- 3 months ago
From explicit lyrics to controversial statements, some songs push boundaries and trigger backlash. Join us as we count down the musical tracks that caused the biggest cultural uproars! These provocative anthems sparked protests, bans, and heated debates about free speech, morality, and artistic expression. Which controversial song do you think pushed buttons the hardest?
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00:00right so this is d guys this is what feminists fought for welcome to watch mojo and today
00:07we're counting down our picks for the top 20 songs that caused a cultural uproar
00:19number 20. wop cardi b featuring megan the stallion
00:24wop somehow toes a line between critical acclaim enormous popularity and controversy you can just
00:35tell from the title which stands for well you probably know while the song was praised for its
00:42empowering message the lyrics are unapologetically graphic and wildly almost comically explicit some
00:50religious and parental groups saw the song as harmful especially for younger audiences who
00:55might be exposed to it via tiktok but the biggest backlash was in conservative circles with figures
01:01like ben shapiro and candace owens condemning the song is immoral and culturally degrading shapiro
01:09in particular went viral for reading the lyrics on a show a funny occasion that many found the time
01:15to mock i said certified freak seven days a week wet ass p word make that pull out game week
01:22yeah you effin with some wet ass p word p word is female genitalia number 19 dear god ecstasy
01:35now a personal anthem of sorts ecstasy's dear god caused quite the uproar in the mid 80s even though it
01:42wasn't that long ago america was significantly more conservative back then and religion was taken
01:50far more seriously so dear god which is sung from the perspective of a doubter caused a huge cultural
01:57backlash many saw the lyrics as anti-christian and blasphemous and at least one radio station
02:04in florida received a bomb threat after playing the song meanwhile several radio stations outright
02:10refused to play it and ecstasy front man andy partridge was inundated with hate mail but despite
02:17the controversy dear god has remained a powerful anthem for those wrestling with questions of faith
02:24suffering and religious authority number 18 so what anti-nowhere league
02:35punk was roaring in the late 70s and early 80s and so what is a defining example of how controversial
02:47the genre became the song is filled with graphic and taboo language that still packs quite the punch
02:54we can only imagine how offensive it was back in 81 actually we don't have to imagine as the song was
03:01essentially banned in its native britain under the obscene publications act the bbc refused to play
03:07it the single was prohibited from sale with police seizing all copies from the distributor meanwhile
03:13punk fans celebrated the song as a rebellious anthem against censorship and authoritarianism the very
03:20authoritarianism that prevented it from being played hello cast spoken about you number 17 smack my bitch up
03:30the prodigy as you can imagine a song called smack my bitch up didn't go over so well the song's
03:40repeated vocal line sampled from ultra magnetic mcs was widely interpreted as promoting violence against
03:47women and it came under fire from the likes of feminist groups and social activists meanwhile the music
03:54video only added fuel to the fire as it included all the big talking points sex violence drug use
04:02even drunk driving not surprisingly both the song and the video became lightning rods for the late 90s
04:08moral panic around media influence on the youth heck you still can't find the video on youtube despite this
04:16the song remains a club favorite and was featured heavily in the pop culture of the day
04:31number 16 one in a million guns and roses
04:35it didn't take long for guns and roses to start ticking people off their second album contains a
04:47wildly offensive song called one in a million the lyrics of which contain many slurs including the n and
04:55f words not to mention some wildly homophobic and racist remarks in fact the cover art of the album
05:02contains a mock apology for the song so the band knew they were releasing a real eyebrow razor it
05:08offended many listeners and even some fellow musicians including kurt cobain who according to
05:14nirvana manager danny goldberg was deeply offended by the song heck it even managed to anger the other
05:21members of the band who asked rose not to include the song on the album we had the klu kux klan saying we're
05:28promoting shows and backing the klu kux klan and they immediately got a letter from my lawyer
05:32you know that is not true number 15 me so horny to live crew
05:45florida basically turned into 1984 when me so horny was released as the title suggests the song
05:53includes overtly graphic and sexual lyrics but to make matters worse it was also accused of promoting
05:59stereotypes as the hook was taken from an asian character in full metal jacket two live crew was
06:05successfully brought up on obscenity charges the first time in american history that a music album
06:11was declared legally obscene so the album was banned and police stormed record shops and arrested owners
06:19who were caught selling it however this reaction drew even further controversy with many arguing that it
06:26violated the group's freedom of speech the ruling was eventually overturned on appeal turning two
06:32live crew into paragons of musical expression number 14 darling nikki prince
06:46purple rain was an enormous hit but some people objected to the fifth track darling nikki the song
06:59describes a sexual encounter and despite never releasing as a single it quickly gained notoriety
07:06for its explicit lyrical content the backlash began when tipper gore wife of then senator al gore
07:13caught her 11 year old daughter listening to the song she was blindsided by the lack of warning
07:18over its lyrical content so she and a few others formed the parents music resource center to advocate
07:25for warning labels on explicit music they even brought the case to the senate and while no
07:30government regulation was imposed the music industry agreed to do something about the problem and
07:36that's how the parental advisory sticker was made the lights went out and nikki started to grind
07:46number 13 papa don't preach madonna
07:56with papa don't preach madonna sparked headlines for her new look and more serious tone the song tells the
08:03story of a young woman who becomes pregnant and decides to keep the baby a message that sparked a
08:09wide range of reactions many people condemned the single arguing that it glorified teenage pregnancy
08:16this problem was exacerbated by madonna's fame as she was enormously popular with the younger generation
08:22and many adults feared that impressionable young listeners would emulate their icon and get pregnant
08:29madonna also dedicated the song to pope john paul ii during her concerts leading to public condemnation
08:35from the vatican meanwhile others praised the single for its empowering message including the
08:42the aforementioned tipper gore number 12 killing an arab the cure
08:58misinterpretation can cause a lot of problems just ask the cures robert smith who admits that
09:04he should have called killing an arab something else as it would have saved him and the band a lot of
09:10unwanted trouble the song was inspired by albert camus's novel the stranger and narrates a scene
09:16where the protagonist merceau kills an arab man it uses the novel scene to explore themes of
09:23existentialism and alienation but many listeners simply assumed that it was racist and promoting
09:30anti-arab sentiment these critics often didn't listen to lyrics or they didn't have an understanding
09:36of their literary connection they simply read the title and made a false assumption
09:45number 11 blurred lines robin thick featuring ti and pharrell
09:54while it was massively popular blurred lines was also massively controversial we mean the title alone
10:02has the power to raise an eyebrow or two with the blurred lines referencing consent many listeners
10:08interpreted the song as promoting non-consensual sex with super creepy lines like i know you want it
10:15just let me liberate you and i hate these blurred lines many argue that the song echoes phrases often
10:22associated with sexual assault justification and it received widespread backlash from the likes of
10:28feminist groups activists and student unions and the music video made things 50 times worse as it was
10:35slammed by accusations of female objectification yeah it's a weird one number 10 killing in the name rage
10:47against the machine timing is essential to a breakout song as is backlash sometimes killing in the name was
10:57rage against the machine's debut single written in response to the then recent beating of rodney king
11:03by lapd officers commercial appeal was hardly the objective of a rap metal rant about police brutality
11:11and racism that drops 17 f-bombs the political significance nonetheless led to heavy circulation of cleaned up
11:18in response to the scene in response to the scene in response to the scene in response to the scene
11:24outrage over the obscenity may have distracted from the song's message but even political moderates who
11:30understood were disturbed by the belligerents this controversy announced ratm as a uniquely confrontational
11:38voice in mainstream music killing in the name is itself considered a classic which has gotten no less
11:44controversial or relevant since 1992. number nine bobby brown goes down frank zappa the endlessly inventive
12:07frank zappa spread many complicated themes through edgy comedy and double entendre some say bobby brown goes
12:14down especially loses the message in its pushed envelope the ballot is told from the perspective of
12:19a misogynistic yuppie who begins questioning his sexuality after an encounter with a butch feminist
12:33it was a groundbreaking satire of toxic masculinity and hypocrisy it's also surreally glib about homophobia
12:40sexual assault and other sensitive topics pulling no punches with the protagonist's vulgar narration
12:47the snazzy single was a hit in europe and remains one of zappa's most talked about pieces
12:53chalk that up to debates not only a bobby brown's concept but of the crass way in which it's delivered
12:59and my name is bobby brown watch me now i'm going down number eight god save the queen sex pistols
13:15these punks sure weren't covering a patriotic hymn for elizabeth the second's silver jubilee the sex
13:22pistols god save the queen was an angry anthem that dehumanized the queen as a representative of the
13:27greedy establishment what was meant to be a rallying cry for the working class was seen by many as a
13:34condemnation of the english people to say nothing of monarchists
13:43the single was banned by many british radio stations and music stores all the same it's sort
13:49up the chart on the week of the jubilee's observation at least johnny rotten has since
13:53walked back his disdain for the late queen as a human being but he and the surviving pistols stand
13:59by their heretical classic number seven f the police nwa the police coming straight from the
14:14underground a young got it bad because i'm brown few songs this directly offensive are this ingrained in
14:21pop culture nwa's let's just say f the police dramatizes a court proceeding in which the rap
14:28group holds a police department on trial the ensuing testimonies paint the organization as a
14:33racist and corrupt gang in its own right this was one of the first hip-hop songs to use anger and
14:43obscenity to draw audiences to social issues of course many just dwelled on the anger and obscenity
14:50but it spoke to so many people's own outrage about institutional injustice that it transcended cult
14:56status it's an iconic protest anthem that revolutionized the music genre it's also a
15:01blunt statement that skewers a whole group with shock value sorry so the police didn't like that
15:07song no they didn't for some reason i thought it was such a catchy number number six try that in a
15:13small town jason aldean well try that in a small town see how far you make it down the road with the
15:242020s being marked by division across the united states jason aldean affirmed americana in the
15:30crudest way try that in a small town blasts american cities as being more tolerant of violent crime and
15:36political upheaval than rural communities the song naturally infuriated those who felt that the song
15:42misrepresented urban culture and political activism some went so far as to accuse it of romanticizing
15:48reactionary violence the more credible criticism is that aldean who does not come from a small town
16:02promoted offensive stereotypes of said communities either way the controversy naturally boosted try
16:09that in a small town's popularity and debates about its sentiments
16:20number five angel of death slayer
16:30extreme metal pioneers slayer have always been provocateurs in fact few of their songs have
16:36shocked in the scale of their breakout angel of death this was the nickname of joseph mengela whose
16:42twisted experiments at the auschwitz concentration camp are graphically described from his perspective
16:48though focus later shifts to condemn this monster singer-songwriter jeff hanneman was accused of being
16:54a nazi sympathizer at the very least the song sensationalizes unspeakable historic horrors
17:06this controversy came after the track delayed the release of the album rain and blood it also solidified
17:12the uncompromising brand that made slayer a sensation themselves angel of death would not be their last
17:19anthem of evil but its particular success makes it particularly unsettling
17:31number four get your gun marilyn manson
17:42it was only when the band marilyn manson took their shock value into politics that the world took notice
17:48get your gun refers to dr david gunn who was murdered by an anti-abortion extremist the year before
17:54the song also samples audio of republican politician r bud dwyer taking his own life on camera
18:09besides these disturbing illusions the ambiguous lyrics suggest adolescent self-harm and fury over the
18:15establishment's hypocrisy get your gun would thus be accused of motivating the 1999 columbine high
18:21school massacre marilyn manson's namesake frontman maintains that his breakout single merely observes
18:27the cultural violence and despair that really fuel such tragedies it's less controversial to say that
18:33the unlikely hit is abrasive with its touchy references
18:37the
18:42number three lemon incest serge and charlotte gainsbourg
18:47before becoming a revered movie and music star charlotte gainsbourg made a bold debut with lemon incest
19:00subversive pop star serge gainsbourg and his preteen daughter croon about their affection for each other
19:06with steamy phrasing the song obviously disturbed the public especially with a music video featuring
19:12the gainsborgs in a bed
19:20charlotte asserts that she and her father shared an otherwise appropriate relationship and that the
19:26song aimed to be mockingly provocative as scandalous as it still was in 1984 it's even more so now this
19:34was compounded by mounting allegations against surge of harassment and misogyny lemon incest may thus
19:41be one of his most assuredly ironic shockers but it may also be his most tasteless
19:47i'm a cop killer body count
19:57body counts real splash in hip-hop and thrash metal was over their combined political shock value the
20:06band's self-titled debut album ended with a tirade against police by an armed vigilante needless to say
20:13cop killer sparked outrage within and beyond the law enforcement community who worried that the vulgar
20:19track endorsed attacks on police officers frontman ice t and others argue that the song just expresses
20:26the mentality behind a terrible response to police brutality we we could have preempted rodney king
20:31you know the record had been out almost a year and a half before before the controversy hit i walked
20:36into the studio singing psycho killer by the talking heads and my man my drummer was like man they need
20:42a cop killer i'm like why he said so these cops will know they can't get away with what they doing
20:47nonetheless body count reissued the album with a replacement final track freedom of speech moreover
20:53ice t's acting career is highlighted by the role of detective fin tutuola in the law and order franchise
20:59he still performs cop killer live fully aware of its disturbing interpretations by a wider audience
21:06that's what we're talking about before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the
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21:281. kim eminem eminem's brash politically incorrect songwriting has earned as much controversy as
21:43renown but even defenders of his artistic expression feel kim went too far the horrorcore jam was inspired
21:51by the rapper's bitter custody battle with ex-wife kim scott it dramatizes a hostile argument in front of a
21:57child leading to gruesome homicide audiences were horrified by eminem announcing real domestic drama
22:03with an obscene and misogynistic fantasy of domestic violence i don't appreciate what he's
22:10wrote in the songs about me i don't appreciate them being played around our children and i'm sure it
22:14doesn't set a good example for him especially you know letting them believe that it's okay for a man to
22:19disrespect you like that in any way scott who has long struggled with depression survived an attempt on
22:25her own life after the song received an ovation at an eminem concert thus kim continues to polarize as
22:32an uncompromised portrayal of disdain and divorce and a compromising example of women's place in
22:38popular music and eminem's legacy i should have known better when you started to act weird we could
22:44have hey where you going get back here did you take offense to any of these songs let us know in the
22:51comments below
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