink the Bismark – Johnny Horton (1960)[59]
- "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" – Split Enz (1982) (banned during the Falklands War)[75]
- "Sixty Minute Man" – The Dominoes (1951)[22]
- "The Sky" – Petula Clark (1957)[22]
- "Smack My Bitch Up" – The Prodigy (1997)[12][13][note 3]
- "Song of India" – Tommy Dorsey (1938)[22]
- "So What?" – Anti-Nowhere League (1981)[14]
- "Soldier" – Harvey Andrews (1972)[53]
- "Somebody Up There Likes Me" – Perry Como (1956)[24]
- "A Souvenir of London" – Procol Harum (1973)[76]
- "Space Oddity" – David Bowie (1969)[59]
- "Spasticus Autisticus" – Ian Dury and the Blockheads (1981)[50]
- "Statue of Liberty" – XTC (1978)[77]
- "St. Therese of the Roses" – Malcolm Vaughan (1956)[78]
- "The Story of a Starry Night" – Glenn Miller (1943)[22]
- "The Story of Three Loves" – Ray Martin (1954)[22]
- "Stranger in Paradise" – The Four Aces (1953)[2]
- "Such a Night" – Johnnie Ray (1954)[2]
- "Summer Smash" – Denim (1997)[2]
T
- "Take Off Your Clothes" – Peter Sarstedt (1969)[79]
- "Teen Angel" – Mark Dinning (1959)[60]
- "Teen Age Prayer" – Gale Storm (1955)[5]
- "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ray Peterson (1960)[60]
- "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ricky Valance (1960)[80]
- "Terry" – Twinkle (1964)[60]
- "The Test of Time" – Robert Earl (1959)[24]
- "A Theme from the Threepenny Orchestra (Mack the Knife)" – Louis Armstrong (1956)[22]
- "Three Stars" – Ruby Wright (1959)[24]
- "'Til the Following Night" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1961)[81]
- "Till the End of Time" – Perry Como (1945)[22]
- "Ting Tong Tang" – Ken Platt (1958)[24]
- "To Keep My Love Alive" – Ella Fitzgerald (1956)[24]
- "Toll the Bell Easy" – Les Hobeaux (1957)[22]
- "The Tommy Rot Story" – Morris & Mitch (1957)[24]
- "Too Drunk to Fuck" – Dead Kennedys (1981)[82]
- "Tribute to Buddy Holly" – Mike Berry and The Outlaws (1961)[83]
U
- "The Unbeliever" – Guy Mitchell (1957)[22]
- "Urban Guerrilla" – Hawkwind (1973)[84]
V
- "The Voice in My Heart" – Eydie Gormé (1958)[24]
W
- "Walk Hand in Hand" – Tony Martin (1956)[22]
- "Walking on Water" – Eliza Doolittle (2013)[35]
- "We Call It Acieed" – D-Mob (1988)[85]
- "We Can't Let You Broadcast That" – Norman Long (1932)[2]
- "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" – Heaven 17 (1981)[46]
- "We Have to Be So Careful" – The Beverley Sisters (1953)[22]
- "We Will All Go Together When We Go" – Tom Lehrer (1959)[24]
- "Wet Dream" – Max Romeo (1969)[86]
- "When I'm Cleaning Windows" – George Formby (1936)[87]
- "When Your Lights Turned On" - The Hollies (1967)[88]
- "Whoa Buck" – Lonnie Donegan (1959)[24]
- "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" – George Formby (1937)[22]
- "With My Little Ukulele in My Hand" – George Formby (1933)[22]
- "Woman Love" – Gene Vincent (1956)[22]
- "A Worried Man" – The Kingston Trio (1959)[24]
Y
- "You'll Get Yours" – Frank Sinatra (1956)[24]
Z
- "Zombie" – The Cranberries (1994)[89]
Gulf War blacklist[]
As the first Gulf War began, the BBC deemed several songs inappropriate for airplay in light of the situation and subsequently banned them from their radio stations for the duration of the war. A list of 67 banned songs was published by New Statesman and Society in conjunction with British public-service television broadcaster Channel 4.[90] The Cure's "Killing an Arab" and The Cranberries' "Zombie" are absent from the list, but are known to have been banned in connection with the Gulf War.[1][91]
Song | Artist | Year |
---|---|---|
"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" | Cutting Crew | 1986 |
"Act of War" | Elton John and Millie Jackson | 1985 |
"Armed and Extremely Dangerous" | First Choice | 1973 |
"Army Dreamers" | Kate Bush | 1980 |
"Atomic" | Blondie | 1979 |
"Back in the U.S.S.R" | The Beatles | 1968 |
"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" | The Temptations | 1970 |
"Bang Bang" | B. A. Robertson | 1979 |
"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" | Cher | 1966 |
"Billy Don't Be a Hero" | Paper Lace | 1974 |
"Boom Bang-a-Bang" | Lulu | 1969 |
"Brothers in Arms" | Dire Straits | 1985 |
"Buffalo Soldier" | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 1983 |
"Burning Bridges" | Status Quo | 1988 |
"The End of the World" | Skeeter Davis | 1962 |
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Tears for Fears | 1985 |
"Fields of Fire" | Big Country | 1982 |
"Fire" | The Crazy World of Arthur Brown | 1968 |
"Flash" | Queen | 1980 |
"Fools Rush In" | Ricky Nelson | 1963 |
"Forget Me Not" | Martha and the Vandellas | 1968 |
"Ghost Town" | The Specials | 1981 |
"Gimme Hope Jo'anna" | Eddy Grant | 1988 |
"Give Peace a Chance" | Plastic Ono Band | 1969 |
"Heaven Help Us All" | Stevie Wonder | 1979 |
"Hunting High and Low" | A-ha | 1985 |
"I Don't Like Mondays" | The Boomtown Rats | 1979 |
"I Don't Want to Be a Hero" | Johnny Hates Jazz | 1987 |
"I Shot the Sheriff" | Eric Clapton | 1974 |
"I Will Survive" | Arrival | 1980 |
"I'll Fly for You" | Spandau Ballet | 1984 |
"I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun" | Cat Stevens | 1967 |
"I'm on Fire" | Bruce Springsteen | 1984 |
"Imagine" | John Lennon | 1971 |
"In the Air Tonight" | Phil Collins | 1981 |
"In the Army Now" | Status Quo | 1986 |
"Israelites" | Desmond Dekker and the Aces | 1968 |
"Killer Queen" | Queen | 1974 |
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" | Roberta Flack | 1973 |
"Light My Fire" | José Feliciano | 1968 |
"A Little Peace" | Nicole | 1982 |
"Living on the Front Line" | Eddy Grant | 1979 |
"Love Is a Battlefield" | Pat Benatar | 1983 |
"Midnight at the Oasis" | Maria Muldaur | 1974 |
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" | Joan Baez | 1971 |
"Oliver's Army" | Elvis Costello | 1979 |
"Rubber Bullets" | 10cc | 1973 |
"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" | Kenny Rogers and The First Edition | 1969 |
"Sailing" | Rod Stewart | 1972 |
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | Elton John | 1973 |
"Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" | Mike + The Mechanics | 1985 |
"Sixty Eight Guns" | The Alarm | 1983 |
"Soldier of Love" | Donny Osmond | 1989 |
"State of Independence" | Donna Summer | 1982 |
"Stop the Cavalry" | Jona Lewie | 1980 |
"Suicide Is Painless" | M*A*S*H | 1970 |
"Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 1984 |
"Under Attack" | ABBA | 1982 |
"A View to a Kill" | Duran Duran | 1985 |
"Walk Like an Egyptian" | The Bangles | 1986 |
"War" | Edwin Starr | 1970 |
"War Baby" | Tom Robinson | 1982 |
"Warpaint" | The Brook Brothers | 1961 |
"Waterloo" | ABBA | 1974 |
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" | The Animals | 1965 |
"When I'm Dead and Gone" | McGuinness Flint | 1970 |
"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" | Billy Ocean | 1985 |
See also[]
- 2001 Clear Channel memorandum
Notes[]
- ^ "Eve of Destruction" wasn't banned outright, but was placed on a "restricted" list which meant it was not used in "general entertainment programmes".
- ^ Jump up to: a b Contrary to a number of other sources, author Martin Cloonan has claimed that, in fact, only one Beatles song was ever banned by the BBC – "A Day in the Life" from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[46]
- ^ An instrumental remix of "Smack My Bitch Up" did receive limited airplay
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Banning songs not a rare occurrence for the BBC". The New Zealand Herald. Auckland. 19 December 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Stanley, Bob (6 August 2008). "The music the BBC banned". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l "Unfit for Auntie's airwaves: The artists censored by the BBC". The Independent. London. 14 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ^ Goodchild, Sophie (5 March 2006). "'Radical' Ewan MacColl was tracked by MI5 for decades". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 July 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). Reed International Books Ltd. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-600-57602-0.
- ^ Jeffries, Stuart (26 October 2012). "Ban This Filth!: Letters from the Mary Whitehouse Archive by Ben Thompson – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ Coleman, Sarah (February 2002). "Morals Campaigner Mary Whitehouse". World Press Review. New York. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ Fletcher, Marvin (10 November 2012). "Ban This Filth! Letters from the Mary Whitehouse Archive, Edited by Ben Thompson". The Independent. London. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Ryan, Gary (14 October 2019). "Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – Andy McCluskey". NME. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "'Banned' Frankie tops chart". BBC News. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ^ Duffy, Jonathan (14 January 2004). "Banned on the run". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
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the selecter celebrate the bullet.
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- Censorship of music
- Lists of songs
- BBC Radio
- BBC-related lists
- BBC controversies
- Censorship of broadcasting in the United Kingdom
- British music-related lists
- Blacklisting in the United Kingdom
- Songs banned by the BBC
- Radio controversies