3 Rage-Inducing Classic Rock Songs That All Parents Hated in the 1980s

The 1980s was the era of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) and their antagonizing attempts to heavily censor popular music. A lot of music made it to the group’s “Filthy 15” list, which included everything from songs about sex to tracks that some believed were Satanic in nature. And if you were a kid during the 1980s, I bet you blasted a few classic rock songs that had your traditional parents fuming. Those songs might even be on the “Filthy 15.” The following three tracks certainly were. Let’s revisit some parent-angering classics, shall we?

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“Darling Nikki” by Prince (1984)

This hard rock track made it to Tipper Gore’s list of super-offenders back in 1985. “Darling Nikki” by Prince, released the year prior, was particularly upsetting to former Vice President Al Gore’s wife because her 11-year-old daughter was caught listening to the vulgar track. One of Prince’s hard rock tracks from Purple Rain, “Darling Nikki” and its explicit references to masturbation became a No. 9 hit on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in the US decades later in 2016.

“We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister (1984)

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider was one of the most vocal critics of the PMRC’s attack on music and censorship, partly because “We’re Not Gonna Take It” made it to the “Filthy 15” list. Interestingly enough, this song isn’t really “filthy.” Its lyrics were perceived as “violent,” at least to the PMRC. Snider denied this, claiming that the song was deemed “violent” because it encouraged rebellion in an albeit playful way. I just know some parents totally hated this one, especially if they had metalhead kids that played it on repeat.

“Shout At The Devil” by Mötley Crüe (1983)

The Satanic Panic was in full swing in the 1980s. Even moderately conservative parents lived in constant fear that their children were worshipping the devil and listening to rock music that encouraged it. “Shout At The Devil” by Mötley Crüe had parents clutching their pearls from the title alone. The cover of the song, which featured a pentagram, sealed the deal for a lot of paranoid parents. Still, that didn’t stop this heavy metal song from making it all the way to No. 30 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the US.

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