Back in 1958, when “Splish Splash” was a lively pop singles sensation, some radio stations found the tune too suggestive. Being in the bath suggests the singer is naked. Not only that, but the explicit language about walking into a house party in just a towel was way too evocative. (Oh, if only the expurgators knew Lady Gaga was coming!)
When he finally joins the party, he only mentions putting his dancing shoes on! (Now, there’s a visual.) Bobby Darin hardly suffered from censorship. The 22-year-old Bronx-born singer-songwriter became a teen idol overnight, with “Splish Splash” reaching No. 3 on the pop singles chart.
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna
The savviest of provocateurs, a.k.a. The Queen of Pop, struck a high note with “Like a Prayer.” When the music video premiered on MTV in 1989, the controversy over some of the lyrics took a backseat to the widespread indignation over the presentation of religious and inappropriate themes. Madonna offended Catholics so deeply with the video that Pope John Paul II and PepsiCo denounced it.
The Vatican called it blasphemous and ordered a boycott of a new Pepsi TV commercial featuring Madonna singing with a church choir. Pepsi panicked and pulled the ad, but not before shelling out $5 million to the publicity-shrewd diva. It was the perfect concoction of controversy and attention. “Like a Prayer” remains one of the material girl’s most successful songs.
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
If there are any doubts concerning the roots of conservatism in the United States of America, please lay them down. Paul McCartney legendarily gushed over the Beach Boys’ 1966 love ballad while radio stations in America’s southern states boycotted it. The love song didn’t use the Lord’s name in vain, but a pop song with “God” in its title seemed blasphemous enough.
Partly because some stations refused to play it, “God Only Knows” only made it to No. 39 on the U.S. charts. However, in the U.K., it shot to No.2. Another factor is that it was overlooked, having been issued as a B-side to the band’s wildly popular “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”
"Royals" by Lorde
This song was banned for, quite possibly, the dumbest reason. “Royals” was released in 2013. By the time the 2014 World Series rolled around, the 16-year-old Lorde’s No. 1 chart-topping song had become an anthem, of sorts, to Kansas City Royals fans. When the Royals matched up with the San Francisco Giants, overzealous Giants fans had a problem with the song playing during the Series.
In response, Bay Area KFOG banned it saying, “No offense, Lorde, but for the duration of the World Series, KFOG Radio will be a Royals-free zone.” Other S.F. stations removed the song from playlists as well.
"In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins
Who knows why “In the Air Tonight” was banned during the Gulf War and again after 9/11? But nevertheless, the song about suffering through jilted love was deemed too sensitive for airplay during wartime. Perhaps the line, “It’s all been a pack of lies,” was posthumously interpreted to refer to the reasons for the wars.
It would make sense if Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” was blacklisted, but it wasn’t. Instead, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” made the list. The censorship was brought to us by the BBC and Clear Channel Communications.