3 Songs from the 1960s That Were Banned, Pulled, or Silenced—But Never Forgotten

The 1960s were a time of revolution, poignant music, and countercultural tunes. Let’s take a look at a few songs from that era that were silenced or straight-up banned, but became legendary songs regardless.

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“Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking)” by Janis Ian (1966)

They tried to silence her, but Janis Ian’s song about an interracial relationship was just too good to be shut down. This song was actually written and recorded when the folk singer-songwriter was just a teenager. And it ended up becoming a No. 14 Billboard Hot 100 hit. However, Ian said that she experienced a lot of pushback over the song, from angry audience attendees to racially-charged threats. Some radio stations even avoided airing the tune, not for political reasons, but because they thought the singer in question was “too young” to be singing about such subjects. And yet, it remains one of Ian’s most beloved tunes.

“A Day In The Life” by The Beatles (1967)

Quite a few of The Beatles’ songs were banned by the BBC for many different reasons, from alleged drug references to brand namedrops to too-vulgar innuendo. “A Day In The Life” is just one of those many songs that got the boot from the BBC. Specifically, it was banned for the alleged drug reference in the line “I’d love to turn you on.” Regardless, it ended up becoming one of the band’s most beloved and popular songs anyway. Despite getting banned, this jam from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has stood the test of time, and everyone from Phish to Jess Beck has covered it. “A Day In The Life” is also in the Top 40 list of most-streamed Beatles songs today, per Spotify.

“Street Fighting Man” by The Rolling Stones (1968)

The Rolling Stones were banned from the radio on many occasions, namely for the sexual innuendo that often made it to their tunes. However, “Street Fighting Man” from 1968 was banned and censored for a very different reason. This hard rock song sparked some controversy upon its release in the United States. That’s because it directly addressed violence at political events at the time. It also didn’t help that the song was released within a few days of the violent 1968 DNC confrontations in Chicago. Some radio stations boycotted it. Kenn Muguna of Music Minds called it “a gasoline-soaked Molotov cocktail wrapped in guitar strings.” I wish I had thought of that first, because that’s a perfect way to describe it. This song was resistance fuel for the masses at the time.

As a result of the controversy, the song charted fairly low. But today, “Street Fighting Man” still perseveres as a retrospective gem among today’s listeners and music historians alike.

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