As a huge fan of music made in the 1950s and '60s, I was totally surprised by just how many classic tunes were actually censored or outright banned from the airwaves!
There are plenty of famous examples that people still talk about today. No one can forget Elvis Presley's "pelvis" dance that accompanied the suggestive lyrics to "Hound Dog." That caused a lot of controversy during his early performances. There was also Jim Morrison's refusal to tone down a line from "Light My Fire" when the Doors played for Ed Sullivan — just one of the band's many notorious moments.
But even songs that seem completely innocent today — like the classic Christmas tune in #13 — were once considered too scandalous to be played on TV and radio back in the day.
Take a look below, and you'll probably be shocked by more than a few of the banned songs from the '50s and '60s.
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1. "Splish Splash"
Artist: Bobby Darin
Released: 1958
The whimsical tune depicts Bobby enjoying a nice bath, which, of course, is usually done without any clothes on. This was apparently far too suggestive for some radio stations.
2. "Wake Up Little Susie"
Artist: The Everly Brothers
Released: 1957
The lyrics describe a young couple who wake up frantically at 4:00 a.m. after innocently falling asleep following their movie date. However, radio stations in Boston weren't convinced the fictional pair were just sleeping and banned it from the air, according to reports from Rolling Stone.
3. "Puff, the Magic Dragon"
Artist: Peter, Paul and Mary
Released: 1962
Despite including descriptions of the magical dragon in a cartoonish manor, the song was still misconstrued as an homage to illicit drugs, causing the ditty to be banned frequently.
4. "Let's Spend the Night Together"
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Released: 1967
The title and lyrics aren't very subtle about the message Mick Jagger was trying to convey, but the front man agreed to tone down the title to "Let's Spend Some Time Together" while performing for Ed Sullivan.
According to the variety show host's official site, Ed told the band, "Either the song goes, or you go," but that didn't stop Mick from rolling his eyes during the performance when he reached the altered chorus.
5. "Brown Eyed Girl"
Artist: Van Morrison
Released: 1967
Although the soft ballad seems like a simple homage to the girl who got away, one line about "making love in the green grass" caused controversy for several radio stations.
This was the second time Van found himself censored — after lines from "Gloria" were also called into question in 1965.
6. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"
Artist: The Shirelles
Released: 1960
A few years after the Everly Brothers' "Susie" caused a stir, the girl group shocked DJs with their even more direct lyrics about sharing a romantic evening with their beaus.
7. "My Generation"
Artist: The Who
Released: 1965
Unlike other tunes being censored because of their lyrical content, it was actually the style of Roger Daltrey's singing that got the Who in hot water with their first hit. The stuttering delivery was deemed too offensive to folks who really suffer the speech impediment.
8. "God Only Knows"
Artist: The Beach Boys
Released: 1966
The now-iconic song from the album Pet Sounds wasn't very successful at first. That's because several stations banned it for being "blasphemous." The single's A-side, "Wouldn't It Be Nice," didn't fare much better, since some believed it encouraged premarital relations.
9. "Louie, Louie"
Artist: The Kingsmen
Released: 1963
The song was so notoriously indecipherable thanks to frontman Jack Ely slurring the words as he sang on the one-take track. Many stations quickly assumed the lyrics, which were totally harmless, were actually vulgar. The FBI even got involved with investigating the true nature of the tune.
Ironically, there is one swear word near the :54 mark that most people never notice — the drummer, Lynn Easton, let an "F-bomb" slip after dropping one of his sticks!
10. "Great Balls Of Fire"
Artist: Jerry Lee Lewis
Released: 1957
Before his controversial marriage caused his popularity to plummet, a few Southern radio stations believed his initial hit song was blasphemous and refused to play it.
11. "Love Me Two Times"
Artist: The Doors
Released: 1967
Unlike the Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison famously refused to censor himself at Ed Sullivan's request while performing "Light My Fire" on the hit show. About a month later, the group went on to have this risqué single banned from radio stations.
12. "Leader Of The Pack"
Artist: The Shangri-Las
Released: 1965
This was one of many bittersweet tunes from the era that depicted teen tragedy, but the portion where lead singer Mary Weiss starts shouting "Look out! Look out!" before sound effects of a crash in many cases caused it to be banned or censored.
13. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"
Artist: Jimmy Boyd
Released: 1952
Perhaps the silliest example of a song being banned, the classic Christmas song was deemed too scandalous by the Roman Catholic Church. At age 13, Jimmy was eventually able to have the ban lifted after speaking personally with church leaders, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Were you surprised by any of these banned songs from the '50s and '60s?
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