At times, an artist will make music with the best intentions but find themselves on the bad end of a scandal. Whether it’s a bad take, outdated language, or just plain offensive, not every song stands the test of time. In the case of the three tracks below, these artists have decided to shelve their controversial rock songs in favor of other, more palatable offerings.
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3 Controversial Rock Songs
1. “Misery Business” (Paramore)
Though Paramore has opted to add their name-making track “Misery Business” back into their setlist, there was a time when the anthem was all but dead to the rock outfit. Despite being a banger of the highest order and undoubtedly Paramore’s signature tune, a singular line caused a damning online discourse.
Once a whore, you’re nothing more, Hayley Williams sings in the second verse of this track. In 2018, the line was seen as anti-feminist. It was a controversial message Williams nor her bandmates wanted to get behind. For several years, the song was absent from the band’s live set. Lucky for fans of “Misery Business,” Paramore has decided to ignore the drama and add this floor-filling track back into their rotation.
2. “Woman is the ****** of the World” (John Lennon)
It’s certainly a shocking title. Next up on our list of controversial rock songs, is “Woman is the ****** of the World.” While John Lennon might have had his heart in the right place with this track, it’s easy to see why it proved to be controversial.
If she won’t be a slave, we say that she don’t love us / If she’s real, we say she’s trying to be a man, Lennon sings in the first verse. While we admire Lennon for trying to fight for women’s liberation, we can’t agree with his method of doing so.
3. “One in a Million” (Guns N’ Roses)
Guns N’ Roses’ “One in a Million” is a doozy. While Axl Rose meant for the lyrics of this song to be taken with a grain of salt, it’s hard to ignore the slurs and the hot takes about different communities in America.
Even Rose himself second-guessed the song after people used it “For their own anthems for their own prejudiced-ness.” In the end, the band only played this song live a couple of times, in fear it would fall into the wrong hands.
“I question myself every day,” Rose once explained. “Should l pull it? Should I leave it? Do l leave it for the sake of artistic integrity? It’s a really hard issue to constantly deal with. The only way to deal with it is to communicate about it.”
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