The most controversial songs of the ’80s: Do you agree?
The 1980s were the decade that built the machinery of music censorship. A group of Washington politicians’ wives, alarmed by what their children were listening to, formed the Parents Music Resource Center, testified before the United States Senate, and forced the music industry to place warning stickers on albums with explicit content.
Frank Zappa, Dee Snider, and John Denver sat before senators and argued for the right to say what they wanted. The decade’s controversies ran from sexual content to religious provocation to accusations of Satanism, and the artists at the center of those storms generally did better for it. Bans drove sales. Outrage drove airplay.
These are five that the decade could not decide what to do with.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
“Darling Nikki” by Prince (1984)
When Tipper Gore heard her 11-year-old daughter listening to “Darling Nikki”, she formed the Parents Music Resource Center. The song, from the Purple Rain soundtrack, opens with its subject masturbating with a magazine in a hotel lobby. The PMRC placed it first on their Filthy 15 list of the most offensive songs. The Senate hearings it triggered resulted in the voluntary warning sticker system still in use today. Prince retired the song after converting to the Jehovah’s Witness faith in 2001 and began performing it again in 2007.
Image credit: Jane McCormick Smith / Wikipedia
“Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)
BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read announced on January 11, 1984, that he would not play “Relax” because of its lyrics. The BBC implemented a full ban. The song was at number 35 when Read made his announcement; within two weeks, it was number 1, the first banned song to top the UK chart since Gainsbourg and Birkin’s “Je T’aime” in 1969. It spent 52 weeks on the chart, 35 of which overlapped with the ban. The first music video was banned by both the BBC and MTV for its explicit depictions of gay sexuality. The band had claimed publicly that it was about motivation; band members later confirmed it was about sex.
Image credit: Dr. Zoidberg / Wikimedia Commons
“The number of the beast” by Iron Maiden (1982)
The song was written by bassist Steve Harris after a nightmare triggered by watching Damien: Omen II. Religious groups in the United States accused Iron Maiden of being Satanists. Organized album burnings were held. Protesters demonstrated outside concerts on the band’s 1982 American tour. The album reached number 1 in the United Kingdom and has since sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide, consistently ranked among the greatest metal albums ever made. Harris told reporters the reaction was mad. “They completely got the wrong end of the stick,” he said. “They obviously hadn’t read the lyrics.”
Image Credit: Andreas Lawen, Fotandi / Wikimedia Commons.
“We’re not gonna take it” by Twisted Sister (1984)
The PMRC also placed the anthem on the Filthy 15, citing violent content. Dee Snider responded by testifying before the Senate in full stage makeup, a family man and committed Christian who calmly dismantled the argument that his music was a public danger. He explained that the song had been written without naming specific targets, so it could apply to any situation involving abused authority. That vagueness gave it a life beyond rock music: political rallies, sporting events, and protests of every stripe have used it since.
Image Credit: yakub88/ DepositPhotos.
“Like a prayer” by Madonna (1989)
Pepsi paid Madonna $5 million to use “Like a Prayer” in a television commercial before it had been released. The commercial aired on March 2, 1989. The next day, the music video appeared on MTV, depicting Madonna kissing a Black saint and dancing in front of burning crosses. The Vatican issued a condemnation. Pepsi cancelled the deal, though Madonna kept the $5 million. The song reached #1 five weeks after debuting at #38, the fastest trip to the top since Michael Jackson’s “Bad” in 1987.
Image credit: Damir Khabirov / iStock
Wrap up
The artists who drew the most fire built the longest legacies. Which of these five caused the most trouble, and which was most worth it?
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Related:
- The most controversial songs of the ’50s: Do you agree?
- The most controversial songs of the ’60s: Do you agree?
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