Fairly a couple of songs from again within the day completely wouldn’t be recorded and launched at this time. Some name that progress and society’s push in direction of turning into a kinder and extra welcoming place. Others see it as regression and lament how the world was once extra fascinating than it’s at this time—even when the sharp edges generally made issues tough.
Regardless, there’s little doubt that there are 1,000,000 problematic previous songs that wouldn’t be large hits at this time… in lots of instances as a result of file firms wouldn’t even wish to launch them for concern of the following PR nightmare!
On this checklist, we’ll check out ten of these songs—all of which have aged very badly. These very well-known musical hits have such problematic lyrics that they wouldn’t even be regarded as potential album cuts or singles within the trendy period. Learn via it and be amazed at how unsettling a few of these previous lyrics are. And it actually begs the query: what are we producing at this time that can be seen as horrifying in one other few a long time?
Associated: 10 Rock Songs That Shook The World
10“Brown Sugar” (Rolling Stones)
The Rolling Stones first launched “Brown Sugar” in 1971, and it was successful amongst Stones followers and most of the people, who cherished rock and roll fairly shortly after that. The lyrics inform a special story, although. Most notably, this lyric has precipitated main consternation amongst individuals who aren’t down with references to slavery or violence towards girls: “Gold coast slave ship sure for cotton fields / Offered available in the market down in New Orleans / Scarred previous slaver is aware of he’s doing alright / Hear him whip the ladies simply round midnight.”
Clearly, that wouldn’t fly at this time. The racism and misogyny supply up a one-two punch of deeply troubling ideas put out into the world through the only. Later within the track, extra racism and misogyny bubbles up, too, in addition to requires sexual violence towards the slaves who’re the observe’s forlorn topics.
Fortunately, it appears as if Mick Jagger himself has come to the (right) conclusion that the track isn’t okay. In recent times, he has modified the lyrics every time he performs the track dwell. And that’s in all probability for the higher![1]
9 “Ur So Homosexual” (Katy Perry)
It looks as if eternally in the past that Katy Perry first popped up on the scene and took the world of pop music by storm. She didn’t precisely set herself up for lasting success, although. At the least not as far as the realm of decorum and decency is worried! Take her problematic hit “I Kissed a Woman” for one. That track was an exploitative and fetishistic tackle same-sex experimentation that wouldn’t be cool within the pro-LGBT world of the 2020s. And it was removed from her worst!
In 2007, Katy launched the only “Ur So Homosexual.” The track is a couple of metrosexual man with whom Perry has fallen in love. However already, the title alone is deeply troubling. It’s laborious to think about now, however again within the day, individuals often used “homosexual” as a shameful pejorative. Society has moved previous that, however Katy’s previous observe continues to be caught in that unlucky period. Take this lyric as proof: “I can’t imagine I fell in love with somebody that wears extra make-up and / You’re so homosexual and also you don’t even like boys.” Oof. Not many redeemable qualities in that single.[2]
8 “Image to Burn” (Taylor Swift)
Guess you didn’t anticipate to see Taylor Swift grace this checklist, did ya? Effectively, 2008 was a really totally different time from the world we dwell in now. And imagine it or not, Swift was a part of that problematic previous guard earlier than transitioning into the other-worldly pop star that we all know and love at this time. Again then, she launched a track known as “Image to Burn” a couple of unhealthy breakup with a boy. The track was instantly an enormous hit again then and stayed that manner for years after. However the lyrics are, uh, lower than ideally suited.
Right here’s the precise lyric we’re speaking about: “So go and inform your folks that I’m obsessive and loopy / That’s superb, I’ll inform mine that you simply’re homosexual.” Ooh! Not nice, Taylor! The thought of accusing a person of being homosexual simply because a relationship didn’t work out will not be a great look. It’s each juvenile and merciless to the person after a failed try at love, and it’s fairly notably homophobic in implying that being “homosexual” is in some way unhealthy or lower than fascinating.
For what it’s value, more moderen remastered variations of Taylor’s early music have swapped out that verse for a special one. So, at the very least she acknowledges how mistaken it’s now![3]
7 “Turning Japanese” (The Vapors)
The Vapors hit it large in 1980 once they launched their single “Turning Japanese.” All of the lyrics are fairly unhealthy, particularly when you think about what the track is definitely about. No, it’s not about turning into a Japanese particular person or shifting to Japan and familiarizing oneself with Japanese tradition. It’s truly about, uh, nicely, how will we put this… self-love. That’s it. It’s about these lonely moments if you’re in mattress, bored, or alone in the home, and also you wish to interact in a bit little bit of self-love. Yeah.
In any case, that’s a reasonably humorous premise for a track, and exploring masturbation-related themes via metaphors is actually a intelligent factor to try. That it grew to become successful acknowledged all world wide is even funnier. However the truth that the Vapors in contrast that act to being Japanese will not be cool in any respect. It’s a disrespectful joke about their eyes and faces, and it’s undoubtedly manner past the pale of one thing that might be acceptable within the eyes of the mainstream music-listening viewers at this time. [4]
6 “Indian Outlaw” (Tim McGraw)
Nation crooner Tim McGraw’s track “I’m An Indian Outlaw” was first launched in 1994 and have become successful amongst music followers. As you’d anticipate from the title, although, the lyrics are fairly regarding in terms of cultural appropriation. Take this line for instance of that: “Yow will discover me in my wigwam / I’ll be beating on my tom-tom / Pull out the pipe and smoke you some / Hey and move it round.” Moreover, McGraw’s character within the track claims to be “an Indian outlaw, half Cherokee and Choctaw,” which the true McGraw most actually will not be.
Wigwams, tom-toms, and peace pipes—actually? It’s about as stereotypical as one can get. Within the trendy period, we rightly acknowledge that attempting on different peoples’ cultures like that isn’t cool, and people of us with sufficient sense to take action keep far-off from that realm. Not Tim McGraw, although! At the least, not Tim McGraw from thirty years in the past. One thing tells us he wouldn’t attempt to re-record and launch this track at this time.[5]
5 “Island Woman” (Elton John)
When Elton John got here out with “Island Woman” in 1975, he should not have seen something problematic concerning the lyrics. However we see fairly a bit mistaken with what he sang on stage over and time and again. Certain, we’re now virtually precisely 50 years previous its launch, however nonetheless, it was excessive! Take this lyric for instance: “Island woman, what you wanting with the white man’s world / Island woman, black boy need you in his island world.”
Or what concerning the one wherein he refers back to the prostitute who’s the topic of the track as a lady who’s “black as coal however she burn like a hearth.” Not ideally suited! And never solely not ideally suited, however straight-up cringeworthy! John’s chart-topping hit is racial fetishization at its utmost. And whereas it’s solely gotten worse within the trendy age with regard to how we view racial relations at this time, we are able to’t think about this track wasn’t seen as uncouth and inappropriate again then, both. Discuss actually (actually, actually) pushing the boundaries…[6]
4 “Tonight’s the Evening” (Rod Stewart)
In 1976, Rod Stewart launched a really controversial track known as “Tonight’s the Evening (Gonna Be Alright).” Simply judging by the title alone, the #1 hit doesn’t sound that unhealthy. Stewart is thought for singing love ballads, in any case. So, who’s to say that this wouldn’t be one other a kind of feel-good songs? Effectively, it wasn’t—and never by an extended shot. Take this surprisingly candid and extremely disturbing lyric as proof: “Don’t say a phrase, my virgin little one, simply let your inhibitions run wild.” Yeah…
Once you mix the track itself with the music video that was later produced to accompany it, we’re actually at a loss for the way it acquired recorded, produced, and launched. See, within the video, Stewart woos a really younger lady (who’s faceless, which might be for the higher) after which leads her as much as his bed room. However earlier than he can take her inside, she says this to him, translated from her French: “I’m a bit scared. What’s my mom going to say?” Uh, nicely… she would say to attend till you’re 18, younger lady. As a result of in any other case, Stewart’s ballad is SUPER creepy![7]
3 “One in a Million” (Weapons N’ Roses)
The ’80s hair metallic band Weapons N’ Roses launched fairly a jaw-dropping observe in 1988 when “One in a Million” got here out. It was speculated to be a shifting story a couple of small-town boy taking his shot at fame and fortune when he strikes to Los Angeles, nevertheless it become… not that. Not that in any respect. The track began in that manner, perhaps, nevertheless it grew to become a decidedly xenophobic and homophobic rant about what singer Axl Rose noticed mistaken with Los Angeles and the Hollywood leisure business.
Take this lyric from the ballad: “Immigrants and f****ts, they make no sense to me / They arrive to our nation and assume they’ll do as they please.” Or how about this lyric that can be about immigrants: “They speak so many f*****g methods / it’s all Greek to me.” Yeah, that’s not precisely healthful music that the entire household can get pleasure from, now, is it? One thing tells us that no mainstream file firm with anyone working there who had even half a mind would publish that observe these days.[8]
2 “Age Ain’t Nothing However a Quantity” (Aaliyah)
Aaliyah might have been such an enormous star within the worlds of hip-hop and R&B if she hadn’t died so prematurely in a airplane crash. However her profession was star-crossed even in its infancy. Take the 12 months 1994, for instance, when Aaliyah launched the track “Age Ain’t Nothing However a Quantity.” The title alone ought to in all probability let you know a factor or two about why this track is perhaps problematic, however right here’s a lyric from the observe to essentially drive the purpose residence: “Age ain’t nothing however a quantity / throwing down ain’t nothing however a thang / This lovin’ I’ve for you, it’ll by no means change.” It’s similar to the aforementioned Rod Stewart single, however with the attitude flipped to that of the underage woman quite than the older man.
Oh, yeah, that’s the opposite factor. As we now know, on the time Aaliyah recorded this track, she was courting her mentor-slash-record producer R. Kelly. The explanation that’s troubling is as a result of she was solely 14 years previous on the time, whereas R. Kelly was 27. The 2 would go on to illegally marry one another not lengthy after that. Kelly, in fact, had his spectacular downfall in recent times, though Aaliyah by no means lived to see it. However nonetheless, at this time, this track is remarkably troubling.[9]
1 “He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)” (The Crystals)
The Crystals launched perhaps absolutely the worst observe within the historical past of music in 1962 when their single “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)” began getting radio airplay. Similar to with Aaliyah’s single, the title of this track alone will drop your jaw. (And hopefully, not go away it black and blue, because the track not so subtly suggests.) Right here is the selection lyric from the observe to essentially, um, pound the purpose residence: “He hit me and it felt like a kiss / he hit me and I knew he cherished me.” If there’s one factor worse than home violence, it’s singing a loving and constructive track that makes excuses for home violence. Not cool!
And but, that isn’t fairly the entire story. The track’s writers have been Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The duo was impressed by the tragic real-life story of an aspiring younger singer named Little Eva. She instructed them that she had a boyfriend who often beat her, however she tried to contextualize the beatings by claiming that they have been motivated by love.
Goffin and King have been rightfully horrified at that excuse, as all first rate individuals could be. However as an alternative of simply telling Little Eva to go away her boyfriend, they selected to put in writing a intelligent track about it to drive the purpose residence that home violence isn’t, ever okay—it doesn’t matter what excuse you could make for it in the mean time. Nonetheless, we don’t assume this one would make it onto the radio in 2024.[10]
