On May 27, 1977, punk rock outfit Sex Pistols released their legendary single “God Save The Queen”. Many record stores refused to sell the album, and BBC Radio 1 refused to play it during the day. Despite it all, the single ends up selling nearly 150,000 copies in its first week on the shelves alone. The track would be included on the band’s only album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols. That pioneering punk album was released a few months later in October.
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“God Save The Queen” was met with quite a bit of opposition from traditional English listeners. There were a few reasons for that.
The cover, which boasted an image of the Queen with newspaper clipping text covering her eyes and mouth, was quite controversial at the time. The BBC, as well as the Independent Broadcasting Authority, refused to play the song. It was eventually completely banned from being aired.
Likewise, the subject matter of the song was controversial. “God Save The Queen” explored the band’s view of the British monarchy and condemned government control and obligation. It was critical of the government. That rarely ever goes over well.
The Legacy of “God Save The Queen” by Sex Pistols
Despite being seen as problematic, “God Save The Queen” by Sex Pistols was an enormous hit for the band and for the growing punk rock music genre across the pond. It hit No. 1 on the NME chart in the UK, and it made it to No. 2 on the UK Singles chart as well. Even though it did incredibly well, some music historians and fans believe that the chart was “fixed” to prevent the tune from making it to No. 1.
Today, “God Save The Queen” still makes it to lists of the greatest songs of all time. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame named the tune as one of the top songs that shaped the evolution of rock music.
It makes sense why this particular tune is so important. It’s one of the most recognizable and controversial songs to come out of the early years of punk rock music in the late 1970s. Just as well, it’s a historically important track from the musical history of the UK. Who knows if punk bands that followed Sex Pistols would have even existed without this pioneering song?
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