Oh she definitely listened to it and all the royal family. Members of parliament and lords and people of wealth. The song got band and it created upheaval and became a like a war cry for the youth to fight the establishment. Dark days in the U.K. For social unrest. No money or jobs, high unemployment rate. All the bombings. (IRA) trouble with religion etc riots and police fighting in the streets.
It's hard for us Yanks to understand how hard this song shook up the UK when it came out. It was released during the Silver Jubilee, the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. That boat party in the video was the band playing their set (including this song) on the Thames River in London during the celebration. Hence all the arrests. The song hit #1 but the BBC refused to acknowledge it; the top slot in that week's countdown was officially blank. Lead singer Johnny Rotten was attacked with a machete shortly after this. I'll be 51 in a week and I first heard this song 38 years ago. It still gives me chills, as does the rest of the album. I don't think any music has inspired me more. I'm delighted that you appreciate it too. Thanks for sharing! 😊
The #1 bit isn't quite true. It was #2 behind "I Don't Want To Talk About It" by Rod Stewart but there have always been conspiracy theories it should've been #1 and was "prevented" from doing so.
The biggest laugh over parts of that video,was the party on the Thames.Police got involved & when they asked about Johnny Rotten,John pointed to Richard Branson who was subsequently arrested!
It changed nothing, the vast majority listen to it, and then never played it again. However the punk bands did provide a fantastic crop of exceptionally good drummers, that made their way into rock.
Punk Rock = Anti Government. Ain't it awesome? Love Sex Pistols. Back in the day there was a British tv show called Young Ones on Mtv. It was my favorite show as a young teen.
The Young Ones predated MTV in the UK by a few years. It was shown on BBC2. Punk is heavily associated with protest politics in the UK, but that's mainly due to the prominence of the Sex Pistols. John Lydon just had very strong ideas about songs having a message.
@@buxymaiden I think part of the appeal of The Young Ones was that it was just so radically different it was to anything else at the time. The addition of the bands into each episode seems bizarre now, and Alexei Sayle's stuff almost seems more shoehorned in than the bands were, but there was nothing better at the time.
God Bless the Sex Pistols!! I've been listening to them since they came out I loved the whole late 70's punk scene. And they did ban the song on British radio.
@@davehunt5847 I LIKED that album! A lot of people dissed "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle", but I thought it was great. When I was a kid, we did, "lonely boy", "Rock and roll swindle" and "Belsen was a gas". That was good, solid rock and roll.
@@janstan8407 There is a lot of poor stuff on that album, but quality too. Like you guys choices. If I'd been in your group, might have argued for Silly Thing also
@@davehunt5847 Oh right!! I forgot about "Silly Thing"!! That was one of the best songs. We basically learned all of Never Mind the Bollocks, and "Silly Thing", "Lonely Boy", "Rock and Roll Swindle" and "Belson was a Gas" Then Ramones choice songs.
I wish we could go back in time to the UK in 1977 when this was released- a genuinely conservative nation (in outlook) with a strong view of monarchy, the establishment and law and order. Then arrive the Sex Pistols in the Silver Jubilee year (Queen's 25th anniversary of accession to the throne) and created an entire working class movement which shook the nation in a way no music movement had before (except possibly rock and roll in the early 50s) and certainly hasn't since. The Pistols time was history in the making and this song, played on a boat along the River Thames in London, saw them arrested. It is genuinely impossible to really appreciate how the country, as a whole, was shaken to it's core by the Punk movement.
Well.. Malcolm McLaren (their manager) got arrested, (you can see him getting roughed up by the police towards the end), Sophie Richmond, Jamie Reid, and a few Pistols hangers-on got lifted too. The Pistols themselves walked away scot-free, so not a bad evening's work, hahaha 😁
Was just about to reply in almost the same words! If I remember right, this actually should have been the number one single in the week of the jubillee, but it was considered so controversial they showed it as number two so as not to offend our Queen!!
You are not wrong, I was 6 when this came out, and my brother was a big fan, and I was aware of how much everyone disapproved of them. But, man I didn’t know the half of it at the time.
AS a UK citizen I love this song and can safely say. Having a Royal Family is like owning a really expensive breed of dog that only eats gold, can't do any tricks, has an expensive medical condition due to inbreeding, barks and growls at you when you approach and then shits all over your house... and lives for centuries...
I have never heard it put so brilliantly! I've heard both royalists and anti-royalists from the UK but I think you hit the nail on the head my friend.... At least to someone from Miami,Fl
@Steven Parker THAT IS PURE AWESOMENESS! 🤣 My cousin lives in London and I've got a friend over in Guilford....that's pretty close to where my cousin actually grew up. I loved rocking out to this as a kid in all the clubs over here. That means across the pond... I'm on Long Island NY. We used to go to all the clubs in NYC. They'd played at a place called CBGBs early on in NYC! Damn we had do much fun there and I miss those places so much! I remember our clothes and the Mohawks...my friend Carol had one, I had a bi color two level hair cut with a tail and out friend mom had something wild going on but I forget which style it was. Our friend Nina was taking cosmetology in school so she cut and colored all out hair for us. But she had pretty much an almost fully shaved head. Ppl used to think she was doing the skinhead thing but that was from her brain surgeries. She has seizures and other Neuro issues so for the second surgery they'd taken out part of her skull. The AORST was sometimes she'd have a damn seizure as she'd be cutting your hair and she'd accidentally stab you in the sides our of heads a bunch of times before she knocked out! That was our price for beauty baby! That and the piercings but that was more a Carol thing. NOBODY we knew went to professional piercers, we did our own at home. You know...like "normal people" do it. Light up a needle, clean it off with rubbing alcohol and use a cut up potato behind the back of wherever you're piercing yourself. That's how we did all our ears, but Carol and Nina's nose I did without the potato 🤣 Carol pierced her cheek right at her mother's kitchen table. She had a HUGE oversized safety pin in it for the longest time. Ahhh...to be kids again ya know? 😊❤️😎🤘 LOL!
@@christinegelabert1651 lol sounds familiar, I was 5 in 1977 so got into Punk in my teens. My neighbours were a punk couple and took me to see The Damned when I was 15. Not long after I had a blonde mohawk and yes we did our own piercings too, in fact, my mate Sean did a Tattoo on my chest in his living room - a Cowboy skull :) Added another 8 or 9 after that. Heard about CBGBs back in the day, apart from Brit punk I was also into some US punk like Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, Misfits etc. I'd love to go back and relive those days, maybe remember all the gigs instead of the few I was relatively sober at :)
@@papimiami1938 the thing is they are not that expensive and bring in billions to the country , they cost about 1 hour of protecting your President in monetary terms for the entire year....I mean Marine 1 and it's back up helicopters cost over 1 billion dollars to make 🤷🤣
The BBC did ban it, and like all banned records, pushed it to the top of the charts. There is great controversy about it was not number one at the time of the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977, as it represented the disillusion of the younger generation at the time.
Yeh it was number one. And they blanked out the title of the song on all outlets the showed the top 10. Loved growing up in the 70’s Really miss it. Everything was so much easier
This song reached number one in Great Britain, but the powers that be refused to show it on the billboard list of top 100 even when it got to number one.
The Sex Pistols were arguably one of the most important bands to come out of the UK in the '70s. They were a tight stripped-down Rock band that connected with a massive disenfranchised population constantly being told to know their place and to conform. They were having none of it and fucking said so. God bless Johnny Rotten!
Well rev Bigschmo' how uncleverly, unoriginal u are.Sharp as paint!Then again,u probably strain a muscle when u concentrate.Obviously, u can't dig the ironic humor. Enjoy another Twinkie and have a pleasant evening in your Mommies basement w your action figures! Woo!
In '77 in the UK, people were struggling, big time. No jobs, hunger, inflation.. and then here comes the monarchy celebrating the Queen's jubilee in a big, expensive, posh manner. What a slap in the face to those struggling. So the Pistols went on a boat, at the height of the festivities and told the truth. Some were arrested (their manager, Malcolm and others) and this boat ride went down in infamy.
An Iconic tune from the spitting, puking, nose chain punk rock era, I was 16 years old when this was released, a lot of my school friends turned punk, crazy dayz...
Johnny Rotten is alive and well living in LA. God Save the Queen was both a major shock and a smash hit. You have to understand what was going on the world at the time. The youth worldwide were not happy. Johnny Rotten created the Sex Pistols as a counter to the Arena Rock of the day, he said he was at a Pink Floyd concert when he revolted again the rock of the time; so we got Punk Rock!!! A major plus we got The Ramones!!
Yap they were pissed, England was not doing well at the time, economically, socially, lots of unemployment, and the queen, well, she was celebrating her jubilee...
Yes. He was singing about the Queen of England. She wanted to have the song banned. It went to #1. That show on the water front, I think they were arrested during the show.
Hahahahahaha! I love it! This song got the Sex Pistols put on the "Subversive List" back in the 1970's. Your reactions still have me crackn up. Keep up the great work.
This is Jay you don’t realize what time it came out at all the conflict unemployment and he’s talking about the fascism and the total control by the queen over the government this song was justified by the youth at that time
Oh, they totally DID ban the song, and even though it was the best seller they stopped it from being #1 so they wouldn't have to play it on Top of the Pops. Many shops refused to carry it, or the album that followed. WH Smiths just left a blank spot on the chart on their wall for where the album should have been.
The band rented a barge and blasted this song on the river outside the Queen’s palace during her jubilee - some of this footage is them being arrested after pulling that.
1970's Britain needed a revolution unfortunately we never got the one. Instead we got Maggie. The Queen definitely has heard this as it got banned from the radio/TV and removed from the charts but we still bought it. Now for Anarchy in the UK.
Having a Royal Family is like owning a really expensive breed of dog that only eats gold, can't do any tricks, has an expensive medical condition due to inbreeding, barks and growls at you when you approach and then shits all over your house... and lives for centuries... As for Maggie: Thatcher reduced industry to purge the left and Unions of power in a Pinochet inspired attack while putting our eggs in the London fiscal basket. Since then the Tories have turned us into a global hub for laundering the criminal elite's cash for them. Land of dopes and Tories.
@@erict956 That's because Tony Blair was 'Thatcher's greatest Legacy' and Starmer is carrying on the coup de gras on Labour. Blair dropped clause 4, dragged Labour to the centre, shifted the Overton window to the right, dragged us into a neocon war and now takes money from Saudi Arabia to help with their PR over the genocide in Yemen... But I will defend Blair's 'New Labour' on the economy. His Labour government reduced debt to GDP by 4% and only borrowed around £130 billion in the decade before the crisis. Tories have borrowed almost £1trillion in the past decade. Unfortunately, the cross-party decision to give away £350 billion of taxpayer money to save the banks is added to Labour's account. We have over £2 trillion national debt and despite the crash happening on Labour's watch, the Tories are responsible for creating 2/3rds of that national debt. With recent spending, it's more like £2.5 trillion and the Tories responsible for 3/4 of that.
You're reaction was priceless,there was a lot to protest over in the 1970s. It was banned and got to number 2, deliberately kept off number 1 because it was The Queen's diver jubilee in 1977. 🇬🇧
Hes absolutely talking about her. The band was banned from playing this song in England. It was banned from the radio.So on the queens 25th anniversary celebration the Sex Pistols rented a boat and played this song loudly on the Thames river... its right outside her palace. I. So sure her or her people heard it Lol. When they docked the boat the cops were waiting to arrest as many of them as they could. Sex Pistols gave no fiddlesticks
The Sex Pistols kicked the music industry and a whole country in the face! The most influential and important band ever and they were only together for just over 2 years
They sailed down the River Thames playing and singing this song on HM Queen's Jubilee day celebrations! The police intervened. BBC banned the record! I recall hearing alternate lyrics which were more extreme including "God save the Queen, what f*ing use is she...." Exciting punk rock times...
You think this song is bad? Try listening to "Bodies". It's about abortion, and it's about as raw and obnoxious as a song can get. I still listened to it in the great decade of the 70's.
@@MrPDoff Yeah, I knew one of them did, I just forgot which one. Apparently she followed the band around. I was always intrigued by the line 'she was from Birmingham, she lived in a tree'!
This song shot up to the #1 spot on the British singles charts. The only time in their history that the #1 slot was BLANK because they refused to publish it! The chart literally had | | as the number one single!
The singer of this band went on to appear on 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' and in commercials selling a brand of butter, just FYI. Punk is dead.
Yes that's right, punk is dead, just another cheap product for the consumers head. Bubblegum rock on plastic transistors, teenage sedition backed by big time promoters. CBS support The Clash, it ain't for revolution it's just for cash, punk became a fashion like hippy used to be and it ain't got a thing to do with you or me.
@@angelafeeney3138 John Lydon has been married to Nora Forster, a publishing heiress from Germany, since 1979. He was the stepfather of Forster's daughter Ari Up, who had been the lead singer in the post-punk band The Slits until her death in 2010. they are also the legal guardians of the three chlidren of Ari. Nora Forster has Alzheimer since 2018. John Lydon himself is the full-time carer of her.
Yeah that was during 1976 and there was a lot of mellow soft rock I'm not saying that's bad that you had Fleetwood Mac and Linda Ronstadt and all these bands that were just really really really mellow and then Here Comes The Sex Pistols and they just steamrolled that whole scene it was really glorious
Saw Johnny "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, when he was fronting a band called PiL (Public image Limited), and he let out a great line to the crowd at the show, some of whom were not participating to his satisfaction. "Rock and Roll is to be danced to, not looked at!" THAT is a Rock and Roll attitude.
A lot of this footage was taken from when the band's manager, Malcolm McLaren, rented a boat to have the band perform floating down the Thames River during the 25th anniversary celebrations of the queen's inauguration (the "Jubilee Summer"). Some other footage is of the celebration itself (The burning "E/ R" people are carrying stands for "Elizabeth Regina", the Queen's name). And yes, this song was banned in the UK . . . and it still made it to the Top 10 (which for 1977 was unheard of).
I remember watching a Sex Pistols documentary, that stated that the song was banned on British radio stations (it was only played on illegal pirate radio stations in the UK). British music charts were not even allowed to publish the name of the song and the band's name. They had to show a "blank space" on the chart listing for the song. "God Save The Queen" reached "Number 1" on the UK music charts.
People have very little understanding of what it means to be British. I am fifty four, ex-military and a patriot through and through. I have the privilege(no pun intended) of being fairly certain that 'She'- god bless her- pun intended including the slight- will have seen this and probably would have laughed. For all the intrusion in their private lives Royalty has always had its children at heart including the sheep of various colours. This is not a position of privilege, class or superiority. It is an accepted burden that it took younger royalty to corrupt probably due to selfish desires to be someone/something. Feckless, shallow and vain. The Queen and respectable members of the Royal family understand that the responsibility they carry comes at a terrible price which they're all prepared to carry without comment, complaint or recriminations as they are royalty and expect nothing. We loved this song in the military because we also understood there's a price to pay for freedom be it individual, collective or both. It took the British to help focus the USA we see today. We were crap parents but we helped you work out your constitution. Across the pond we stare in disbelief at what you are doing to yourselves now.
Hi Jayy Show. The song wasn't banned but it reached number one in the charts and the name of the song and the band were blacked out for the first and only time in the history of the music charts. They also faced a lot of violence from the public and threat of being hanged by the decree of the Traitor's Act, so they paid a high price before becoming music legends. There's a great documentary called "The Filth and The Fury" that really explains all. I really enjoyed your video. Thanks.
Oh she definitely heard it... it was released in 1977 the Year of the Queens Silver Jubilee. And they played it live on a barge live during the silver Jubilee celebrations. AND they DID TRY to ban it the Top of The Pops Chart in UK had no number 1 that week as they would not allow this to be number 1.
This might be the most important song of the entire 1970s. As one of your commentators wrote: "(the song) this album (came from - Never Mind the Bollocks) - changed music forever." The Sex Pistols are easily one of the ten most important bands of all time. And their songs are still as awesome and fresh as they were nearly 50 years ago.
It was banned on Radio 1 in the UK, certain stores wouldn’t stock the record and yet it still sold millions and went to number 1, except the powers that be made it appear to only get to number 2. All of this during the queens silver jubilee celebrations.
if you were of a certain age when these guys hit the states and your older brother got Mad Magazine. well you had to be there. thanks for bringing back that time for a minute through your eyes. no fiddle sticks given
Johnny Rotten was discovered from wearing a Pink Floyd T-shirt with the words I Hate handwritten above the band's name and holes scratched through the eyes
My gosh, your eyes just popped like the British and rock establishment the first time they heard it! Those were angry young men, and they meant it. Britain was a mess in the 70's.
The Pistols were exactly what rock music needed at the time. And I wish there was another band just like them right now. Rock music has become bland and generic and it needs a massive shake up. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!!
this always brings to my mind the song "sound of Muzak" by Porcupine Tree...."the music of rebellion makes you want to rage....but it's made by millionaires who are nearly twice you age". The world needs more punk
The Sex Pistols certainly did not create the as you kids now call it Punk Rock,, The States Garage Music Scene, which started in 66. The Pistols, for the Brits was new. Us kids back then wouldn't be so quick to award such a commercial , contrived project , as King of. DIY underground
They ticked off the entire country of England because of that song. I do believe the song was banned there and it still made it to the top of the charts in 1977
No it didn't make the top of the UK charts, it made number 2, Rod Stewart kept them from the top spot. But its generally accepted that some shenanigans were in place to prevent it from being the number 1 record.
They did ban it in England for awhile. It was the late 70s and nobody did what they did or talked about politics at the time. The Sex Pistols were hated and misunderstood in what they were singing about in their songs and the message.They were more criticizing the establishment of the Queen, not her herself. That's what John said. It was about being anti-establishment and fighting for the working class. That footage of them on the boat getting arrested for having their own party boat is real. They were actually arrested for playing this song. The money they made (which was little) was given to lawyers for "damages." Really dumb.
It can be debated that they Never actually called the Queen a Moron. They said "The Facist Machine.. It Makes you a Moron, a Potential H bomb" ie...she is kept in the dark and is told what people in the establishment want her to know. It Matters Not. It is a great tune by one of, if not 'The' most influential British bands of all time. God Blesss the Sex Pistols. The Clip you watched was from the Queens Silver jubilee where the Pistols were band for playing on the land so They Hired a Boat and the played On The River Tames. I have to add Your reaction was Priceless. Lol
Yes he is talking about the Queen. It was bit tongue in cheek though. Released in the Silver Jubilee year. Boat is going down the Thames in London. Apparently Prince Charles found the song amusing. Their album Never Mind the Bollocks was indeed banned. Still made it to No1 though. RIP Sid.
When there is no future its hard to worry about the queen , thats what it means. The Queen had them play at the palace a few years ago . this album changed music , and inspired hundreds of groups after them
My apologies, it was number two in the BBC chart and number one in the NME (New Musical Express) chart, I was clearly getting the two mixed up, sorry for any inconvenience :)
The song was banned. It was originally to be released on A&M records but the people working at the pressing plant refused to press it. It was released by Richard Branson's Virgin records. By the way, he is now Sir Richard Branson, yes, Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Not only was the record banned, but the official chart company in the UK changed the rules on how they counted sales to eliminate sales made through shops affiliated with the record label. That meant no sales through Virgin Records shops counted. I believe this rule existed for 1 week only, the week of The Queen's silver jubilee. That change meant the record only made number 2 in that weeks charts, with Rod Stewart's I Don't Want To Talk About It being number 1. God Save The Queen remains the most thrilling single ever released. To hear for the first time aged 16 was a life changing 3 minutes 20 seconds.
This is an example of punk rock and the bands never cared about being played on the radio since no bands had any sort of record company contacts. Also with the exception of the Sex Pistols - all punk rock bands were just kids coming together to make music and more often than not no one was all that good at playing. But with punk its more emotion than technique that drives you. Might I suggest you check out the Bad Brains - an American hardcore punk rock band, they were the first hardcore band, who also played reggae during their sets. Check out their album Rock for Light.
1977 ,to us a certain age, no jobs, no money, and as the pistols said no future But the band was brilliant along with the ruts, angelic upstarts, clash, sham 69.
Sorry about the noise in the background I had the fan on because it was hot as heck and I forgot to turn It off lol
Nothing wrong with a bit of chaos. The Pistols would be proud of you. :)
Welcome to punk rock!
Love your work Jayy x
Brilliant song was kept of the number 1 spot in charts by the fascist regime.... The week of the queen's silver jubilee celebrations
@@cesarroberto7276 punk rock is different coz it has the music but not the points that punk stood for just punk mate
The Queen would not have heard it as she was not into this group.
She preferred The Stranglers and The Clash and more recently The Killers...
London Calling 🤘
🤣🤣🤣
She has good taste.
She was into the Monkees,, so she must love the Pistols,, TIC
Oh she definitely listened to it and all the royal family. Members of parliament and lords and people of wealth.
The song got band and it created upheaval and became a like a war cry for the youth to fight the establishment. Dark days in the U.K. For social unrest. No money or jobs, high unemployment rate. All the bombings. (IRA) trouble with religion etc riots and police fighting in the streets.
It's hard for us Yanks to understand how hard this song shook up the UK when it came out. It was released during the Silver Jubilee, the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. That boat party in the video was the band playing their set (including this song) on the Thames River in London during the celebration. Hence all the arrests. The song hit #1 but the BBC refused to acknowledge it; the top slot in that week's countdown was officially blank. Lead singer Johnny Rotten was attacked with a machete shortly after this.
I'll be 51 in a week and I first heard this song 38 years ago. It still gives me chills, as does the rest of the album. I don't think any music has inspired me more. I'm delighted that you appreciate it too. Thanks for sharing! 😊
The #1 bit isn't quite true. It was #2 behind "I Don't Want To Talk About It" by Rod Stewart but there have always been conspiracy theories it should've been #1 and was "prevented" from doing so.
75th anniversary
@@anthonypuccetti8779 25th.
The biggest laugh over parts of that video,was the party on the Thames.Police got involved & when they asked about Johnny Rotten,John pointed to Richard Branson who was subsequently arrested!
True and funny
John is clever dude!
As the daughter of a true blue 70’s punk, this band was the anthem of my own childhood. Iconic.
Yes he was talking about Queenie in an age when we all had opinions and were not scared to voice them.
Prince Andrews still sweating
Another GREAT Sex Pistols song is "Pretty Vacant".
My favorite Sex Pistols song
Yep. My Dad bought me Pretty Vacant for my 14th birthday. He had good taste.
Such an awesome guitar intro, Holiday In The Sun and EMI are favorites.
Bodies was better…..
@@philipkavanagh7690 good song.
The Album that changed music forever
After this album Rock'n'Roll would never be the same again
Play their#1 hit Bloody Pus GummedWankers
Hellyeah
It changed nothing, the vast majority listen to it, and then never played it again. However the punk bands did provide a fantastic crop of exceptionally good drummers, that made their way into rock.
@@markhorton8578 whatcha been smokin?
Punk Rock = Anti Government. Ain't it awesome? Love Sex Pistols. Back in the day there was a British tv show called Young Ones on Mtv. It was my favorite show as a young teen.
lol yes the young ones. A highlights pack would make a great reaction! I still remember Motorhead playing Ace of Spades in their lounge room lol
Oh, gosh, yes! Rik! 💜💜💜
The Young Ones predated MTV in the UK by a few years. It was shown on BBC2. Punk is heavily associated with protest politics in the UK, but that's mainly due to the prominence of the Sex Pistols. John Lydon just had very strong ideas about songs having a message.
I bought the young ones cd a few years back, nobody gets it, lol, we grew up in the best era, sex pistols were a legend by the time i was 11
@@buxymaiden I think part of the appeal of The Young Ones was that it was just so radically different it was to anything else at the time. The addition of the bands into each episode seems bizarre now, and Alexei Sayle's stuff almost seems more shoehorned in than the bands were, but there was nothing better at the time.
God Bless the Sex Pistols!! I've been listening to them since they came out I loved the whole late 70's punk scene. And they did ban the song on British radio.
They're bunch of wholesome blokes!
@@davehunt5847 I LIKED that album! A lot of people dissed "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle", but I thought it was great. When I was a kid, we did, "lonely boy", "Rock and roll swindle" and "Belsen was a gas". That was good, solid rock and roll.
@@janstan8407 There is a lot of poor stuff on that album, but quality too. Like you guys choices. If I'd been in your group, might have argued for Silly Thing also
@@davehunt5847 Oh right!! I forgot about "Silly Thing"!! That was one of the best songs. We basically learned all of Never Mind the Bollocks, and "Silly Thing", "Lonely Boy", "Rock and Roll Swindle" and "Belson was a Gas" Then Ramones choice songs.
John Peel(legend)played it on his show at 10pm,i was listening under my bed covers on my little transistor radio!😁
I wish we could go back in time to the UK in 1977 when this was released- a genuinely conservative nation (in outlook) with a strong view of monarchy, the establishment and law and order. Then arrive the Sex Pistols in the Silver Jubilee year (Queen's 25th anniversary of accession to the throne) and created an entire working class movement which shook the nation in a way no music movement had before (except possibly rock and roll in the early 50s) and certainly hasn't since. The Pistols time was history in the making and this song, played on a boat along the River Thames in London, saw them arrested. It is genuinely impossible to really appreciate how the country, as a whole, was shaken to it's core by the Punk movement.
When I've done wiv me TARDIS I'll lend it owt. :-)
Well.. Malcolm McLaren (their manager) got arrested, (you can see him getting roughed up by the police towards the end), Sophie Richmond, Jamie Reid, and a few Pistols hangers-on got lifted too.
The Pistols themselves walked away scot-free, so not a bad evening's work, hahaha 😁
Was just about to reply in almost the same words! If I remember right, this actually should have been the number one single in the week of the jubillee, but it was considered so controversial they showed it as number two so as not to offend our Queen!!
You are not wrong, I was 6 when this came out, and my brother was a big fan, and I was aware of how much everyone disapproved of them. But, man I didn’t know the half of it at the time.
AS a UK citizen I love this song and can safely say. Having a Royal Family is like owning a really expensive breed of dog that only eats gold, can't do any tricks, has an expensive medical condition due to inbreeding, barks and growls at you when you approach and then shits all over your house... and lives for centuries...
I have never heard it put so brilliantly! I've heard both royalists and anti-royalists from the UK but I think you hit the nail on the head my friend.... At least to someone from Miami,Fl
@Steven Parker THAT IS PURE AWESOMENESS! 🤣 My cousin lives in London and I've got a friend over in Guilford....that's pretty close to where my cousin actually grew up. I loved rocking out to this as a kid in all the clubs over here. That means across the pond... I'm on Long Island NY. We used to go to all the clubs in NYC. They'd played at a place called CBGBs early on in NYC! Damn we had do much fun there and I miss those places so much! I remember our clothes and the Mohawks...my friend Carol had one, I had a bi color two level hair cut with a tail and out friend mom had something wild going on but I forget which style it was. Our friend Nina was taking cosmetology in school so she cut and colored all out hair for us. But she had pretty much an almost fully shaved head. Ppl used to think she was doing the skinhead thing but that was from her brain surgeries. She has seizures and other Neuro issues so for the second surgery they'd taken out part of her skull. The AORST was sometimes she'd have a damn seizure as she'd be cutting your hair and she'd accidentally stab you in the sides our of heads a bunch of times before she knocked out! That was our price for beauty baby! That and the piercings but that was more a Carol thing. NOBODY we knew went to professional piercers, we did our own at home. You know...like "normal people" do it. Light up a needle, clean it off with rubbing alcohol and use a cut up potato behind the back of wherever you're piercing yourself. That's how we did all our ears, but Carol and Nina's nose I did without the potato 🤣 Carol pierced her cheek right at her mother's kitchen table. She had a HUGE oversized safety pin in it for the longest time. Ahhh...to be kids again ya know? 😊❤️😎🤘
LOL!
@@christinegelabert1651 lol sounds familiar, I was 5 in 1977 so got into Punk in my teens. My neighbours were a punk couple and took me to see The Damned when I was 15. Not long after I had a blonde mohawk and yes we did our own piercings too, in fact, my mate Sean did a Tattoo on my chest in his living room - a Cowboy skull :) Added another 8 or 9 after that. Heard about CBGBs back in the day, apart from Brit punk I was also into some US punk like Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, Misfits etc. I'd love to go back and relive those days, maybe remember all the gigs instead of the few I was relatively sober at :)
🤣🤣🤣....God Save the Queen 🇬🇧
@@papimiami1938 the thing is they are not that expensive and bring in billions to the country , they cost about 1 hour of protecting your President in monetary terms for the entire year....I mean Marine 1 and it's back up helicopters cost over 1 billion dollars to make 🤷🤣
The BBC did ban it, and like all banned records, pushed it to the top of the charts. There is great controversy about it was not number one at the time of the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977, as it represented the disillusion of the younger generation at the time.
Yeh it was number one. And they blanked out the title of the song on all outlets the showed the top 10.
Loved growing up in the 70’s
Really miss it. Everything was so much easier
@@aynyce411 the number one hit that no one admitted existed
They elevated Rod Stewart to Number 1 to cover it up
This song reached number one in Great Britain, but the powers that be refused to show it on the billboard list of top 100 even when it got to number one.
Lead singer ( John Lydon) is one of the most clued up and awake gentleman in rock music
To bad he's to fukin sorry to brush his pyarreah funky mouth nasty snags
The port o potty must be his snackbar!!
Wonderful to see that the Pistols can still shock people.
The Sex Pistols were arguably one of the most important bands to come out of the UK in the '70s. They were a tight stripped-down Rock band that connected with a massive disenfranchised population constantly being told to know their place and to conform.
They were having none of it and fucking said so.
God bless Johnny Rotten!
I was 15 when NMTB came out. It was our music.
They should've done something rebellious like stealing a toothbrush or some Scope instead of dope! Woooooo!!
@@deershelton1813 Sometimes it's better to not say anything and let people assume you're ignorant than to open your mouth and prove it!
Well rev Bigschmo' how uncleverly, unoriginal u are.Sharp as paint!Then again,u probably strain a muscle when u concentrate.Obviously, u can't dig the ironic humor. Enjoy another Twinkie and have a pleasant evening in your Mommies basement w your action figures! Woo!
@@deershelton1813 There you go with that mouth again..., Keep going t's hilarious.
The national anthem for a whole generation.
Love everything about this song!! Love the message, love the the music, love the attitude!!
And true punks hate you
Iam not really because Queen are my favourites, but great music, great stories never die! Iam old probably oh sh..😂
@@antoniomaraspin ma va a cagare
@@antoniomaraspin Edgy.
@@antoniomaraspin "true punks" as in american punks. Lol fuck that teen radio scene
In '77 in the UK, people were struggling, big time. No jobs, hunger, inflation.. and then here comes the monarchy celebrating the Queen's jubilee in a big, expensive, posh manner. What a slap in the face to those struggling. So the Pistols went on a boat, at the height of the festivities and told the truth. Some were arrested (their manager, Malcolm and others) and this boat ride went down in infamy.
One of the best songs to come outta the punk era
An Iconic tune from the spitting, puking, nose chain punk rock era, I was 16 years old when this was released, a lot of my school friends turned punk, crazy dayz...
Johnny Rotten is alive and well living in LA. God Save the Queen was both a major shock and a smash hit. You have to understand what was going on the world at the time. The youth worldwide were not happy.
Johnny Rotten created the Sex Pistols as a counter to the Arena Rock of the day, he said he was at a Pink Floyd concert when he revolted again the rock of the time; so we got Punk Rock!!! A major plus we got The Ramones!!
@Out West I am of a certain age and I say oh well... God Save The Queen as a sarcastic expression when I'm being a wiseass all the time still. 😂
@@christinegelabert1651 I was in High School when the Beatles came to America.
Ramones came out first.
John was asked to join the Sex Pistols and certainly changed their direction lyrically when he did. He didn't create them, though.
Well, he's alive.........
Yap they were pissed, England was not doing well at the time, economically, socially, lots of unemployment, and the queen, well, she was celebrating her jubilee...
One of the best albums of all time - Never Mind the Bollocks - John Lyndon (Rotten) very intelligent bloke - love it
Yes. He was singing about the Queen of England. She wanted to have the song banned. It went to #1. That show on the water front, I think they were arrested during the show.
The Queen didn't want the song banned. I doubt she would have ever heard of it. The BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority refused to play it.
It became the alternative british anthem
They sang it on a boat outside Buckingham Palace during the Queen's silver jubileee.
Buckingham Palace isn't on the Thames. It was the Houses of Parliament
I admire their courage.
'i hope the queen never heard this"
Lol they were following the queen down the river on her silver jubilee. They ended up getting arrested
We can only thank f*** she wasn't listening to "BODIES" :-) Best album of the 20th century.
JAYY, welcome to Punk Rock. Now on to white water rafting!! ❤️😂
Hahahahahaha! I love it! This song got the Sex Pistols put on the "Subversive List" back in the 1970's. Your reactions still have me crackn up. Keep up the great work.
The Sex Pistols we’re a 70’s anti establishment punk band ……… loved them
Now Johnny is married to a Multi-Millionairess Heiress..
As Bobby Robson said of Gary Lineker " The Boy Dun Good"..
This is Jay you don’t realize what time it came out at all the conflict unemployment and he’s talking about the fascism and the total control by the queen over the government this song was justified by the youth at that time
Oh, they totally DID ban the song, and even though it was the best seller they stopped it from being #1 so they wouldn't have to play it on Top of the Pops. Many shops refused to carry it, or the album that followed. WH Smiths just left a blank spot on the chart on their wall for where the album should have been.
i love the shock in the ladys eyes this songs well over 40 yrs old and a lot of us grew up loving this music and still do ,
The band rented a barge and blasted this song on the river outside the Queen’s palace during her jubilee - some of this footage is them being arrested after pulling that.
1970's Britain needed a revolution unfortunately we never got the one. Instead we got Maggie. The Queen definitely has heard this as it got banned from the radio/TV and removed from the charts but we still bought it. Now for Anarchy in the UK.
Great comment, I laughed heartily. Whereby the canceled revolution and Maggie itself are (were) no laughing matter
Having a Royal Family is like owning a really expensive breed of dog that only eats gold, can't do any tricks, has an expensive medical condition due to inbreeding, barks and growls at you when you approach and then shits all over your house... and lives for centuries...
As for Maggie: Thatcher reduced industry to purge the left and Unions of power in a Pinochet inspired attack while putting our eggs in the London fiscal basket. Since then the Tories have turned us into a global hub for laundering the criminal elite's cash for them. Land of dopes and Tories.
@@steveparker8065 sadly Tony Blair's Labour did just as bad. Rock and hard place buddy.
@@erict956 That's because Tony Blair was 'Thatcher's greatest Legacy' and Starmer is carrying on the coup de gras on Labour.
Blair dropped clause 4, dragged Labour to the centre, shifted the Overton window to the right, dragged us into a neocon war and now takes money from Saudi Arabia to help with their PR over the genocide in Yemen...
But I will defend Blair's 'New Labour' on the economy. His Labour government reduced debt to GDP by 4% and only borrowed around £130 billion in the decade before the crisis. Tories have borrowed almost £1trillion in the past decade. Unfortunately, the cross-party decision to give away £350 billion of taxpayer money to save the banks is added to Labour's account.
We have over £2 trillion national debt and despite the crash happening on Labour's watch, the Tories are responsible for creating 2/3rds of that national debt. With recent spending, it's more like £2.5 trillion and the Tories responsible for 3/4 of that.
@@steveparker8065 Be glad you don't have Democrat/Socialists...
It reached number 1 in the UK charts but the BBC refused to play it or acknowledge it was number 1. So in a sense it was banned.
You're reaction was priceless,there was a lot to protest over in the 1970s. It was banned and got to number 2, deliberately kept off number 1 because it was The Queen's diver jubilee in 1977. 🇬🇧
Hes absolutely talking about her. The band was banned from playing this song in England. It was banned from the radio.So on the queens 25th anniversary celebration the Sex Pistols rented a boat and played this song loudly on the Thames river... its right outside her palace. I. So sure her or her people heard it Lol. When they docked the boat the cops were waiting to arrest as many of them as they could. Sex Pistols gave no fiddlesticks
The Sex Pistols kicked the music industry and a whole country in the face! The most influential and important band ever and they were only together for just over 2 years
They sailed down the River Thames playing and singing this song on HM Queen's Jubilee day celebrations! The police intervened. BBC banned the record! I recall hearing alternate lyrics which were more extreme including "God save the Queen, what f*ing use is she...." Exciting punk rock times...
You think this song is bad? Try listening to "Bodies". It's about abortion, and it's about as
raw and obnoxious as a song can get. I still listened to it in the great decade of the 70's.
I was think that. Oh what a treat. One of my favourites
Yeah. Its about a real girl who turned up to a Sex Pistols gig with her abortion in a carrier bag.
@@Davey-Boyd the story goes that Steve Shagged her not knowing
@@MrPDoff Yeah, I knew one of them did, I just forgot which one. Apparently she followed the band around. I was always intrigued by the line 'she was from Birmingham, she lived in a tree'!
Anarchy in the UK, Road Runner/Johnny B Good, Friggin in the Riggin... this the energy of punk (inb4 someone says that this isn't punk)
Forget which YT channel, but saw a reaction to Crass somewhere. What a riot.
This song shot up to the #1 spot on the British singles charts. The only time in their history that the #1 slot was BLANK because they refused to publish it! The chart literally had | | as the number one single!
There’s a before and after this record. Nothing was quite the same afterwards
The singer of this band went on to appear on 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' and in commercials selling a brand of butter, just FYI.
Punk is dead.
Yes that's right, punk is dead, just another cheap product for the consumers head. Bubblegum rock on plastic transistors, teenage sedition backed by big time promoters. CBS support The Clash, it ain't for revolution it's just for cash, punk became a fashion like hippy used to be and it ain't got a thing to do with you or me.
Anti establishment in the Punk era. Fantastic!
That's our Johnny.
Married to a Multi-Millionairess Heiress now :)
Is he? Bloody Hell!
Punk is anti establishment. Welcome to punk.
@@angelafeeney3138 John Lydon has been married to Nora Forster, a publishing heiress from Germany, since 1979. He was the stepfather of Forster's daughter Ari Up, who had been the lead singer in the post-punk band The Slits until her death in 2010. they are also the legal guardians of the three chlidren of Ari. Nora Forster has Alzheimer since 2018. John Lydon himself is the full-time carer of her.
@@chrisjericho9632 Thanks for the info Chris. X
They hit the nail on head
Yeah that was during 1976 and there was a lot of mellow soft rock I'm not saying that's bad that you had Fleetwood Mac and Linda Ronstadt and all these bands that were just really really really mellow and then Here Comes The Sex Pistols and they just steamrolled that whole scene it was really glorious
I'm a royalist and I also love this song
Uh yah. THAT Queen 😉
No art should ever be banned. No person should ever be censored. No human should ever be silenced.
It was the greatest time being a teenager when the pistols where at number one.
Do NOT listen to Bodies by this band hon..... You ain't equipped for that ride.
Saw Johnny "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, when he was fronting a band called PiL (Public image Limited), and he let out a great line to the crowd at the show, some of whom were not participating to his satisfaction. "Rock and Roll is to be danced to, not looked at!" THAT is a Rock and Roll attitude.
A lot of this footage was taken from when the band's manager, Malcolm McLaren, rented a boat to have the band perform floating down the Thames River during the 25th anniversary celebrations of the queen's inauguration (the "Jubilee Summer"). Some other footage is of the celebration itself (The burning "E/ R" people are carrying stands for "Elizabeth Regina", the Queen's name). And yes, this song was banned in the UK . . . and it still made it to the Top 10 (which for 1977 was unheard of).
FINALLY! SEX PISTOLS..RULE! Johnny Rotten..Sid Vicious.🎸🎙
I remember watching a Sex Pistols documentary, that stated that the song was banned on British radio stations (it was only played on illegal pirate radio stations in the UK). British music charts were not even allowed to publish the name of the song and the band's name. They had to show a "blank space" on the chart listing for the song. "God Save The Queen" reached "Number 1" on the UK music charts.
The whole album had great songs on it: "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols".
People have very little understanding of what it means to be British. I am fifty four, ex-military and a patriot through and through. I have the privilege(no pun intended) of being fairly certain that 'She'- god bless her- pun intended including the slight- will have seen this and probably would have laughed. For all the intrusion in their private lives Royalty has always had its children at heart including the sheep of various colours. This is not a position of privilege, class or superiority. It is an accepted burden that it took younger royalty to corrupt probably due to selfish desires to be someone/something. Feckless, shallow and vain. The Queen and respectable members of the Royal family understand that the responsibility they carry comes at a terrible price which they're all prepared to carry without comment, complaint or recriminations as they are royalty and expect nothing. We loved this song in the military because we also understood there's a price to pay for freedom be it individual, collective or both. It took the British to help focus the USA we see today. We were crap parents but we helped you work out your constitution. Across the pond we stare in disbelief at what you are doing to yourselves now.
Hi Jayy Show. The song wasn't banned but it reached number one in the charts and the name of the song and the band were blacked out for the first and only time in the history of the music charts. They also faced a lot of violence from the public and threat of being hanged by the decree of the Traitor's Act, so they paid a high price before becoming music legends. There's a great documentary called "The Filth and The Fury" that really explains all. I really enjoyed your video. Thanks.
Oh she definitely heard it... it was released in 1977 the Year of the Queens Silver Jubilee. And they played it live on a barge live during the silver Jubilee celebrations. AND they DID TRY to ban it the Top of The Pops Chart in UK had no number 1 that week as they would not allow this to be number 1.
John Lydon is freakin awesome... I highly suggest watching the video John Lydon vs Everyone... Hilarious stuff..
This might be the most important song of the entire 1970s. As one of your commentators wrote: "(the song) this album (came from - Never Mind the Bollocks) - changed music forever." The Sex Pistols are easily one of the ten most important bands of all time. And their songs are still as awesome and fresh as they were nearly 50 years ago.
The queen and then PM, Margaret Thatcher really made it hard for the working class in the 70s, music reflected the reaction
It was banned on Radio 1 in the UK, certain stores wouldn’t stock the record and yet it still sold millions and went to number 1, except the powers that be made it appear to only get to number 2. All of this during the queens silver jubilee celebrations.
This is brilliant !!!! I’m British and agree with them. Sex pistols just sang about how many of us felt
Was at the Olympics in 12 and yeah she was there
This song was 1977 the jubilee year, i was 11
First! This is an epic song!
Is was band on radio, but it made most of us listen to it more, and more.
Jayy, you are pumping UP my Friday - keep rocking!
if you were of a certain age when these guys hit the states and your older brother got Mad Magazine. well you had to be there. thanks for bringing back that time for a minute through your eyes. no fiddle sticks given
"God save the Queen: because tourists are money, and our figurehead is not what she seems."
"We mean it man, God saves" is such a funny line because hes saying please God save the queen from damnation
Johnny Rotten was discovered from wearing a Pink Floyd T-shirt with the words I Hate handwritten above the band's name and holes scratched through the eyes
My gosh, your eyes just popped like the British and rock establishment the first time they heard it! Those were angry young men, and they meant it. Britain was a mess in the 70's.
It absolutely got banned! But still made it to #1 on the charts. The one and only time the #1 position was blank.
The Pistols were exactly what rock music needed at the time. And I wish there was another band just like them right now. Rock music has become bland and generic and it needs a massive shake up.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!!
100%accurate I work with a lot of 20yolds they have no idea
this always brings to my mind the song "sound of Muzak" by Porcupine Tree...."the music of rebellion makes you want to rage....but it's made by millionaires who are nearly twice you age". The world needs more punk
Dave check out a band named Idles,
The Sex Pistols certainly did not create the as you kids now call it Punk Rock,, The States Garage Music Scene, which started in 66.
The Pistols, for the Brits was new.
Us kids back then wouldn't be so quick to award such a commercial , contrived project , as King of. DIY underground
Who cares about American garage bands I certainly didn't here of them
They ticked off the entire country of England because of that song. I do believe the song was banned there and it still made it to the top of the charts in 1977
YES it was banned back then...Her Majesty was not impressed LOL 😂
No it didn't make the top of the UK charts, it made number 2, Rod Stewart kept them from the top spot. But its generally accepted that some shenanigans were in place to prevent it from being the number 1 record.
Ryan, thanks for clearing that up. My mistake.
Just to be clear, radio stations, particularly the BBC, refused to play it and chain stores refused to sell it. But it wasn't legally banned.
Yes British Queen Elizabeth.... She's still there.
Looking lovely,,great reaction to kings of punk ,the sex pistols.such energy , certainly made a statement back in the day. ..still does 🇬🇧👍
The Band and the album that gave the music business a swift kick up the arse God save the sex pistols
They did ban it in England for awhile. It was the late 70s and nobody did what they did or talked about politics at the time. The Sex Pistols were hated and misunderstood in what they were singing about in their songs and the message.They were more criticizing the establishment of the Queen, not her herself. That's what John said. It was about being anti-establishment and fighting for the working class. That footage of them on the boat getting arrested for having their own party boat is real. They were actually arrested for playing this song. The money they made (which was little) was given to lawyers for "damages." Really dumb.
Great song for the times.. The late 70s.. They did ban it from Broadcast and you could still buy it.
It can be debated that they Never actually called the Queen a Moron. They said "The Facist Machine.. It Makes you a Moron, a Potential H bomb" ie...she is kept in the dark and is told what people in the establishment want her to know. It Matters Not. It is a great tune by one of, if not 'The' most influential British bands of all time. God Blesss the Sex Pistols. The Clip you watched was from the Queens Silver jubilee where the Pistols were band for playing on the land so They Hired a Boat and the played On The River Tames. I have to add Your reaction was Priceless. Lol
Yes he is talking about the Queen. It was bit tongue in cheek though. Released in the Silver Jubilee year. Boat is going down the Thames in London. Apparently Prince Charles found the song amusing. Their album Never Mind the Bollocks was indeed banned. Still made it to No1 though. RIP Sid.
A stone cold classic. It was revolutionary and totally changed my life.
When there is no future its hard to worry about the queen , thats what it means. The Queen had them play at the palace a few years ago . this album changed music , and inspired hundreds of groups after them
That was at number one in the UK charts the week the Queen celebrated her silver jubilee.
No it wasn't
My apologies, it was number two in the BBC chart and number one in the NME (New Musical Express) chart, I was clearly getting the two mixed up, sorry for any inconvenience :)
You gotta love free speach
The song was banned. It was originally to be released on A&M records but the people working at the pressing plant refused to press it. It was released by Richard Branson's Virgin records. By the way, he is now Sir Richard Branson, yes, Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Not only was the record banned, but the official chart company in the UK changed the rules on how they counted sales to eliminate sales made through shops affiliated with the record label. That meant no sales through Virgin Records shops counted. I believe this rule existed for 1 week only, the week of The Queen's silver jubilee. That change meant the record only made number 2 in that weeks charts, with Rod Stewart's I Don't Want To Talk About It being number 1. God Save The Queen remains the most thrilling single ever released. To hear for the first time aged 16 was a life changing 3 minutes 20 seconds.
This is an example of punk rock and the bands never cared about being played on the radio since no bands had any sort of record company contacts. Also with the exception of the Sex Pistols - all punk rock bands were just kids coming together to make music and more often than not no one was all that good at playing. But with punk its more emotion than technique that drives you. Might I suggest you check out the Bad Brains - an American hardcore punk rock band, they were the first hardcore band, who also played reggae during their sets. Check out their album Rock for Light.
the Queen def heard this song as the band followed her boat down the thames on her jubilee playing this song they got arrested for it hahaha
This was No.1 in the UK and banned at the same time!!!
1977 ,to us a certain age, no jobs, no money, and as the pistols said no future
But the band was brilliant along with the ruts, angelic upstarts, clash, sham 69.
This, Americans is REAL punk rock. Isn't it fantastic
Oh yea they meant it man /*