“You don’t write ‘God Save the Queen’ because you hate the English race,” said Johnny Rotten in 2000, “you write a song like that because you love them, and you’re fed up with them being mistreated.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Sex Pistols were a reaction. Britain was in a recession. There was a garbage collector strike. There was a labor union strike. Inflation and unemployment were high. The government seemed to show no compassion for the working class. The idea of finishing school and being thrown into the mess that was England in 1975 made Rotten feel hopeless. The meaning behind “God Save the Queen’s” lyrics is solidarity with the working class rather than purely shock and protest. However, it achieved both.
A Political Stunt
It has been often reported the Sex Pistols recorded “God Save the Queen” to coincide with the Silver Jubilee, celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 25th year on the throne. The timing of the release of the single was certainly lined up to pair with the event. However, the song had been around for more than six months before. Comparing the monarchy with a fascist regime is not going to win points with the Royal Family.
God save the queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
A potential H bomb
Rotten saw how many people his age were frustrated with the situation in the UK. “England was in a state of social upheaval. It was a very different time—total social chaos. There was rioting all over the place. TV channels would go on and off randomly. People were fed up with the old way. The old way was clearly not working. … The Labor Party had promised so much after the war and done so little for the working class that the working class were confused about even themselves and didn’t even understand what working class meant anymore. The germ, the seed, the Sex Pistols generated from that.”
God save the queen
She’s not a human being
and There’s no future
And England’s dreaming
No Future
The song’s original title was “No Future,” which sums up Rotten’s overall attitude at the time. Changing the title to “God Save the Queen” turned a disrespectful song into a hand grenade thrown into the House of Parliament. As much as the message resonated with the youth of England, the establishment was not having it. “God Save the Queen” was the name of the British National Anthem, which dates back to the 1740s when it was first published without a title with the lyrics God Save the King. Royalists and the establishment alike were outraged by the irreverent actions of these young punks.
Don’t be told what you want
Don’t be told what you need
There’s no future
No future
No future for you
Multiple Recordings
The band had first recorded the song in October 1976 and then again in January 1977 under the title “No Future.” The lyrics were fully formed, even in the first recording. There were only slight differences here and there. In March 1977, the title was changed to “God Save the Queen,” and it was rerecorded. A&M Records released a small number of units just as they abruptly ended the recording agreement with the band over multiple incidents involving bad behavior. Those records fetch high dollars today as most of the A&M batch was destroyed when the deal was terminated.
God save the queen
We mean it, man
We love our queen
God saves
The Silver Jubilee
The band then signed with Virgin Records, who agreed to release the single on May 27, 1977. Four days later, the BBC banned the record and issued a public statement accusing the band of “gross bad taste.” The recording was not played on radio or television or sold through major music distributors. Virgin relied purely on independent record stores. The single raced up the charts. It is widely believed today that the single outsold every other release during the week of June 7, 1977. However, it was not awarded the top spot on the charts. “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” by Rod Stewart occupied No. 1, while a blank line was displayed in the second spot. If the Sex Pistols were awarded the top position, they would appear on Top of the Pops, the BBC weekly television program that featured the band that held the coveted top position.
God save the queen
‘Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems
The band played a show on a boat on the River Thames during the Silver Jubilee. The Sex Pistols performed “Anarchy in the U.K.” as it passed by the British Parliament. Police forced the boat to dock and arrested manager Malcolm McLaren.
Oh God, save history
God save your mad parade
Oh Lord God, have mercy
All crimes are paid
The Backlash
The outrage caused by the single and the Jubilee incident was massive. Members of the band and their friends were knifed and beaten. England was not a safe place to be a Sex Pistol. If Rotten felt he had no future, now he feared what was coming around each corner.
Oh, when there’s no future
How can there be sin
We’re the flowers
In the dustbin
We’re the poison
In your human machine
We’re the future
Your future
No future
No future
No future for you
The band was banned from playing concerts as the fear of riots and protests was too much. They resorted to using assumed names and playing small clubs.
Rotten looks back on it with a sly grin: “God Save the Queen’ was the alternative national anthem. What we offered to England was a pivotal point. We were the maypole that they danced around. … There’s a sense of comedy in the English. Even in your grimmest moment, you laugh.”
Would “No Future” have been banned outright? “God Save the Queen” was a step too far. And it was just what England needed.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
