3 Times the BBC Banned Rock Tunes That Definitely Didn’t Deserve To Be Silenced

The BBC was pretty trigger-happy during the 20th century when it came to banning songs. Though, they had good reason to ban some tracks during the latter half of the century. Some songs were sexually vulgar, outright violent, or featured censored swear words. However, on occasion, the BBC banned tunes that really didn’t deserve to be banned, and their reasoning wasn’t that great. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?

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“My Generation” by The Who (1965)

The Who was known for smashing guitars, blowing up drum kits, and occasionally diving into existential, culturally critical works. However, none of those reasons is why the BBC banned The Who’s “My Generation”. Their reasoning was that Roger Daltrey’s vocal stutter on the song might offend those who suffer from stuttering or tics. Obviously, the song didn’t offend many people, as it became a massive hit in the UK, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Singles chart. The song sold 300,000 copies by the time the BBC decided to relax the ban, as other radio stations were playing it on repeat.

“Summer Smash” by Denim (1997)

This song was banned in the 1990s, during a period in which the BBC was much more lax about what was “allowed” to be aired, compared to the 1960s. While their reasoning was rooted in good intentions, it was a bit over the top. It was particularly unfortunate that “Summer Smash” was banned by the BBC when it was, as it led the band’s label, EMI, to shelve their third album, Denim Take Over. The band would break up that year as well. 

The reason for the ban? Princess Diana’s death, resulting from a traffic collision that very summer, around the time the song was set to hit the airwaves.

“Space Oddity” by David Bowie (1969)

This legendary song from David Bowie was one of his earlier hits. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles chart in 1969. However, depending on how the Apollo 11 space mission went, it might have never made it to BBC radio at all. That’s because the BBC banned this psychedelic folk-rock entry on our list of tunes until astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins had arrived safely back on Earth. Placing an embargo on a song based on cultural connections was rare for the BBC. “Space Oddity” would later be re-released in the mid-1970s, when it would peak at No. 1.

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