Talk:List of songs banned by the BBC

Move to List of songs banned by the BBC DONE

I propose that this page be moved to List of songs banned by the BBC and extended. The BBC has banned many well known pop songs over the years and I don't see why this list should be confined only to songs that were released as singles. Readers coming to this page would probably want to find more extensive information on records banned by the BBC rather than just singles and will be disapointed as things stand. If nobody objects, I'd like to move the page and expand it. MarkB79 18:33, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I agree. Even songs released as singles are not all included (after all, it does not include anything by the Sex Pistols, who had a number of songs banned). Also, the note that they are arranged in "chronological order by date of release" is misleading, as for instance, the song "Bankrobber" by the Clash was included and it was released long after "Desdemona" or "Let's Spend the Night Together." So that note was removed. Beggarsbanquet (talk) 04:39, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for that. I actually started editing the page some months back and intended to add a lot of songs to the list but I was too busy with work for uni and never got around to it. I apologise, I put in the chronological reference as I intended to arrange the new, longer list in chronological order rather than just a random or alphabetical order and I must have forgot to remove it when I didn't get around to completing the edits. There are a number of websites that give fairly detailed info about some records that have been banned and I have a couple of books that have infomation on it too, such as 'Rebel Rock' by John Street, so I'll have a go at editing the page extensively some time soon, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. I think it would be wise to move the page and expand it to include songs not issued as singles, for instance 'A Day in the Life' is one of the most famous instances of a record being banned by the BBC but it wasn't released as a single and so isn't currently mentioned on the page, and you are probably correct about the Sex Pistols, I'm fairly sure there were a number of well known records banned in the punk era which were not singles. And the list certainly does lack a large number of banned records which were actually singles. Only problem is I don't have much information on songs the BBC have supposedly 'banned' in recent years - they claim they no longer ban records but there have apparently been a number of songs they simply haven't played in recent years because of offensive or controversial lyrics. In any case, I'll move the page and add more content in the next couple of weeks since nobody seems to object. MarkB79 (talk) 20:11, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Fully agree and seeing that there is consensus, will do it right away. Looking forward to more input in near future.--Technopat (talk) 22:22, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Cheers for that, I was meaning to move the page for some time but never got around to it. I know have promised this on here before but now you've jogged my memory I shall hopefully get around to somewhat expanding this page shortly! As I say, I don't have much info on records allegedly "banned" in recent years so any contributions from anyone in this area in particular would be handy. Thanks again, MarkB79 (talk) 00:05, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

"This Record Is Not To Be Broadcast"

A selection of 75 songs which were banned by the BBC was released under the above title on Acrobat Music a couple of days ago. The liner notes explain why each was banned. My favourites include Stranger In Paradise by The Four Aces, Greensleeves The Beverley Sisters and Brahms' Lullaby by Frank Sinatra. --TrogWoolley (talk) 11:26, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

The full list of the songs on this album is available on the web but not with any explantion of why the songs were banned sadly. MarkB79 (talk) 00:15, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

A second volume has also been released under the same title, subtitled '50 More Records Banned By The BBC"

Put on hold till reliably referenced

Given the complexity of this issue, I reckon extra care should be taken in ensuring that items included here are adequately referenced, as per Wikipedia basic guidelines. I have therefore deleted the following:

• "Bankrobber" - The Clash

'cos the corresponding article makes no reference of it being banned by the Beeb - only to the record company refusing to include it on the album. Obviously the result is the same (great marketing gimmick, sorry!), but the Beeb was not [directly] to "blame". Any article out there on songs in general that can be included in a "See also" subsection at this article? Feedback, anyone?--Technopat (talk) 22:48, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Another one goes on hold...

The following one also goes on hold 'cos the article page doesn't reference "the fact":

• "Desdemona" - John's Children (1967)

I'm sure this will happen again with other songs included in the article, present & future. Sorry to be so pedantic, but them's the basic Wikipedia rules of the game... --Technopat (talk) 23:11, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

And another one:

- however some songs, such as The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up", are simply not played (or in some cases, not played before 9pm) without any official announcement of a ban.

--Technopat (talk) 12:23, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Found a reference for it, so back it goes. --Technopat (talk) 12:48, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

...and another one bites the dust

No reference on corresponding article page for the following:

• "Disarm" - The Smashing Pumpkins (1994)

--Technopat (talk) 23:22, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

I suppose all the entries on here will have to be sourced, even if it's common knowledge they were banned like the Wings track. I think 'Bankrobber' was banned but I've no idea about the other two. I'll check the web and see if there's info on those three tracks there. MarkB79 (talk) 00:15, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

'Bankrobber' wasn't banned it was played all the time before and when it was a hit - probably on the playlist". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.152.40.89 (talk) 17:31, 29 April 2011 (UTC)

Greetings MarkB79 - trouble with "common knowledge" is that if it ain't sourced/referenced - out it goes... I've seen articles with much better referencing being proposed for deletion and narrowly surviving (common sense tends to prevail). At least if folks see that something is being done here to adhere to standards, this great article stands a better chance of surviving :) Regards, --Technopat (talk) 10:54, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

Removed - pending reference - "New Orleans Is Sinking" - Tragically Hip, The --Technopat (talk) 14:04, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

Fact template

Greetings All, At the rate I'm going, this list is soon gonna be reduced to the first item 'cos it's the only one that's referenced! So rather than remove yet another song, I'm sticking the on those which need it, both here and at the corresponding article, in the hope that by duplicating it, there's at least twice as much chance of someone paying attention and sorting it out :) Regards, --Technopat (talk) 11:03, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

Help with references required

Greetings All, Am going through the article sticking in references and some are now being repeated, i.e. the same reference covers more than one song. Does anyone know how to format it better than my version. I know it can be done but don't have time to check it out right now. Cheers! --Technopat (talk) 12:05, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

I added a few references today for a couple of the songs but I couldn't find any online references for Fatboy Slim, George Michael and Colour Me Bad (and actually I seem to remember reading that Michael's track was only banned before 9pm anyway). I'll try adding some more references anyway over the next few days. The formatting of the references looks fine to me but I could check it against some GA status articles when I get the chance. I think it's actually supposed to be based on Harvard referencing but I'm not sure. MarkB79 (talk) 02:40, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

References

Given Wikipedia's insistence on references, and rather than risk the whole article going down the drain (aka AfD), I propose adding the following "warning" to the list:

Please do not add any song to this list unless it is referenced. Any new addition to this list will be removed and pasted on the talk page pending suitable reference.

or something along those lines. Feedback? --Technopat (talk) 22:44, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Had been hoping for feedback on this, as in consensus, but it looks as if I'll just have to be bold an' go ahead, I suppose I can wait until the end of this month... In the meantime, people keep adding unreferenced stuff. Cheers! --Technopat (talk) 22:35, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi, sorry I didn't respond to the earlier post, I haven't been on Wiki much in the last month and didn't notice it. I'd agree that the best way of handling it would be to remove the unreferenced songs and paste them up on here until references can be found, rather than lose the contributions entirely, so I agree with the proposal. There seems to have been a very large number of songs added since I last looked at the page and few of them appear to have been referenced. I won't have a chance to do it this week but I'll try adding some more sources soon (whether for songs still on the page or pasted on here), I did add some a couple of months back but haven't been able to get back to it and now there are plenty more entries. MarkB79 (talk) 01:11, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Greetings MarkB79 - thanx for feedback. Yep, with all those new additions, the unreferenced songs far outweigh the referenced ones, but I'll give it a couple more days. Once again, and for the time being, we have 100% consensus! Cheers! --Technopat (talk) 01:37, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Items removed from list pending reference

Please reference the following and return them to the list as soon as possible:

• "The Winker's Song (Misprint)" - Ivor Biggun & The Red-nosed Burglars (1978)
• "We Are The World" - Chumbawamba (1985)

Cheers! --Technopat (talk) 23:25, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

Ditto the following:

• "Bankrobber" - The Clash (1980)

--Technopat (talk) 23:25, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

And another one:

• "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" - Iron Maiden (1991)

--Technopat (talk) 23:39, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

And another:

• "Chocolate Salty Balls" - Chef (1998)

--Technopat (talk) 20:45, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Sigh!

• "Creep - Radiohead (1992) The article page for this song references the following: "Creepshow", Melody Maker, 1992-12-19 but as it's not accessible, out it goes till someone can come up with a verifiable ref. --Technopat (talk) 20:53, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Double sigh!

• "Come Together" - The Beatles (1969)--Technopat (talk) 21:01, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Two more:

• "Desdemona" - John's Children (1967)
• "Disarm" - The Smashing Pumpkins (1994)

--Technopat (talk) 21:12, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Do I foresee a name change for this article along the lines of "List of half a dozen songs banned... "?:

• "Fight For Your Right" - Beastie Boys (1987)
• "French Kiss" - Lil Louis (1989)

--Technopat (talk) 21:15, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

That's it for this evening:

• "Gangster Trippin" - Fatboy Slim (1998)

--Technopat (talk) 21:19, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Well, just a couple more:

• "I Wanna Sex You Up" - Color Me Badd (1991)
• "I Want Your Sex" - George Michael (1987)

--Technopat (talk) 23:49, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Removed these, pending etc. etc.:

• "Virus" - Iron Maiden (1996)
• "Urban Guerrilla" - Hawkwind (1973)
• "Tubthumping" - Chumbawamba (1997)
• "Too Drunk to Fuck" - Dead Kennedys (1981)

--Technopat (talk) 14:10, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

And again:

• "The Message" - Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five (1982)

--Technopat (talk) 11:43, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

• "Go All the Way" - Eric Carmen & the Raspberries (1972)

--Technopat (talk) 11:45, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

• "Spasticus Autisticus" - Ian Dury (1981)

--Technopat (talk) 11:49, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

• "Sexy M.F." - Prince and The New Power Generation (1992)

--Technopat (talk) 11:52, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

• "Magic Roundabout" - Jasper Carrott (1975)

--Technopat (talk) 11:54, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

Hi, apologies again, I haven't been on Wiki for a while but I shall hopefully have more time on my hands for the next couple of months. Most of these songs I know were banned and I shall look for references in the next couple of days. Not sure about 'Creep' though - certainly the uncensored version was banned, but I think Radiohead produced a radio edit in advance substituting the lyric "you're so fucking special" with "your so very special" in order to get airplay so technically the song wasn't banned, only the uncensored version. That's a slightly different situation to 'Peaches' by the Stranglers that was released with no radio edit and banned by the BBC, forcing the band to return to the studio to re-record the vocals with different lyrics. 'Peaches' was banned entirely for a time, I don't think 'Creep' ever was. 'Creep' was taken off Radio 1's playlist after a short while, but that was because they judged it "too depressing", that's not a ban, they just declined to play the record for reasons of taste. Songs that were censored and had to have radio edits made for airplay might be worthy of inclusion but I think possibly they should be categorised seperately. In any case, I'll try and find sources for the songs up here in the next few days. MarkB79 (talk) 23:51, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

Removed as per article guidelines:

• "Arnold Layne" - Pink Floyd (1967)
• "Candy and a Currant Bun" - Pink Floyd (1967)

--Technopat (talk) 23:18, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm 99% certain that 'Arnold Layne' was never banned by the BBC. It was banned by Radio London because of its references to transvestisism but they were a commercial station obviously unconnected with the BBC. It's often mentioned as a rare example of a commercial station banning a record that the BBC in contrast were happy to play. I think its inclusion was a well meant mistake by the contributor - I can't find any reference to the song in the source given and even if I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure Spencer Leigh would have got his facts wrong. 'Candy and a Currant Bun' would have been banned since it includes the F-word in the lyric but that song would not have attracted much attention since it was only a B-side and I can't find any reference to that song being banned online either. MarkB79 (talk) 00:03, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

Greetings MarkB79 - thanks for that. As this is a long-term project, i.e. no hurry, I think that posting the songs here on the discusssion page for future editors to check out is the best way of dealing with the current lack of online references. As for songs banned by other radio stations, however interesting they might be, am not quite sure how to deal with that particular variation of a theme. If we include 'em here, some exclusionist editor will come along sooner or later and rightly delete 'em as not belonging here. I haven't had time to check out the other articles dealing with banned stuff, but I'm sure there must be one out there that can be a sort of catch-all for such cases. Cheers! --Technopat (talk) 00:13, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

Cheers for the reply, I agree with posting the stuff up on here since it allows us to find references later and not lose accurate but initially unsourced entries permanently. There is difficulty in finding references for some - for instance, I know 'Open You Box' by Yoko Ono was definitely banned but when I looked for an online reference the other day I couldn't find a reliable one. There is a site somewhere which gives a very large list of recordings banned by the BBC, I'll have a look for it but I'm not sure if it can be classed as a reliable source. There are a number of books on the subject which would provide great references but I don't have access to them at present, I do have 'Rebel Rock' by John Street but that only mentions a couple of these songs and dosen't give a large list of banned recordings. I don't think records banned by other stations is really at all relevant to this article as it's specifically about the BBC. At most, maybe there could be a brief paragraph mentioning a few notable records banned by other stations but played by the BBC (of which 'Arnold Layne' would certainly be one) but I don't think large lists of songs banned by other stations is relevant since it's outside the scope of the article. MarkB79 (talk) 01:16, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

(outdent)Adding these two to be referenced: *"Bloodsport For All" - Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (1991) (banned during Gulf War)

• "Desdemona" - John's Children (1967)

--Technopat (talk) 20:54, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Another batch removed pending reference

Am removing the following pending references:

• "Big Eight" - Judge Dread (1973)
• "Big Seven" - Judge Dread (1972)
• "Big Six" - Judge Dread (1972)
• "Big Ten" - Judge Dread (1975)

The Allmusic article allmusic.com biography by Jo-Ann Greene included at the JD wikipedia article refers to all JD's song having been banned but methinks that's too much of a blanket reference and that each song on the list needs to be referenced separately. Feedback?--Technopat (talk) 23:16, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

I remember reading that all the songs with that sequence of titles were banned but I'm not sure all of the songs he ever released were banned. I probably wouldn't use that as a source as theres a possibility that it could be an inaccurate claim as well as a blanket reference. MarkB79 (talk) 00:07, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

More songs needing references

• "Peaches" - The Stranglers (1977)
• "Physical" - Olivia Newton-John (1981)
• "Push It" - Salt-n-Pepa (1988)
• "Open Your Box" - Yoko Ono (1971: Original Version)
• "Love Is Strange" - Mickey and Sylvia (1957)
• "The Man Don't Give a Fuck" - Super Furry Animals (1996)

--Technopat (talk) 18:42, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Dates of Removal of Ban

Shouldn't this page include the dates when the bans were lifted? For example, Gloomy Sunday was banned by the BBC but the banned was lifted very recently. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.238.110.66 (talk) 20:58, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Agree - but must be suitably referenced. --Technopat (talk) 22:58, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd agree that where possible we should be more specific about the dates the songs were banned (if different from the release date) and when bans were lifted but in many cases specific information on this might be hard to find. In the case of some songs, the bans have apparently never be lifted and are still in place now (such as 'Give Ireland Back to the Irish' and 'Love to Love You Baby' supposedly). However where infomation is available on the subject, I would agree with adding the dates to the article. MarkB79 (talk) 00:07, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

Table

Would it not be more consise to change this list into a table complete with reasons for the banning of songs, ban lifting etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.158.16.244 (talk) 20:37, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

The Byrds' "Eight Miles High"

I have removed The Byrds’ 1966 single "Eight Miles High" from this list/article because this record was not in fact banned by the BBC. Yes, the single was banned by many radio stations in the USA and Europe but the BBC was not one of them. I know that The Times' article "The music the BBC banned" says it was banned but this is an error and you will not find any official BBC sources corroborating this erroneous information. In addition, several notable books on The Byrds, including Johnny Rogan's Timeless Flight Revisited (second edition p.162) and Christopher Hjort's So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star (p.94) specifically state that the record was not banned by the BBC. Furthermore, a contemporary statement from a BBC spokesman published in the May 14, 1966 edition of Melody Maker makes plain that the BBC will not be banning the record. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 14:22, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

Self-published source

Have removed the following, as per Wikipedia:SPS#Self-published_sources_.28online_and_paper.29:

• "McDonald's Girl" - Dean Friedman (1982)<ref>{{cite web|title=Dean Friedman Bio|publisher=Dean Friedman's Official Web Site|url=http://www.deanfriedman.com/bio/bio_home.html|accessdate=2010-07-03}}</ref>

You're welcome to stick it back in the article if you can find another source. --Technopat (talk) 16:54, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

List

This is a cool list, but can we get a list of lists listed on Wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.91.201.209 (talk) 23:12, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

Fairytale of New York

why is the Fairytale of New York on this list as it was not banned it was censored as many songs do that contain offensive language on Radio 1 C. 22468 (talk) 16:39, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Completely agree it was never banned and from day one wason the playlist but in our new ultra PC world the BBC got upset over the word "fag" a few years ago saying it was homophobic although I'm not sure the ban stayed long.

This whole article is pointless - since the end of the BBC adjudication panel in about 1963 few records wee "banned" per se aside from obviously obscene ones and even most of those could be played late at night. And cheeky stuff like Judge Dread would obviously not be played when children could be listening just like that kind of humour would not have been on the telly in the day - so why all the shock horror its banned because its on the radio. A lot of the records were just not played because they were pretty obscure and why should they have been played. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.155.199.53 (talk) 19:41, 12 October 2019 (UTC)

---

It's complicated. The BBC wanted to cut the line 'Merry Christmas your arse' when the song was on TOTP but Kirsty sang it with venom straight into the camera and was banned from performing on the BBC till a year before she was killed. The first time around the like 'Old Slut on Junk' was passed because they thought Shane sang 'Old Southern Junk' this might sound odd by 'Old Southern Junk' is a line in Tennessee Williams 'Streetcar named Desire. It was only more recently the line was heard properly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.10.84.3 (talk) 11:26, 20 June 2011 (UTC)

---

I dont think the above quote gives the whole story. It's a British media myth that the song was ever banned. This is what happened, from kirstymaccoll.com [1]

"in a recording for the TV programme 'Top of the Pops' in the UK (with Shane McGowan), Kirsty changed the lyrics slightly from 'You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot' to 'You scumbag, you maggot, you're cheap and your haggard' - wording which was later used by Maire Brennan in Ronan Keating's cover version."

Youtube confirms this. Radio 1 always played this 'pre-watershed' version until the media moral panic about it being "banned" was (and this is only my opinion) cooked up as part of the British Press's standard BBC bashing, years later.

Either way, I think it should be under 'censored', not 'banned', as an example of censors backing down under pressure.

--PRL1973 (talk) 09:06, 1 June 2012 (UTC)

BBC programme late 70's

I am fairly sure the BBC Radio did a programme called 'records not to be broadcast without permission'; I recorded it (but sadly dumped the cassette recently) - and I am sure there were song extracts played that are not listed - some from WW2 time (think it was called 'Deep in the heart of Texas' ); others more recent. The latter ones were usually sexually explicit (unknown song with lyrics 'Lie down johnny she said' etc )or seditious. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Offbeam (talk • contribs) 19:09, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

List format

I think the list would be more useful as a sortable table. That way, users can easily sort the songs by artist (which I think would be more useful anyway) or year. What do you think? --The Evil IP address (talk) 12:35, 20 February 2012 (UTC)

Not a bad idea. Sijtze Reurich (talk) 13:39, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

"Terry"

According to the article about Twinkle her song "Terry" was banned by the BBC, but I do not find it here.

And I am somewhat surprised that P.J. Proby was banned from BBC tv after his trouser splitting incident, but none of his songs is on this banned songs list. Sijtze Reurich (talk) 13:39, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

It may be that "Terry" wasn't banned at all, but some sources erroneously say it was. You often see similar such misinformation about The Byrds' "Eight Miles High" being banned by the BBC, but it definitely wasn't (as noted above). Alternatively, maybe "Terry" was indeed banned and it is a genuine omission from this list. If you can source a reliable, third party reference supporting the fact that it was banned by the BBC, you should definitely add it to this list. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 11:41, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Was there ever an "official list"? Anyway, this says it was banned, as does this (she was a friend of Camilla - who knew??). Are they sufficiently reliable? Ghmyrtle (talk) 12:12, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, they're fine. I'll add it when I get a moment, unless someone else wants to.--Kohoutek1138 (talk) 03:14, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead not being played in full etc — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.103.223.95 (talk) 20:50, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

About to be all but banned by the radio 1 official chart show re being bought as an anti Thatcher protest / death celebration. Instead of playing most of the song this Sunday (14th April), it's apparently going to be replaced by a news item about why the song is in the charts. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/apr/12/bbc-thatcher-protest-ding-dong-song109.224.137.121 (talk) 22:18, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

I've added a mention of the controversy in the introductory section. I'm not convinced that it should be included in the main list but am open to argument. Ghmyrtle (talk) 22:32, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

Agree with Ghmyrtle. It's worthy of mention, but since it's not an outright ban of the song it shouldn't be included in the main list. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 12:19, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Star Star

Star Star by The Rolling Stones is recorded as being banned by Song Facts http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=565 ljd (talk) 07:11, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

WHOLE lOTTA lOVE - Reference sought

• "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin (1969)

It was common knowledge when I was a teenager that this was banned in the original form by the BBC and many radio stations until an edit with the 'moaning section' removed was produced. The irony being that the BBC then used a cover of the song as the theme for Top of the Pops. 86.128.213.138 (talk) 16:40, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

nonsensical section?

Files at the BBC's Written Archives Centre in Caversham, Berkshire now available for public inspection show that the Dance Music Policy Committee, set up in the 1930s, took the role of Britain's cultural guardian seriously: one 1942 directive read:

We have recently adopted a policy of excluding sickly sentimentality which, particularly when sung by certain vocalists, can become nauseating and not at all in keeping with what we feel to be the need of the public in this country in the fourth year of war.[1]

The BBC's director of music, Sir Arthur Bliss, wrote wartime instructions for the committee banning songs "which are slushy in sentiment" or "pop" versions of classical pieces such as "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", from the 1918 Broadway show Oh, Look!, which made use of Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu; English rock band The Cougars' 1963 version of Swan Lake, "Saturday Nite at the Duckpond"; or "Baubles, Bangles and Beads", from the 1953 musical Kismet, which was based on the second movement of Alexander Borodin's String Quartet in D.[2]

Does the context require a rewrite between Fantaisie-Impromptu; and English rock band The Cougars... for the piece to make sense? At the moment I read it as being about the second world war which ended many years before the cougars became a pop band. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.223.225.147 (talk) 18:16, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

Relax

Contrary to what the BBC and other sources say, "Relax" did not get played on the Radio 1 Top 40 during the period that it was banned. However I can't find a citation for this. MFlet1 (talk) 12:23, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Eliza Doolittle – "Walking On Water" and Radiohead – "Creep"

These two songs come under the heading 16 songs banned by the BBC (see "http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5R152hTbVPQdYjn29q5jt4/16-songs-banned-by-the-bbc"), however in the article, they appear to have been censored not banned. SethWhales ^talk 14:06, 8 September 2016 (UTC)

I know for sure that "Creep" wasn't banned by the BBC: there was a radio-friendly version that was played on the air that substituted the lyric "so fucking special" for "so very special". That's undoubtedly what the bbc.co.uk article is referring to. Chances are that a somewhat similar thing occurred with a radio version of the Eliza Doolittle song too. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 01:20, 16 September 2016 (UTC)

For removal

"Stand Or Fall" – The Fixx (1982) The source for this says the video was banned, and doesn't specifically mention the BBC. I would therefore remove it from this list.

"They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!" – Napoleon XIV (1966) The linked article doesn't actually mention the BBC when referring to this song.

"Tribute to Buddy Holly" – Mike Berry and The Outlaws (1961) Spencer Leigh says this was actually passed for broadcast.

"Glad to Be Gay" – Tom Robinson Band (1978) This isn't verifiable. Check this link where people remember it being played: http://www.45cat.com/record/emi2749-2

"Shall We Take a Trip" – Northside (1990) The link says 'daytime radio', it doesn't refer to the BBC specifically. --TrottieTrue (talk) 01:04, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

Random posts on a bulletin board like 45cat.com are not a reliable source, so I've added "Glad to be Gay" back in. Likewise, just because Spencer Leigh says that "Tribute to Buddy Holly" wasn't banned, isn't a good enough reason to remove it, when there is a reliable 3rd party reference saying that it was banned. If we find other reliable refs agreeing with Leigh, then fair enough, but until then it should stay.

For "Stand Or Fall", "They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!" and "Shall We Take a Trip", I agree that they should go. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 01:40, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

Spencer Leigh actually checked the BBC Written Archives for his information though. TrottieTrue (talk) 00:43, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

Liar Liar GE2017 - Captain Ska

When is “We do not ban songs" and "we will not be playing the song” any different? Surely if the BBC (and others) are not playing the song, while all other songs in the top 40 are being played, then this is an unwritten ban, but it is a ban nevertheless. (see ref http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/liar-liar-ge2017-theresa-may-protest-song-greyed-bbc-radio-1-captain-skaplay-button-ofcom-charts-a7770586.html). I propose that this should be included in the article. SethWhales ^talk 23:36, 7 June 2017 (UTC)

This is pretty much the situation. Hence the proliferation of autotuned pap, and lack of very many political songs etc. Most Christian rock is under an unofficial airplay ban to some extent - although they will play hymns. But that's the BBC for you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.148.19.97 (talk) 12:10, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

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The Reality

Playlists are thoroughly vetted these days and DJs have little say. "Tear Down the Union Jack" by Billy Bragg wasn't banned, it just wasn't played despite charting. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.148.19.97 (talk) 11:46, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

Is this the most ridiculous entry on wiki?

The following mentions alone are enough to reduce the article to beyond laughable

The Clash Bankrobber Olivia Newton John Physical the Pogues _fairytale of new york (although the ultra PC BBC nowadays may not like 'FXXXXT') The Message Grandmaster Flash Colour me bad - I wanna sex you up Salt and peppa Push It beastie Boys - Fight for your right Chumbawamba - tubthumping

all the were not just not banned they were on the A playlist as someone who listened to radio 1 (reluctantly after about age 17 but i was at work) you couldn't stop hearing these songs when they were current if it was on in the day.

99% of the other tunes mentioned in the whole of this article would have been broadcast or broadcastable in the evening or later or would just not be played because they were too obscure to warrant it so there was no hard and fast BBC ban. Then there's the obvious point that as in the day on just about any telly or radio channel there are quite strict rules about things being played when kids are listening - this will always the case but didn't usually effect anything but the most 'adult' of tunes.

To be honest it would be best to just concentrate on the period to 1962 when the BBC really did have a panel that met and things were genuinely banned from on high. This anecdotal crap from people who probably weren't even born when the records in question were played really does push inaccuracy to ridiculous lengths even by wiki standards. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.155.199.53 (talk) 12:27, 19 October 2019 (UTC)

Unfortunately, fan bias dictates that every song that might have content that could have conceivably led to restricted airplay must be included on this list. For instance, the Beatles only had one song banned by the BBC ("A Day in the Life") but this article lists three others. A Beatles song article claims a fifth song was also banned. Good luck trying to remove such false information from Wikipedia, the fans will not allow it. Ohnothimagain (talk) 15:10, 19 October 2019 (UTC)

And yet, every single entry in this list/artcle is backed up and supported by a reliable, third-party source, stating that, at one point or another, the song in question was banned by the BBC or suffered some form of restricted airplay. Based on that, I would counter that an awful lot of this article is probably correct. After all, varifiability is the threshold for inclusion on Wikipedia. However, if you feel that this article does indeed have errors in it, then may I suggest that you do some research yourselves and source alternate, reliable third-party references that prove the points you are both making above. That would certainly be a much more constructive use of your time on Wikipedia than moaning on the talk page about how bad the article is. Kohoutek1138 (talk) 16:04, 21 October 2019 (UTC)

Unreliable sources

Opening a discussion here. User ReeleDeele has identified several "unreliable sources" as defined by the list at WP:RSP and has accordingly tagged them with an unreliable sources tag. I will attempt, in the coming days, to find better sources for these, if I can. However, there are two sources -- rebeatmag.com and bestclassicbands.com -- that I can't see on the list and wondered if anyone else had a view on them? I will look for better sources for these two as well, since they are being disputed, but I wanted to get some editor consensus on the existing sources, in case I am unable to find any.

As for the lede, I think that saying, "Some were banned for only a limited period, and have since received BBC airplay" in the article's first paragraph gives a much more accurate brief representation of the article for readers, which is precisely what the lede should do. There is only one example listed in the article of a song being banned from Children's programming, so I feel that its too trivial and too specific an example to mention in the opening paragraph. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 11:18, 9 October 2020 (UTC)

Reasons for Banning

Would it not be helpful to put a short reason by each song as to why they were banned by the BBC ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.107.33 (talk) 08:58, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

I think that's beyond the scope of this article and much better covered in the individual articles for each song. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 05:23, 7 November 2020 (UTC)

I disagree with the previous comment, there needs to be a short explanation by each song title for the reason as for instance the BBC played on top of the pops at least twice Ebeneezer Goode. Why was I just died in your arms tonight by the Cutting crew banned because i believe this not to be true either. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.192.203.180 (talk) 18:45, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

Prince Andrew Is a Sweaty Nonce" – The Kunts

I have removed Prince Andrew Is a Sweaty Nonce" – The Kunts as I am unable to find a reliable ref. If any other editor can find one then please add it back into the article. SethWhales ^talk 09:36, 11 June 2022 (UTC)

I am the editor who added the "citation needed" tag to this entry, though it was another anonymous IP user who initially added it to the article. The reason I didn't remove the entry entirely and instead added a "citation needed" tag is, as I said in my edit summary, "I'm quite sure this record has for all intents and purposes been banned by the BBC, even though a quick search on Google failed to turn up a reliable source."

Clearly the BBC are not going to broadcast such a record any more than they would've broadcast the Kunts' previous single "Boris Johnson Is a Fucking Cunt". That said, I do find it strange that I couldn't find a single reliable source online stating that the BBC had banned it, but given that they would clearly never play such a record, I wonder if this entry really needs an inline citation? After all, not everything requires a citation and, as the Wikipedia page on verifyability states, only "material whose verifiability has been challenged or is likely to be challenged, must include an inline citation to a reliable source that directly supports the material." I don't think this is likely to be challenged or that anyone is seriously going to suggest that the BBC haven't banned the record, even though the corporation may not have issued a statement saying as much. Thoughts? --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 23:37, 13 June 2022 (UTC)

Yes I do agree with you on the whole. However, I understand that in this article, without reliable sources songs were going to be removed. For instance, I was (and still am) near 100% sure that Talk:"Whole Lotta Love" had been banned by the BBC, but I have never been able to find any source, let alone a reliable source. I think this is what makes this article a very good source as a reference (not something that can be said for the majority of Wikipedia). SethWhales ^talk 06:48, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

Sections merger proposal

I am proposing to merge the Gulf War blacklist with the List of banned songs into one single wikitable. However, I can give Gulf War blacklist songs a different background colour to the List of banned songs with a key explaining the difference. What do editors think? SethWhales ^talk 22:05, 11 June 2022 (UTC)

Sounds reasonable to me. I do like the idea of giving the Gulf War Blacklist songs a different colour though, as these songs were all banned due to how they might have been perceived in relation to a specific political situation in 1991, rather than for reasons that were directly associated with the songs themselves. That's an important distiction to make, I think. --Kohoutek1138 (talk) 23:45, 13 June 2022 (UTC)

I will end the discussion on 11 July 2022, if that's okay with editors. Instead of creating a Wikitable, what about an icon against the song from the Gulf War blacklist, such as or or etc. What do editors think? SethWhales ^talk 06:50, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

All done. I have removed Zombie by The Cranberries because the only reference that I can find is that the video for the song was banned by the BBC, not the song itself, see bbc.co.uk, belfasttelegraph.co.uk. So as this article is about songs banned by the BBC, I have removed it. SethWhales ^talk 22:05, 12 July 2022 (UTC)

Scrap the Monarchy

The only reference is from the Scottish Daily Express (https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/weird-news/anti-monarchy-song-limps-uk-29925650) however, The Daily Express is considered generally unreliable.Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources. Best to wait for a better reference for the time being. SethWhales ^talk 21:07, 10 May 2023 (UTC)

Usurped ref link(s)

I found a link (ref name="Leigh2") where the original link had been usurped. I have fixed this one, having gone to the Help Desk for how to do it - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk#Broken/rotted_reference_link_now_leads_to_(probable)_scam(s):_what_to_do_about_it? I will look for other usurped links in this article. FrankSier (talk) 21:21, 16 July 2023 (UTC)

Addition of 'Zombie' by 'The Cranberries'

Hello all,

As you may or may not know, Zombie by The Cranberries was banned by BBC during the Gulf War, I would like it to be added to the banned song index.

My points:

• Addition of 'Zombie' to the banned song list (as well as adding the tank logo next to it to signify it was related to the Gulf War)
• A new section to the banned song list labeled 'z'

Here is the link to the wiki page here

Regards Duck Dur (talk) 17:36, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

TOC (Table Of Contents)

I'm not convinced that a Table Of Contents (TOC) at the top of the article is necessary when there is already a Compact Table Of Contents (TOC) just above the list itself.....what do other editors think? SethWhales ^talk 12:20, 15 November 2024 (UTC)