True or False? These 3 Famous Rock Songs Got Banned From the Radio in the 1970s

Radio stations, government entities, and even fans have tried to prevent some songs through the years from getting released or aired to the masses. The 1970s were one particular era when this happened quite a bit. Let’s take a look at a few rock songs from the 1970s that may or may not have been banned from the radio. Let’s put your classic rock history knowledge to the test, shall we?

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“Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones (1971)

True or false? This one’s true.

“Brown Sugar” was one of the biggest singles from the album Sticky Fingers, peaking at No. 1 in the US and Canada and No. 2 in the UK. That’s surprising, considering this song got banned by many radio stations for its references to explicit sex, drugs, and even slavery. It was quite a controversial piece of work, one that continues to get boycotted and banned today. And despite all that backlash, it remains one of The Stones’ most legendary tunes.

“Walk On The Wild Side” by Lou Reed (1972)

True or false? It’s true; some radio stations refused to play Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side”.

And despite some radio stations refusing to play the song, this jam received quite a bit of radio play elsewhere. In fact, “Walk On The Wild Side” became Lou Reed’s sole massive hit as a solo artist. Though, surprisingly, this song wasn’t banned by the BBC or any other “large” entities.

I can see why 1970s radio stations were clutching their pearls over this song. It’s an anthem to the grungey underground, with references to everything from sex work to transgender people to drugs. Those were all things that mainstream culture couldn’t really handle at the time, but they sure consumed this song in droves back in the day.

“Do You Feel Like We Do” by Peter Frampton (1976)

True or false? Surprisingly false.

Despite being one of the raunchier rock songs of the 1970s, “Do You Feel Like We Do” by Peter Frampton didn’t get banned from radio stations. Or, rather, it wasn’t banned from any big radio stations. That’s a bit surprising, considering this pop-rock song is loaded with sweaty lyrics like “Champagne for breakfast and a sherman in my hand / White top, White tails, never fails” and guitar licks that sound particularly moan-like. “Do You Feel Like We Do” ended up being a No. 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns