We had three tv stations back then. ABC, NBC and CBS. They were for morning shows for kids like Captain Kangaroo, Mickey Mouse Club, The Shari Lewis show she was a ventriloquist with hand puppets. Adults watched her too. At night there was news and television shows like Twilight Zone, Combat, The Wild Wild West, All in the Family, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Mayberry RFD, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters, The Patty Duke Show and The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. Media had very few political radio or television programs. It was fun and mostly about the teenagers and their music and movies like Bye Bye Birdie and fun things. Very few songs were banned. There were parents who agonized over their daughters hearing music so provocative. But it kind of went with the territory of being teenagers. The older generation also had their music that their parents didn't approve of. People didn't push each other around over cultural issues like they do today.
@@Reba-123 well this vid is exaggerating it a bit. But I was a teen, mainly in high school in the 70's, in the US. There is some partial truths to it. But US had/has a lot more uptight chritian conservatives who did make a big stink about various songs, fashion, films,etc. Brown Sugar did get a tiny bit of heat , as people thought it was just hitting on Black women. Lou Reeds' Walk on the Wild Side definitely got some controversy. I hear people listening to it today, and their mouths wide open (they could say those things back then...). Reeds song he described were real people. From Andy Warhol's entourage, Candy, Joe, etc. I don't recall Imagine getting any controversy back then. But here in the States, the uptight, frigid christian right are having tantrums again. There's a childrens book out about some birds, but all the words are from Imagine, And some Southern bible thumpers took it out of their school library, mainly being offended by 'imagine there's no heaven, imagine there's no religion.....". So some of it is true, at least stateside. We have the cool Americans, and then the redneck, church going prudes. some of the heavy metal, and punk songs got attacked for being satanic. I loved the Clash, and only when some prudes found out what some of the songs were about,being political, they complained. Don't recall the other ones on this list were controversial. That's also the difference, some might've complained which made a song controversial, but wasn't banned. Actually 'my ding a ling ' got some flak. Mainly the way Chuck Berry would sing it, which made it clear what he was talking about. There were some others, in the States. A one hit wonder song called " "Afternoon Delight', which meant a bit of sex in the afternoon. Our high school had a jukebox in the cafeteria, and that song got taken out . Eve of Destruction was a great song, that still applies to everything going on today. Not sure if banned, but got a lot of controversy. It's a great song, listen to the lyrics. During Vietnam war.- 'you're old enough to kill, but not for votin'. You can bury your dead, bu t don't leave a trace. Hate your next door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace. It's still a powerful song. ua-cam.com/video/bLFqIaGBZvg/v-deo.htmlsi=N1Rx6ztGu-6UKjjy
@@velvetbees think you're forgetting about those days. We're just getting more of it now cuz of social media. But there definitely was big fights, amongst generations, amongst parents vs. their kids. Presley was initially banned in late 50s, early 60's. Beatles were at the beginning. Long hair hippies were ridiculed and turned away in establishments. There was lots of cancel culture. Lenny Bruce constantly got arrested on obscenity charges, for things he talked about.
I can see how many of these were frowned upon by the BBC. In the US, by the beginning of the 70s, FM caught on, so we heard these songs all of the time. I could see the Top 40 type AM stations steering clear of many of these when first released.
What did George Carlin sayi in one of his skits? "a radio has two knobs on it, and one of them turns it OFF! I'm sure you have problems with anything that has two knobs on it."
You know what all these songs have in common? PURE GENIUS! I was born in 1965. I may be an old fogey, but it seems to me that very little good music was produced after the 80's.
Once C rap became the go-to to keep the spades happy, all we got was bubblegum music. I started listening to ,''Viking rock'', which you never hear in the UK but it's much better than Adele, Taylor Swift, and such rubbish.
"Tie a yellow ribbon" had absolutely nothing to do with the Vietnam War, it was about a man released from prison having doubts about his lover still wanting him. And "My ding a ling" was indeed a stupid song! It actually kept "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley out of the Billboard number one position.
finally someone else realizes this, the line " I'm really still in prison and my love she holds the key " is a huge giveaway 😂😂
21 день тому+6
actually you are partially incorrect and a simple 5 second search on the internet proves it. This is a quote from the writer of the song, from an interview in 1991. "In 1991, Brown said the song was based on a story he had read about a soldier headed home from the Civil War who wrote his beloved that if he was still welcome, she should tie a handkerchief around a certain tree. He said the handkerchief was not particularly romantic, so he and Mr. Levine changed it to a yellow ribbon." So it did in fact get written about a soldier coming home, the war is irrelevant. It is also about a prisoner coming home according to the synopsis provided. Now, if you have ever been in the military you would know that it sometimes feel like you are in jail, especially to guys that were in Nam. The language in the song is easy to interchange the lyrics between the military and jail....
21 день тому
@@MichaelLuke-w6p do a 5 second internet search and find out you are only partially correct. not too tough...
We sang "Imagine", along with "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters, at my high school graduation in 1972. Both spoke to the hopes for the future that young people always have. 🙂
Those are perfect choices for a high school graduation! Who knows what the kids are singing these days… thank you for watching and supporting the channel!
I remember all of these songs and did not know about the controversy. I really couldn't understand what they were saying in most of them, but liked the sound and the beat. Hearing "War" just now did bring back memories of what it was like to grow up during the Vietnam War and watching the draft lottery on TV. "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing." is what we thought, but I hated the way the returning soldiers were not treated like the heroes that they were. They were drafted, risks their lives for their country, and came back changed. They did their duty as Americans just like the soldiers of WWII.
In Australia, a band called skyhooks released their debut album “living in the 70s” in 74. Out of the 10 tracks on the album, 6 were banned from radio play. Nonetheless, the album skyrocketed to the number 1 spot and stayed in the charts for 16 weeks. It was also the highest-selling album by an Australian act by that time, selling 330,000 copies. In 1975, Sydney’s new abc youth radio 2JJ played “you just like me cos I’m good in bed” as their first song broadcasted, in defiance of the ban. The ban actually skyrocketed the albums popularity. Red symmons of the band said “we were almost glad all those songs got banned, if not we wouldn’t be here today talking about it. It skyrocketed our popularity to unfathomable heights”. “Horror movie” by skyhooks, one of the only non-banned songs, was one of the first music videos shown when colour tv was introduced in Australia in 1975.
It is a very american list of banned songs. One of the greatest Australian song ever banned when it was released in 1978 was Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel. It reference to sex and drug use had it banned from airplay right across Australia.Today it is a national anthem. So many songs were banned for no reason whatsoever.
@ this reminds me that dragons “April sun in Cuba” was banned in the us as well. It was totally fine in Aus and still gets played often, but I guess america didn’t like it. It stopped them from getting their own individual tour instead of supporting Johnny winter. I don’t remember why but it was something about a few lines of the song about war and governments or something. Kind of ruined their chance in the us.
Who could forget Skyhooks' classic ' Why Dont You All Get Fucked' - this became my signature tune in my sixth grade year which was the year after the song's release, due to the opening line ' I used to know this kid in Sixth Grade ' . Great song with a great story in the lyric.
These AI-generated things are so hilariously lazy. Right as you introduce the 70s you show a clip of "Physical," one of THE most 80s songs and videos ever, then show a clip of the Stones in the 60s when mentioning punk rock. Fucking amateur hour. 🤣🤣🤣
I grew up in the 70s and 80s some of these songs still get alot of air play Like lola by the kinks i like all there stuff Imagine by john still gets alot of airplay too
I was born in the 60s and lived in a small fairly conservative town with only one local radio station. I know most of these songs but only discovered Lola recently (and in my 60s, I love it!) and I NEVER heard Loretta Lynn’s The Pill until I watched this video. So… some songs definitely were censored in some places 🤷♀️
I'm a little surprised that 1970s "Timothy" written by Rupert Holmes and performed by The Buoys wasn't on your list. It had a catchy tune and told the story of three me who were trapped when a mine caved in. Only the narrator and Joe survived, and no one ever bothered finding out what happened to Timothy.
Glad I scrolled down. I was going to comment about Timothy. Also, in 71" Things get a Little Easier. These were songs that were BANNED for content. I know I lived those years as a musician!!!
Born in 1958, I was a young teen in the early 1970s. While the BBC banned records, I and my transistor radio were turned to Radio Caroline and radio Luxembourg. And knew the majority of the banned recordings off by heart.
Who ever said these songs were banned must be from Mars. Because I grew up in the 70’s and listened to every single song. Don’t recall any of them being banned.
"Lola" was a lyrical work of genius! 😆 "Now, I'm not the world's most passionate man, But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man.... And so is Lola! 😆 The ambiguity of that closing line is sheer brilliance! 😆
"One Toke Over The Line" by Brewer and Shipley. Banned from radio airplay because of what was called "subversive lyrics", it went all the way to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1971 anyway.
Only the original "Coca Cola" version was banned the subsequent "Cherry Cola" version wasn't banned and that second version is the one that became a hit.
@Lee-jh6cr It's the line "Imagine there's no heaven, No religion too..." Being the Christian that Carter was just surprised me. Personally, I do like the song myself.
@@brianwilson6403 In the 70s there were a lot of liberal Christians, although not so much in Carter's age group - and Georgia. There were Jesus freaks, and many realized Jesus was counterculture - long hair, love, freedom. Catholic schools were highly liberal. For 8th grade I went to a Catholic free school. No grades, no raising our hands, sat on the floor. Religion was taught by the local Abby seminarians - meditation, interpreting CSN & Y lyrics, , , HS similar - comparative religion (the local Abby still does exchanges with Buddhist monks), evolution was taught (Catholic approved long before then), we were free to come and go hitting downtown for coffee between classes, we wore short shorts and halters. No one got pregnant - bc was popular. The country was divided but more old school societal rigidity v social progression and open mindedness to new ways of thinking and being. Given all that, I'm not surprised Carter appreciated this song. 😊
give a watch to "the rock and roll president", carter loved rock and was good friends with many stars from the era, including bob dylan, willie nelson (who supposedly smoked a joint on the roof of the white house), etc. he was very close with the allman brothers. i hate politics and politicians, but carter was one human being that seemed to be a truly nice person.
I remember a radio station in Omaha nebraska that banned the Doors. Jackie Gleason said the Doors exposing themselves on stage was immoral. So the rock station that played the doors by saying Due to Jackie Gleason's participation in Decency rallies we will no longer play any Jackie Gleason albums...now here are the Doors..
As far as where I lived at the time, these songs were freely played. Not banned. However, here are a couple that were suppressed : 'Hi, Hi, Hi' and 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish' by Paul McCartney. 'Woman Is The N***** Of The World' by John Lennon.
Tie a yellow ribbon has nothing to do with soldiers coming home from war. It is a guy who was sent to prison and wants to know if he is still wanted. Here are some lyrics. Bus driver, please look for me 'Cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see I'm really still in prison and my love, she holds the key A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free And I wrote and told her please. It's a nice song about asking for forgiveness, but nothing about coming home from war.
21 день тому+3
Incorrect, kinda. The writer of the song has said it was written about a soldier coming home. A simple 5 second internet search will tell you as much "In 1991, Brown said the song was based on a story he had read about a soldier headed home from the Civil War who wrote his beloved that if he was still welcome, she should tie a handkerchief around a certain tree. He said the handkerchief was not particularly romantic, so he and Mr. Levine changed it to a yellow ribbon." That being said, the lyrics are interchangeable between prison and the military, especially during Nam, when a lot of the guys in the military felt like they were in prison.
As far as Walk On The Wild Side goes, I've always heard it wasn't about Warhol's factory, it was about Lou Reed's experiences in New York in the 70s, which is how he explained it in interviews in the years after the fact, . Also, Oliver's Army. Not just controversial for the subject matter,but the lyrics,too, yes. THe fact it's got through unscathed every time it's played, that says a lot really
Now let's move back to the 60's. Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen created a little controversy because many could not understand what the lyrics actually were. I also noticed that one never heard "The Pusher" by Steppinwolf. played on the radio. Born in 1949, I remember all these songs and still own albums or CDs that contain them. I also played some of them while playing drums with a local garage band in my home town.
I had a friend who worked in a record shop. In the early 70s, I bought Paul McCartney song on the Apple label called "Give Ireland back to the Irish." I saw my friend later on in the day, and he told me that he shouldn't have sold me that record because it was classed as an Irish rebel song. I sold that record for £330 in the 90s to a collector. It was in its original Apple record cover I was shocked at what he offered but I was happy with that.
My Dingaling and War were controversial. But a record that was banned was Demons and Wizards by Uriah Heep. After a 40+ year ban, you can now see it on UA-cam. I believe the song The Wizard was one of the reasons for the ban, but it’s a great song.
so many of those songs are still on fav play list! didn't realize until now they were so wrong, sigh!! always thought many were funny or powerful yet truthful statements. like so many other powerful songs.
There is a site that lists the songs still banned from play on the beeb for either salacious lyrics or product mentions. The most interesting to me was a Bessie Smith tune from the 1930s (!), 'Rum & Coca-cola' by the Andrews Sisters & George Formby makes the list twice!
I guess they're more niche songs rather than mainstream hits, but two that came to mind that would fit nicely on this list are "Your Mama Won't Like Me" by Suzi Quatro, and "Christine Sixteen" by Kiss.
Hello , HELLO....These songs were NOT Banned. They were NOT Censored. Again , for lack of a better term ....its " Click Bait "... ! A better term would be B.S.
Depends on where you were located. You were lucky if none of these were banned in your area. But in other more conservative/superstitious/paranoid type areas, they were.
Nothing controversial about 'Lola'. BBC is taxpayer funded, and can't have brand names, like 'Coca Cola'. at most, this meant they recorded the UK version which says 'cherry cola'. Not "controversial": at all. What else is on this garbage video?
Six songs from the 1974 Skyhooks album Living in the 70s were banned from commercial radio in Australia, I cant remember any of these other songs getting banned down here.
This is just typical Google-UA-cam click bait nonsense. I lived though the 70's in a mid-west city and did not see any of this false narrative.. This post is more about how super sensitive things are today.
I just thought it was weird lyrics to make the song rhyme and be funny. Wish I was as young and innocent now or at least be able to walk properly faster half mile a day 🤣(hell I'd settle for just walking properly and give up blue 'park anywhere' hang tag 🤣🤣🤣)
Ringo also changed the words to 'You're Sixteen." The 1960 version had "You walked out of my dreams and into my arms." Romantic. Ringo's seventies version had "You walked out of my dreams and into my car." Evoking images of a dirty old man picking up teen-aged girls off the street. A lot of people - including me - didn't care for that.
You’re Sixteen…. One of my favorite songs in the 70’s. I never knew the version of “you walked out of my dreams and into my car.” I danced to this song in high school.
I grew up in apartheid South Africa and lots of songs and movies were banned by the regime - but I honestly don't recall Jailhouse Rock or Money being forbidden. Rocky Horror and the The Wall certainly were in the 70s, and many things anti-apartheid, erotic, left-wing, religiously provocative, non-gender conforming or drug-related got the stank eye. But that just made us want it more; our biggest problem was laying our hands on such content, given the cultural boycott against SA and that the internet did not yet exist.
Yes! And do you remember the musical Jesus Christ Superstar was also banned. It was the first CD I had someone send me from the UK when the ANC came into power.
“Lola” made the Top 30 playlist on KHJ radio in Los Angeles, but was quickly pulled. I guess they figured out what the song was about and changed their minds.
Interesting list...but what about Hurricane by Bob Dylan?? Here in Australia that song was completely banned to be played anywhere but after a while it was allowed to be played between midnight and 2am!!
That's not the point of this video. Look at the themes discussed in almost all of the songs in the video. See a pattern? It seems they just wanted to highlight the messages contained in those lyrics.
What about "Afternoon Delight"? Or "Having My Baby"? Those were songs that were actually a bit controversial. Heck, even "If you like Pina colada" was controversial for talking about personal ads looking for love. So was "American Pie" for all of it's subjects. These songs? Nah. Overplayed on the radio, not banned.
16:34 The song was about a former prisoner coming home after being released from prison. The Vietnam war veterans returning was purely coincidental and nothing to do with the song, "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round the *OLD* (not Ole) Oak Tree".
@@angusnaidoo7309 True. In spite of all claims to the contrary,, the song was about a freed prisoner coming home on a bus hoping he'd still be accepted back in his home.
I remember in the 70s Rod Stewart's song "Tonight's the night" had some rather suggestive lyrics - the seduction of a virgin? - but it seemed very popular. I don't recall it being banned by the radio stations.
I've always been a rebel. I hate the industrial way of living. I've never understood racial discrimination. I only see the rightwing as an egocentric and elitary view. As child I realized that we live in a modern kind of slavery. This is why I love those controversial songs, and I consider all these musicians as heroes as well as the native americans who fought to protect their on way of living.
What about the song Miracles by Jefferson Starship? I think they edited a shorter version that took out some R rated lyrics. But the album version was more explicit than most of these songs.
I was a teenager during the 1970s, and heard all these songs played on the radio all the time. None were banned where I grew up, and still live, and I certainly don't remember much controversy regarding any of the songs, despite the lyrical content. The narrator kept mentioning songs being banned in South Africa, but Western music, Rock in particular, was banned in many countries during that era. All communist states did so, as well as most authoritarian or dictatorial governments. Seems to me that people now make more of an issue about these songs than was at the time of their release. I'm not stating there was no controversy regarding these songs, rather that it wasn't as widespread as this video implies.
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I was a teenager in the UK in the 70s there was NO controversy about these song .. this info is totally inaccurate
Yet more AI BS , as soon as I hear those feeble faked CG voices I block the channel.just FRO
We had three tv stations back then. ABC, NBC and CBS. They were for morning shows for kids like Captain Kangaroo, Mickey Mouse Club, The Shari Lewis show she was a ventriloquist with hand puppets. Adults watched her too. At night there was news and television shows like Twilight Zone, Combat, The Wild Wild West, All in the Family, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Mayberry RFD, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters, The Patty Duke Show and The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. Media had very few political radio or television programs. It was fun and mostly about the teenagers and their music and movies like Bye Bye Birdie and fun things. Very few songs were banned. There were parents who agonized over their daughters hearing music so provocative. But it kind of went with the territory of being teenagers. The older generation also had their music that their parents didn't approve of. People didn't push each other around over cultural issues like they do today.
@@Reba-123 well this vid is exaggerating it a bit. But I was a teen, mainly in high school in the 70's, in the US. There is some partial truths to it.
But US had/has a lot more uptight chritian conservatives who did make a big stink about various songs, fashion, films,etc.
Brown Sugar did get a tiny bit of heat , as people thought it was just hitting on Black women. Lou Reeds' Walk on the Wild Side definitely got some controversy. I hear people listening to it today, and their mouths wide open (they could say those things back then...). Reeds song he described were real people. From Andy Warhol's entourage, Candy, Joe, etc.
I don't recall Imagine getting any controversy back then. But here in the States, the uptight, frigid christian right are having tantrums again.
There's a childrens book out about some birds, but all the words are from Imagine, And some Southern bible thumpers took it out of their school library, mainly being offended by 'imagine there's no heaven, imagine there's no religion.....". So some of it is true, at least stateside. We have the cool Americans, and then the redneck, church going prudes.
some of the heavy metal, and punk songs got attacked for being satanic.
I loved the Clash, and only when some prudes found out what some of the songs were about,being political, they complained. Don't recall the other ones on this list were controversial. That's also the difference, some might've complained which made a song controversial, but wasn't banned.
Actually 'my ding a ling ' got some flak. Mainly the way Chuck Berry would sing it, which made it clear what he was talking about.
There were some others, in the States. A one hit wonder song called "
"Afternoon Delight', which meant a bit of sex in the afternoon. Our high school had a jukebox in the cafeteria, and that song got taken out .
Eve of Destruction was a great song, that still applies to everything going on today. Not sure if banned, but got a lot of controversy. It's a great song, listen to the lyrics. During Vietnam war.- 'you're old enough to kill, but not for votin'. You can bury your dead, bu t don't leave a trace.
Hate your next door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace.
It's still a powerful song.
ua-cam.com/video/bLFqIaGBZvg/v-deo.htmlsi=N1Rx6ztGu-6UKjjy
@@velvetbees think you're forgetting about those days. We're just getting more of it now cuz of social media. But there definitely was big fights, amongst generations, amongst parents vs. their kids. Presley was initially banned in late 50s, early 60's. Beatles were at the beginning. Long hair hippies were ridiculed and turned away in establishments.
There was lots of cancel culture. Lenny Bruce constantly got arrested on obscenity charges, for things he talked about.
I grew up in the 1970's and heard all of these song ad nauseam and remember no controversy at all. In fact they are all played to this very day.
Tie a Yellow Ribbon was also a symbol about the Iran Hostages. Until they came home, Yellow 🎗 were tied on trees all over the place.
Maybe where you live. But in my country it was a different story. Some where banned from the radio and television !..
Same here . These songs played allll the time .never heard of any being banned .
😍❤
I love Brown Sugar, Suga!!
I can see how many of these were frowned upon by the BBC. In the US, by the beginning of the 70s, FM caught on, so we heard these songs all of the time. I could see the Top 40 type AM stations steering clear of many of these when first released.
If a song offends you, just turn the radio off or to another station.
What did George Carlin sayi in one of his skits? "a radio has two knobs on it, and one of them turns it OFF! I'm sure you have problems with anything that has two knobs on it."
Well said!
It changes society even if you turn it off. Not saying the songs were bad but that’s the thought process.
Or better still grow up & get a life
The radio has two KNOBS. One turns it off, the other changes the station! -- George Carlin
The 70's were my stomping years, and I don't remember any of these songs being banned, loved them all!!
I miss them fays
Indeed they were not banned just more hyped up bullshit
I agree. I heard these all the time on the radio
You know what all these songs have in common? PURE GENIUS! I was born in 1965. I may be an old fogey, but it seems to me that very little good music was produced after the 80's.
Born 1966! We were blessed with the greatest music
Do me a favor and look up the definition of the word "genius."
I was born in 1956 and I agree with you.
Once C rap became the go-to to keep the spades happy, all we got was bubblegum music. I started listening to ,''Viking rock'', which you never hear in the UK but it's much better than Adele, Taylor Swift, and such rubbish.
@@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq "keep the spades happy"...? wtf?
I'd like to thank Lennon for his song 'Imagine' for not letting Yoko sing😂
Boy, do I agree with your comment. Yours is the best...........Betsy Blue-Eyes
Yoko would surely have *tortured* the song!
I'd like a world with no religion.
God yoko she spilt everything up even John Lennon songs she shit at singing
Hated that song. Sorry fans! 🤭
I remember everyone of these songs. Everyone was too busy enjoying the beat of the music to find any controversy.
If only we could go back, huh? Thanks for watching! Please subscribe if you haven’t. 🙂
I agree, listen and enjoy.😀
@@BackstageClassicsnah your ai talking is annoying.
I agree totally
Ok. I’ll let the VO artist know. Thanks.
I grow up in the 70's and miss the music 🎵❤
We all do! Thanks for watching. Please subscribe if you haven’t. We really appreciate your support.
I have all these in 45 rpm records.
❤soundtrack of my youth
No religion, no posession, a brotherhood of man. Nothing socialist about it.
How could they have been banned if i heard them on the radio and knew all the lyrics?
Because the DJ's played them anyway!
@@mylissastutesman6304so then they weren't banned at all
@@BillyTurner-vb3hf
Exactly
Because the title is click bait.
They were banned on some stations, but not all stations.
"Tie a yellow ribbon" had absolutely nothing to do with the Vietnam War, it was about a man released from prison having doubts about his lover still wanting him. And "My ding a ling" was indeed a stupid song! It actually kept "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley out of the Billboard number one position.
There were about 6 versions of tie a Yellow Ribbon ! I hated that Song
finally someone else realizes this, the line " I'm really still in prison and my love she holds the key " is a huge giveaway 😂😂
actually you are partially incorrect and a simple 5 second search on the internet proves it. This is a quote from the writer of the song, from an interview in 1991.
"In 1991, Brown said the song was based on a story he had read about a soldier headed home from the Civil War who wrote his beloved that if he was still welcome, she should tie a handkerchief around a certain tree. He said the handkerchief was not particularly romantic, so he and Mr. Levine changed it to a yellow ribbon."
So it did in fact get written about a soldier coming home, the war is irrelevant. It is also about a prisoner coming home according to the synopsis provided. Now, if you have ever been in the military you would know that it sometimes feel like you are in jail, especially to guys that were in Nam. The language in the song is easy to interchange the lyrics between the military and jail....
@@MichaelLuke-w6p do a 5 second internet search and find out you are only partially correct. not too tough...
I remember all the yellow ribbons!
I always thought the tie a yellow ribbon round, the old oak tree, was about a someone coming home, from prison.
That's what I thought too.
@@Elisabeth19031978 Me too, didn't hear as much about Vietnam in Britain
It is about coming home from prison!
Figures
It was!
We sang "Imagine", along with "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters, at my high school graduation in 1972. Both spoke to the hopes for the future that young people always have. 🙂
Those are perfect choices for a high school graduation! Who knows what the kids are singing these days… thank you for watching and supporting the channel!
"Imagine" is beautiful-- and so poignant 😢
I remember all of these songs and did not know about the controversy. I really couldn't understand what they were saying in most of them, but liked the sound and the beat. Hearing "War" just now did bring back memories of what it was like to grow up during the Vietnam War and watching the draft lottery on TV. "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing." is what we thought, but I hated the way the returning soldiers were not treated like the heroes that they were. They were drafted, risks their lives for their country, and came back changed. They did their duty as Americans just like the soldiers of WWII.
Censorship guarantees high sales volume..
House of the Rising Sun was my Catholic HS's theme song in the early 70s, played by the band at games, parades, and graduations. 😊
"Lola" was YEARS ahead of its time!! Kinks are great!!! 🎸😄
In Australia, a band called skyhooks released their debut album “living in the 70s” in 74. Out of the 10 tracks on the album, 6 were banned from radio play. Nonetheless, the album skyrocketed to the number 1 spot and stayed in the charts for 16 weeks. It was also the highest-selling album by an Australian act by that time, selling 330,000 copies. In 1975, Sydney’s new abc youth radio 2JJ played “you just like me cos I’m good in bed” as their first song broadcasted, in defiance of the ban. The ban actually skyrocketed the albums popularity. Red symmons of the band said “we were almost glad all those songs got banned, if not we wouldn’t be here today talking about it. It skyrocketed our popularity to unfathomable heights”. “Horror movie” by skyhooks, one of the only non-banned songs, was one of the first music videos shown when colour tv was introduced in Australia in 1975.
It is a very american list of banned songs. One of the greatest Australian song ever banned when it was released in 1978 was Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel. It reference to sex and drug use had it banned from airplay right across Australia.Today it is a national anthem. So many songs were banned for no reason whatsoever.
@ this reminds me that dragons “April sun in Cuba” was banned in the us as well. It was totally fine in Aus and still gets played often, but I guess america didn’t like it. It stopped them from getting their own individual tour instead of supporting Johnny winter. I don’t remember why but it was something about a few lines of the song about war and governments or something. Kind of ruined their chance in the us.
Who could forget Skyhooks' classic ' Why Dont You All Get Fucked' - this became my signature tune in my sixth grade year which was the year after the song's release, due to the opening line ' I used to know this kid in Sixth Grade ' . Great song with a great story in the lyric.
@@Aussie_vinyl_dude Americans also have a morbid fascination with banning any song about death. Truly a strange mob.
@@Crew-oo3ms 100%. Definitely one of my fave skyhooks tunes
These AI-generated things are so hilariously lazy. Right as you introduce the 70s you show a clip of "Physical," one of THE most 80s songs and videos ever, then show a clip of the Stones in the 60s when mentioning punk rock. Fucking amateur hour. 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for watching! 👍🏼
@@BackstageClassics I didn't. I just downvoted, commented, then blocked your channel.
Written by millenials with NFI.
I grew up in the 70s and 80s some of these songs still get alot of air play
Like lola by the kinks i like all there stuff
Imagine by john still gets alot of airplay too
I was born in the 60s and lived in a small fairly conservative town with only one local radio station. I know most of these songs but only discovered Lola recently (and in my 60s, I love it!) and I NEVER heard Loretta Lynn’s The Pill until I watched this video. So… some songs definitely were censored in some places 🤷♀️
I'm a little surprised that 1970s "Timothy" written by Rupert Holmes and performed by The Buoys wasn't on your list. It had a catchy tune and told the story of three me who were trapped when a mine caved in. Only the narrator and Joe survived, and no one ever bothered finding out what happened to Timothy.
We will definitely take these notes into future videos!
Yes but we all know what became of Timothy...
That was the first one I thought of!!!
Glad I scrolled down. I was going to comment about Timothy. Also, in 71" Things get a Little Easier. These were songs that were BANNED for content. I know I lived those years as a musician!!!
The radio stations in South Florida did not play "Timothy".
Every time you tell people 🙄 not to do something , and denied them what they wanted they will go get it more than ever 😊🎉❤.
Born in 1958, I was a young teen in the early 1970s.
While the BBC banned records, I and my transistor radio were turned to Radio Caroline and radio Luxembourg. And knew the majority of the banned recordings off by heart.
Happy 67th years of life Jane, from Jacqui in Durban, South Africa. My birthday is 13 June 1958.....and I've had such a life ride ❤
Who ever said these songs were banned must be from Mars. Because I grew up in the 70’s and listened to every single song. Don’t recall any of them being banned.
I grew up in Birmingham Alabama and ALL of these were played to death.
@@rogerburton4880 being banned somewhere doesn't mean they were banmed everywhere.
They are all AWESOME tunes! Appreciate the music and the time.
"Lola" and "Walk on the Wild Side" helped me to realize that I wasn't alone, and that there were other people like me out there. 🙂
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Lennon sings about no possessions too. Yet he was worth millions.
@@eddieboggs8306 taking a trip down communism road
@Barry-k4c
Yeah.
That's right. HE was worth millions...not his possessions.
@@glennpacker1769
No sense. Money is posesion.
All the Beatles worked their asses off. They deserve success for their efforts. What have you done to be remembered 45 yrs later?
"Lola" was a lyrical work of genius! 😆
"Now, I'm not the world's most passionate man,
But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man....
And so is Lola! 😆
The ambiguity of that closing line is sheer brilliance! 😆
My favorite line🤣
"One Toke Over The Line" by Brewer and Shipley. Banned from radio airplay because of what was called "subversive lyrics", it went all the way to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1971 anyway.
These songs weren't banned, they played in rotation like all the other songs in the 1970s.
If "Lola" "Was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic", how could it have been banned?
That's how it became a hit by being banned. Banning a song or movie or TV show guarantees success.
Because America and Great Britain are not the only countries on either side of the Atlantic, even though they think they are.
Only the original "Coca Cola" version was banned the subsequent "Cherry Cola" version wasn't banned and that second version is the one that became a hit.
I was surprised that "Imagine" was sung at President Carter's funeral last week.
Carter loved the song
My parents would be older than Carter and they loved that song. They also liked Elvis, Janis, and Cindy Lauper.
@Lee-jh6cr It's the line "Imagine there's no heaven,
No religion too..."
Being the Christian that Carter was just surprised me.
Personally, I do like the song myself.
@@brianwilson6403 In the 70s there were a lot of liberal Christians, although not so much in Carter's age group - and Georgia. There were Jesus freaks, and many realized Jesus was counterculture - long hair, love, freedom. Catholic schools were highly liberal. For 8th grade I went to a Catholic free school. No grades, no raising our hands, sat on the floor. Religion was taught by the local Abby seminarians - meditation, interpreting CSN & Y lyrics, , , HS similar - comparative religion (the local Abby still does exchanges with Buddhist monks), evolution was taught (Catholic approved long before then), we were free to come and go hitting downtown for coffee between classes, we wore short shorts and halters. No one got pregnant - bc was popular. The country was divided but more old school societal rigidity v social progression and open mindedness to new ways of thinking and being. Given all that, I'm not surprised Carter appreciated this song. 😊
give a watch to "the rock and roll president", carter loved rock and was good friends with many stars from the era, including bob dylan, willie nelson (who supposedly smoked a joint on the roof of the white house), etc. he was very close with the allman brothers. i hate politics and politicians, but carter was one human being that seemed to be a truly nice person.
I'm surprised that "Timothy" by The Buoys released in 1970 was not included since it hinted at cannibalism & was banned by many radio stations.
It’s on our Part 2 video coming soon! Stay tuned.
I remember a radio station in Omaha nebraska that banned the Doors. Jackie Gleason said the Doors exposing themselves on stage was immoral. So the rock station that played the doors by saying Due to Jackie Gleason's participation in Decency rallies we will no longer play any Jackie Gleason albums...now here are the Doors..
As far as where I lived at the time, these songs were freely played. Not banned. However, here are a couple that were suppressed : 'Hi, Hi, Hi' and 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish' by Paul McCartney. 'Woman Is The N***** Of The World' by John Lennon.
Some of these songs were banned originally on their first release in my country New Zealand...
Lola was never banned, they just had to change the ‘offensive’ lyric.
In 1970 I heard only the cherry Cola lyric (in the USA). Only later did I start hearing the original. But it most certainly was played.
Tie a yellow ribbon has nothing to do with soldiers coming home from war. It is a guy who was sent to prison and wants to know if he is still wanted. Here are some lyrics.
Bus driver, please look for me
'Cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see
I'm really still in prison and my love, she holds the key
A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free
And I wrote and told her please.
It's a nice song about asking for forgiveness, but nothing about coming home from war.
Incorrect, kinda. The writer of the song has said it was written about a soldier coming home. A simple 5 second internet search will tell you as much
"In 1991, Brown said the song was based on a story he had read about a soldier headed home from the Civil War who wrote his beloved that if he was still welcome, she should tie a handkerchief around a certain tree. He said the handkerchief was not particularly romantic, so he and Mr. Levine changed it to a yellow ribbon."
That being said, the lyrics are interchangeable between prison and the military, especially during Nam, when a lot of the guys in the military felt like they were in prison.
There was no controversy over these songs here in U.S. I was There. We Heard Them All THE TIME. I LOVED LOLA.
As far as Walk On The Wild Side goes, I've always heard it wasn't about Warhol's factory, it was about Lou Reed's experiences in New York in the 70s, which is how he explained it in interviews in the years after the fact, .
Also, Oliver's Army. Not just controversial for the subject matter,but the lyrics,too, yes. THe fact it's got through unscathed every time it's played, that says a lot really
Now let's move back to the 60's. Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen created a little controversy because many could not understand what the lyrics actually were. I also noticed that one never heard "The Pusher" by Steppinwolf. played on the radio. Born in 1949, I remember all these songs and still own albums or CDs that contain them. I also played some of them while playing drums with a local garage band in my home town.
Lennon "Imagine" lol for a millionaire, Notice he never passed it on to the poor people
"Tie A Yellow Ribbon" had nothing to do with Vietnam. It was about a man coming home from 3 years in prison.
I remember all the yellow ribbons!
I had a friend who worked in a record shop. In the early 70s, I bought Paul McCartney song on the Apple label called "Give Ireland back to the Irish." I saw my friend later on in the day, and he told me that he shouldn't have sold me that record because it was classed as an Irish rebel song. I sold that record for £330 in the 90s to a collector. It was in its original Apple record cover I was shocked at what he offered but I was happy with that.
My Dingaling and War were controversial. But a record that was banned was Demons and Wizards by Uriah Heep. After a 40+ year ban, you can now see it on UA-cam. I believe the song The Wizard was one of the reasons for the ban, but it’s a great song.
War was and is an awesome and timeless piece.
Thanks for telling me about Lola. My sister liked that song, but I never understood that it was controversial.
Every time the bbc bans a record it goes straight to no 1, but we still Get to see it on other channels
70's Was & Is the very best decade of Music!!
Love the Classics!
Imagine the hypocrisy of a multi-millionaire living in a country mansion with a Rolls Royce in the garage telling us to "Imagine no possessions". 😂
so many of those songs are still on fav play list! didn't realize until now they were so wrong, sigh!! always thought many were funny or powerful yet truthful statements. like so many other powerful songs.
They wrote songs, about what is happening and some real facts, I love all of these songs.
There is a site that lists the songs still banned from play on the beeb for either salacious lyrics or product mentions. The most interesting to me was a Bessie Smith tune from the 1930s (!), 'Rum & Coca-cola' by the Andrews Sisters & George Formby makes the list twice!
thanks for the video
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching.
Very well done. I remember all of these tunes and the controversy around them. Great narrative and excellent photos.❤❤❤
Despite all the bans on South African radio, we still had LM Radio to bring us these songs.
Banning the songs only made them more popular.
I guess they're more niche songs rather than mainstream hits, but two that came to mind that would fit nicely on this list are "Your Mama Won't Like Me" by Suzi Quatro, and "Christine Sixteen" by Kiss.
Ooh, I forgot "Cold Ethyl" by Alice Cooper. 🥶
Copy that! We’ll add these to future videos. Thanks so much for watching. Please subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already.
7:04 the screen shot of the two actors with the word "Taboo subject in the 1970s" is from the Australian hit soap opera No.96. Great show.
Hello , HELLO....These songs were NOT Banned. They were NOT Censored. Again , for lack of a better term ....its " Click Bait "... ! A better term would be B.S.
You sure Brown Sugar wasn't about a certain narcotic.
Brother Louie by Stories? Girls Don't by The Knack? I didn't hear either of these on the radio much.
Brother Louis was the first one I thought of.
Compared to today, where everyone gets offended, there were literally no limits in the '70s.
What a time… what a time… Thanks for watching!
I love The Kinks! They have made so many excellent songs.
People read too much into songs instead of just enjoying the song like most of the majority did!
they are called sheep, lyrics are everything, just like when you read a book, it's word's ARE important ❤
@@MichaelLuke-w6p Nope. As the man said "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". Not everything has to have some deep meaning.
Kid, nothing you said is true. None of these songs were banned anywhere. Liar liar pants on fire!
Depends on where you were located. You were lucky if none of these were banned in your area. But in other more conservative/superstitious/paranoid type areas, they were.
Nothing controversial about 'Lola'. BBC is taxpayer funded, and can't have brand names, like 'Coca Cola'. at most, this meant they recorded the UK version which says 'cherry cola'. Not "controversial": at all. What else is on this garbage video?
It says more about the censors than the groups.
Six songs from the 1974 Skyhooks album Living in the 70s were banned from commercial radio in Australia, I cant remember any of these other songs getting banned down here.
nah..... ain't buying a lot of these.... tie a yellow ribbon??? They gave the guy a television show to sing it on.... banned??
Correct. This list is bogus.
This is just typical Google-UA-cam click bait nonsense. I lived though the 70's in a mid-west city and did not see any of this false narrative.. This post is more about how super sensitive things are today.
Nice job of putting this list together. I remember these songs and the controversy around them. My favorite is “My Ding-a-Ling.”
I never knew it was about Lola
Was just a great tune
Here i am in my 60's
and finally know what it was about
I just thought it was weird lyrics to make the song rhyme and be funny.
Wish I was as young and innocent now or at least be able to walk properly faster half mile a day 🤣(hell I'd settle for just walking properly and give up blue 'park anywhere' hang tag 🤣🤣🤣)
I love the Free with 'All right now'❤️
Pink Floyd's The Wall was banned in South Africa in 1979 on its release. That can be No. 16.
SA also banned blowing in the wind, as sung by peter paul n mary😂
How to ensure a song becomes an instant hit, ban it!
I always felt that it was a very clever tactical move to promote the popularity of the song.
Ringo also changed the words to 'You're Sixteen." The 1960 version had "You walked out of my dreams and into my arms." Romantic. Ringo's seventies version had "You walked out of my dreams and into my car." Evoking images of a dirty old man picking up teen-aged girls off the street. A lot of people - including me - didn't care for that.
You’re Sixteen…. One of my favorite songs in the 70’s. I never knew the version of “you walked out of my dreams and into my car.” I danced to this song in high school.
Walk On The Wild Side was actually used as a Powerplay track on BBC Radio when it first came out
It annoyed me to no end how many images from the 80s and 60s you used in just the first 20 seconds.
Damn! I listened to all these songs during my childhood! I had no idea that I was so sullied as a child. 😂
LOL! It’s ok! You are not alone. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe if you haven’t already!
"Imagine no possessions." "John and I literally used to sit down and say, 'Now, let's write a swimming pool." Paul McCartney
I had 10 of these songs out of 15. Still buying music I like these list it helps me see what I am missing.
Pillow Talk by Sylvia was a lot more risque than Love to Love You Baby.
I grew up in apartheid South Africa and lots of songs and movies were banned by the regime - but I honestly don't recall Jailhouse Rock or Money being forbidden. Rocky Horror and the The Wall certainly were in the 70s, and many things anti-apartheid, erotic, left-wing, religiously provocative, non-gender conforming or drug-related got the stank eye. But that just made us want it more; our biggest problem was laying our hands on such content, given the cultural boycott against SA and that the internet did not yet exist.
Yes! And do you remember the musical Jesus Christ Superstar was also banned. It was the first CD I had someone send me from the UK when the ANC came into power.
And of course there was LM Radio broadcast ftom Moz which we listened to more thanSA stations like springbok radio 😂
YOU FORGOT THE NUMBER 1 ALL TIME MOST BANNED SONG IN THE WORLD...SONG.... JUNGLE FEVER.......GROUP..THE CHAKACHAS
“Lola” made the Top 30 playlist on KHJ radio in Los Angeles, but was quickly pulled. I guess they figured out what the song was about and changed their minds.
Interesting list...but what about Hurricane by Bob Dylan?? Here in Australia that song was completely banned to be played anywhere but after a while it was allowed to be played between midnight and 2am!!
Noted! We’ll cover this one in a future video. Stay tuned. 🙂
Banned by who??? Not one was banned
That's not the point of this video. Look at the themes discussed in almost all of the songs in the video. See a pattern? It seems they just wanted to highlight the messages contained in those lyrics.
What about "Afternoon Delight"? Or "Having My Baby"? Those were songs that were actually a bit controversial. Heck, even "If you like Pina colada" was controversial for talking about personal ads looking for love. So was "American Pie" for all of it's subjects.
These songs? Nah. Overplayed on the radio, not banned.
All these songs are alive and well on our oldies station in Erie PA!
I don't remember Lola being banned. We could still hear it on FM stations, and buy the album from record stores. :D
I was 15 to 25 in the 1970s. My first girlfriend, Graduated high school, college, first child.... Yeah, what an era!
16:34 The song was about a former prisoner coming home after being released from prison. The Vietnam war veterans returning was purely coincidental and nothing to do with the song, "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round the *OLD* (not Ole) Oak Tree".
A song the returning soldiers chose for their homecoming though it wasn't about them.
@@angusnaidoo7309 True. In spite of all claims to the contrary,, the song was about a freed prisoner coming home on a bus hoping he'd still be accepted back in his home.
Love to love you baby was one of my favourites 😍
Left out My Generation by The Who
I remember in the 70s Rod Stewart's song "Tonight's the night" had some rather suggestive lyrics - the seduction of a virgin? - but it seemed very popular. I don't recall it being banned by the radio stations.
God Save The Queen was banned here in the uk
Don’t think any of the others were
I've always been a rebel. I hate the industrial way of living. I've never understood racial discrimination. I only see the rightwing as an egocentric and elitary view. As child I realized that we live in a modern kind of slavery. This is why I love those controversial songs, and I consider all these musicians as heroes as well as the native americans who fought to protect their on way of living.
At least you're open minded. :)
John was singing Imagine. I played this song to my husband while he lay passing away in hospice care. I am sure he heard it.
What about the song Miracles by Jefferson Starship? I think they edited a shorter version that took out some R rated lyrics. But the album version was more explicit than most of these songs.
They weren’t controversial when they came out.
I was a teenager during the 1970s, and heard all these songs played on the radio all the time. None were banned where I grew up, and still live, and I certainly don't remember much controversy regarding any of the songs, despite the lyrical content. The narrator kept mentioning songs being banned in South Africa, but Western music, Rock in particular, was banned in many countries during that era. All communist states did so, as well as most authoritarian or dictatorial governments. Seems to me that people now make more of an issue about these songs than was at the time of their release. I'm not stating there was no controversy regarding these songs, rather that it wasn't as widespread as this video implies.