![]() (“They talk so many (expletive) ways / it’s all Greek to me.”) But using derogatory language for gay and black men certainly doesn’t help his case, nor do his wildly xenophobic lyrics about immigrants. "One in a Million,” Guns 'N Roses (1988)Īxl Rose attempts to win our sympathy with his story of a “small-town white boy” feeling lost when he moves to Los Angeles. But the racist video puts the song in a whole different light, with stereotypical imagery of mariachi horns, ponchos, sombreros and oversize mustaches. Its message and story are seemingly well-intentioned, detailing a Mexican immigrant's struggle to cross the border in search of a better life. This Todd Rundgren-produced ode to a woman dubbed “black licorice” is several woeful minutes of fetish-ization, featuring the line, “She wraps me up in her slender legs / Her hot black skin to mine." "Illegal Alien," Genesis (1983) "Black Licorice," Grand Funk Railroad (1974) This Motown favorite is a straightforward love song until its male narrator starts getting possessive, with the demand, “It's my word, my word she'll obey, now.” ![]() "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got),” The Four Tops (1972) This Dire Straits classic could’ve (and should’ve) existed without all the gay slurs Mark Knopfler casually drops in the lyrics. The Phil Spector-produced classic is famous for its loving depiction of domestic violence. More: 20 politically incorrect songs that'd be wildly controversial today "You're Sixteen," Johnny Burnette (1960)īurnette’s ode to an underage girl was less skeevy than Berry’s - which doesn’t change the fact that it’s still an ode to an underage girl, with the chorus, “You're sixteen, you're beautiful and you're mine.” "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)," The Crystals (1962) Rock stars of a certain generation seemed to love singing about 16-year-old girls, and Chuck Berry was no exception here, with the song including the very questionable lyrics, “Sweet little sixteen, she's got the grown up blues / Tight dresses and lipstick, she's sporting high heel shoes.” "Run for Your Life," The Beatles (1965)Īnother questionable Lennon track, it’s hard to overlook the song’s most egregious lyric, "I'd rather see you dead, little girl / Than to be with another man.” "Sweet Little Sixteen," Chuck Berry (1958) The John Lennon-penned opening stanza of “Well, she was just 17 / You know what I mean” are among the more ill-advised lyrics in the band’s songbook. "I Saw Her Standing There," The Beatles (1963) ![]() ![]() The genre has cultivated a racy reputation from day one, with its stars over the years indulging in its associated bad behavior, - making it perhaps inevitable that inappropriate content would show up in their songwriting.Īnd while plenty of eyebrow-raising rock songs exist that still maintain their decency, many rock 'n' roll classics that were beloved would almost certainly stoke controversy today for content that runs the gamut of tastelessness.įrom the one-hit-wonders to the biggest names in rock history - the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and especially the Rolling Stones - we explore 20 rock hits with lyrics that, in retrospect, almost certainly should've been edited out. Yet, there's something about rock 'n' roll that lends itself to trouble. ![]() No genre of popular music is safe from politically-incorrect inclusions, with ill-conceived lyrics showing up in every kind of beloved musical category, from hip-hop and Top 40 pop to country and soul. ![]()
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