3 Classic Rock Songs From the 1970s That Drove Mom and Dad Crazy

Classic rock was changing in big ways in the 1970s, and quite a few songs in different, new subgenres began hitting the airwaves that decade. From punk rock to heavy metal, a lot of new music gained popularity in the 1970s, much to the ire and resistance of conservative or traditional parents back in the day. If you were a 70s kid, I bet the following three jams really made your parents lose their minds.

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“Anarchy In The U.K.” by Sex Pistols (1976)

The Sex Pistols really ruffled a few traditional feathers back in 1976 with the release of their one and only album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols. And the very first single released by the punk rock icons was “Anarchy In The U.K.”. They were dropped by their label shortly after this song was released, following a televised live interview in which the band used profanity. (Gasp!) 

This song was tame compared to other punk rock tracks hitting the streets around that time. However, Sex Pistols were the most visible band, at least in the United Kingdom at the time. If you were a British kid in the 1970s, your parents probably hated this song.

“Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath (1970)

When Black Sabbath debuted, they had done something very different with rock music at the turn of the decade. Their self-titled debut album from 1970 is considered one of the most pioneering albums in the formation of heavy metal as a genre, and I certainly agree with that. However, many of their songs, especially that album’s title track and the band’s namesake, disturbed many a religious parent in the 1970s. They converted many 1970s kids into straight-up metalheads with this song, much to the chagrin of conservative parents both in the UK and US.

“Tie Your Mother Down” by Queen (1977)

Well, that’s quite a title. This entry on our list of classic rock songs from the 1970s that your parents hated isn’t actually meant to be taken literally, but that definitely didn’t matter to many pearl-clutching, traditional mothers in the 1970s. Honestly, I think they needed to listen to this song without judgment just one time to recognize its brilliance. That opening guitar riff? Absolutely unreal. “Tie Your Mother Down” might just be Queen’s most heavy metal-sounding song of their career.

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