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List of songs banned by the BBC

{{Short description|Songs that have been banned by the BBC}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

This article lists songs and whole discographies which have been banned by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) over the years. During its history, the corporation has banned songs from a number of high-profile artists, including Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Noël Coward, the Beatles, Ken Dodd, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, the BBC Dance Orchestra, Tom Lehrer, Glenn Miller, and George Formby. Some songs were banned for only a limited period, and have since received BBC airplay, while others were banned many years after having been first aired, as was the case of the Cure's "Killing an Arab", ABBA's "Waterloo", Queen's "Killer Queen", the Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays" and 67 other songs which were banned from BBC airplay as the first Gulf War began.{{cite news | url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/radio-industry/news/article.cfm?c_id=295&objectid=10483279 | title=Banning songs not a rare occurrence for the BBC | work=The New Zealand Herald | location=Auckland | date=19 December 2007 | access-date=15 October 2011 | archive-date=4 June 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604185113/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/radio-industry/news/article.cfm?c_id=295&objectid=10483279 | url-status=live }} Judge Dread, known for frequent use of sexual innuendo and double entendres, had all of his 11 singles that entered the UK Singles Chart banned by the BBC, which is the most for any one artist.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/judge-dread-mn0000246565/biography |title=Judge Dread Biography by Jo-Ann Greene|publisher=AllMusic |access-date=12 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620043920/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/judge-dread-mn0000246565/biography |archive-date=20 June 2020 }}{{cite book | last=Simpson | first=Paul | title=The Rough Guide to Cult Pop | publisher=Rough Guides | series=Music rough guide | year=2003 | isbn=978-1-84353-229-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7hpXcrqA-8C&pg=PA102 | access-date=13 July 2022 | page=102}}

{{compact TOC|top=no|center=no|num=yes|pre1=History|pre2=Censored versus banned|pre3=List of banned songs|prebreak=yes|custom1=List of banned discographies|seealso=yes|notesfirst=yes|refs=yes|x=X|z=Z|q=Q}}

History

On occasion the BBC has seen fit to prevent certain pieces of music from being broadcast if it was felt that these recordings were unsuitable for the British public.{{cite news | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article4465603.ece | title=The music the BBC banned | work=The Times | location=London | date=6 August 2008 | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Stanley | first=Bob | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616140644/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article4465603.ece | archive-date=16 June 2011}} Files in the BBC's Written Archives Centre in Caversham, Berkshire that are now available for public inspection show that the Dance Music Policy Committee, set up in the 1930s, took its role as Britain's cultural guardian seriously: one 1942 directive read:

{{Blockquote|We have recently adopted a policy of excluding sickly sentimentality which, particularly when sung by certain vocalists, can become nauseating and not at all in keeping with what we feel to be the need of the public in this country in the fourth year of war.}}

The BBC's director of music, Sir Arthur Bliss, wrote instructions during World War II advising the committee to ban songs "which are slushy in sentiment" or "pop" versions of classical pieces, such as "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" from the 1918 Broadway show Oh, Look!, which made use of Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. Other songs based on Classical music themes that were later banned by the committee due to "distortion of melody, harmony and rhythm" were the Cougars' 1963 single "Saturday Nite at the Duck-Pond", which used music from Swan Lake, and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads", from the 1953 musical Kismet, which was based on the second movement of Alexander Borodin's String Quartet in D.{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/unfit-for-aunties-airwaves-the-artists-censored-by-the-bbc-765106.html | title=Unfit for Auntie's airwaves: The artists censored by the BBC | work=The Independent | location=London | date=14 December 2007 | access-date=17 December 2008 | archive-date=2 April 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402101329/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/unfit-for-aunties-airwaves-the-artists-censored-by-the-bbc-765106.html | url-status=live }}

Other justifications for such bans have included the use of foul language in lyrics, explicit sexual content, alleged drug references, and controversial political subject matter. Don Cornell's 1954 song "Hold My Hand" was banned from airplay due to religious references. Bob Dylan's song "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" was banned in 1962, as it included the phrase, "God-almighty world". Satire was another possible reason for banning: in 1953, ten of the twelve tracks on humorist Tom Lehrer's album Songs by Tom Lehrer were banned. In February 1956, the British music magazine NME reported that the theme for the film The Man with the Golden Arm, recorded by Eddie Calvert, was also banned.{{cite book | title=NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | publisher=Reed International Books Ltd | year=1992 | edition=1st | last=Tobler | first=John | page=[https://archive.org/details/nmerocknrollyear0000unse/page/23 23] | isbn=978-0-600-57602-0 | url=https://archive.org/details/nmerocknrollyear0000unse/page/23 }} Despite the song being an instrumental, a BBC spokesman reported: "The ban is due to its connection with a film about drugs." Billy May's version, retitled "Main Theme", was approved for transmission.

In certain cases, appeals to the BBC in favour of banning a song have failed or have only been partial. In 1972, Christian morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse failed in her campaign to stop the BBC from playing Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling",{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/26/ban-this-filth-ben-thompson-review | title=Ban This Filth!: Letters from the Mary Whitehouse Archive by Ben Thompson – review | work=The Guardian | location=London | date=26 October 2012 | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Jeffries | first=Stuart | archive-date=13 January 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113163352/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/26/ban-this-filth-ben-thompson-review | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.worldpress.org/europe/0202whitehouse.htm | title=Morals Campaigner Mary Whitehouse | work=World Press Review | location=New York | date=February 2002 | access-date=13 May 2012 | last=Coleman | first=Sarah | archive-date=13 April 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413091328/http://worldpress.org/europe/0202whitehouse.htm | url-status=live }} and featuring Alice Cooper's "School's Out" on Top of the Pops.{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/ban-this-filth-letters-from-the-mary-whitehouse-archive-edited-by-ben-thompson-8297791.html | title=Ban This Filth! Letters from the Mary Whitehouse Archive, Edited by Ben Thompson | work=The Independent | location=London | date=10 November 2012 | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Fletcher | first=Marvin | archive-date=21 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621195522/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/ban-this-filth-letters-from-the-mary-whitehouse-archive-edited-by-ben-thompson-8297791.html | url-status=live }} In the case of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's 1980 anti-war song "Enola Gay", a ban was applied only to its airing on the BBC's children's programming, as some within the organisation perceived the word "gay" as a corrupting sexual influence.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/does-rock-n-roll-kill-braincells-andy-mccluskey-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-omd-2556689|title=Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – Andy McCluskey|last=Ryan|first=Gary|date=14 October 2019|website=NME|access-date=1 October 2020|archive-date=2 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102125800/https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/does-rock-n-roll-kill-braincells-andy-mccluskey-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-omd-2556689|url-status=live}} Occasionally, a ban has first been imposed by an individual DJ refusing to play a particular song; in January 1984, Radio 1's Mike Read refused to play Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" on his mid-morning show, declaring it "overtly obscene",{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/959284.stm | title='Banned' Frankie tops chart | publisher=BBC News | date=6 October 2000 | access-date=15 September 2008 | archive-date=18 June 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618005745/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/959284.stm | url-status=live }} a decision which the BBC then followed.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3395823.stm | title=Banned on the run | publisher=BBC News | date=14 January 2004 | access-date=8 May 2010 | last=Duffy | first=Jonathan | archive-date=6 July 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706061028/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3395823.stm | url-status=live }}

In 1997, "Smack My Bitch Up" by the Prodigy was banned due to controversy regarding its lyrics, "change my pitch up, smack my bitch up", which prompted criticism from feminist groups.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11829365|title=Prodigy song voted 'most controversial' track|author=|work=BBC News |date=24 November 2010 |access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=13 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813121414/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11829365|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/nsfw-the-prodigy-smack-my-bitch-up|title=NSFW: The Prodigy – Smack My Bitch Up|last=Bryant|first=Tom|website=loudersound.com|date=27 November 2015 |publisher=Classic Rock|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=17 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917113108/https://www.loudersound.com/features/nsfw-the-prodigy-smack-my-bitch-up|url-status=live}} At the time, the BBC was attempting to shed its old-fashioned image and embrace dance culture, but at the same time they were concerned about broadcasting a song that was believed by some to be about physically assaulting women. In the end, the corporation decided to restrict the song's airplay to a minimum and generally used an instrumental remix version whenever they did play it.

The Broadcasting Standards Council has also made rulings about whether songs played by the BBC were offensive or indecent. In 1992, they ruled that the song "Ebeneezer Goode" by the Shamen should not have been broadcast by the programme Top of the Pops because it encouraged drug use. In 1994, they upheld another complaint against Radio One for playing the Radiohead song "Creep", which includes the word "fuck", during the daytime.{{cite journal |last1=Cloonan |first1=Martin |title=Popular music and censorship in Britain: An overview |journal=Popular Music and Society |date=1 September 1995 |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=75–104 |doi=10.1080/03007769508591600 }}

Since the early 2000s, the BBC has claimed that it no longer bans any records.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/apr/12/artsfeatures.popandrock | title=Leaders of the banned | work=The Guardian | location=London | date=12 April 2002 | access-date=16 December 2008 | last=Petridis | first=Alexis | archive-date=26 August 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826014805/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/apr/12/artsfeatures.popandrock | url-status=live }} However, cases of direct or indirect censorship have occurred; according to a BBC spokesperson, no official ban was imposed in the case of Linda McCartney's posthumous "The Light Comes from Within", despite her widower Paul McCartney running advertisements in the national press criticising a supposed ban.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/262450.stm | title=Linda's last song 'banned' | publisher=BBC News | date=25 January 1999 | access-date=29 May 2013 | archive-date=15 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215015016/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/262450.stm | url-status=live }} While the bans on some songs have been lifted, other songs have never been officially cleared for airing on BBC radio, and their status is uncertain – in some cases, records which had been banned have since been played on BBC radio without any official announcement that the ban has ended, such as the Beatles' "A Day in the Life".{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/adayinthelife.shtml | title=Sold on Song – Top 100 – 'A Day in the Life' | publisher=BBC Radio 2 | access-date=12 September 2008 | archive-date=22 December 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061222061531/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/adayinthelife.shtml | url-status=live }} BBC Radio 1 banned the full version of the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" in 2007, replacing it with an edited version; however, the ban was quickly lifted due to public outcry.{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3688608/Slades-festive-hit-banned-from-hotel.html | title=Slade's festive hit banned from hotel | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | date=9 December 2008 | access-date=17 December 2008 | last=Irvine | first=Chris | archive-date=20 December 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220135938/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3688608/Slades-festive-hit-banned-from-hotel.html | url-status=live }}

Censored versus banned

{{See also|Music censorship|Censorship in the United Kingdom}}

In some cases, it was considered sufficient to censor certain words, rather than banning a song outright. In the case of the Kinks' song "Lola", the BBC's strict ban on advertising led to singer and songwriter Ray Davies replacing the brand name "Coca-Cola" with "cherry cola" in the lyrics prior to the release of the record to avoid a possible ban.{{cite book |last=Hinman |first=Doug |date=2004 |title=The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night |location=San Francisco |publisher=Backbeat Books |pages=141–142 |isbn=0-87930-765-X }} In other cases, it was not necessary for the BBC to formally ban a particular song, since both parties were well aware of what would be acceptable or not, as was the case of George Formby's 1937 song "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock".{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572792/George-Formby-lyrics-censored-by-the-BBC.html | title=George Formby lyrics censored by the BBC | work=The Daily Telegraph | date=17 December 2007 | access-date=16 December 2008 | last=Gammell | first=Caroline | archive-date=2 February 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202201327/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572792/George-Formby-lyrics-censored-by-the-BBC.html | url-status=live }}

In the case of songs that the BBC deemed politically controversial, many were not banned outright and were instead placed on a "restricted" list, in order that they not be used in "general entertainment programmes". Some of Bob Dylan's early 1960s protest songs were put on this list and so too was Barry McGuire's 1965 hit, "Eve of Destruction".

After the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher on 8 April 2013, anti-Thatcher sentiment prompted campaigns on social media platforms which resulted in the song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/ding-dong%20the%20witch%20is%20dead/|title=Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead chart listing|website=Official Charts|publisher=The Official UK Charts Company|access-date=20 June 2017|archive-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702163623/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/ding-dong%20the%20witch%20is%20dead/|url-status=live}} On 12 April, Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper said that the station's chart show would not play the song in the usual format, but that a short snippet would be aired as part of a news item.{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21241791 | title=R1 Chart show will not play full Margaret Thatcher song | publisher=BBC News | date=12 April 2013 | access-date=12 April 2013 | archive-date=24 September 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924195533/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21241791 | url-status=live }}

List of banned songs

The following is a list of songs which have been banned by the BBC over the years. Some were banned from particular shows (e.g. children's programming), while others were banned for a limited period, and have since received BBC airplay. In some cases, more information about the banned songs can be found in their respective articles.

As the first Gulf War began, the BBC deemed several songs inappropriate for airplay in light of the situation and subsequently banned them from their radio stations for the duration of the war. A list of 67 banned songs was published by New Statesman and Society in conjunction with British public-service television broadcaster Channel 4.{{cite book | last=Kirby | first=M. | title=Sociology in Perspective | publisher=Pearson Education | series=Aqa Edition | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-435-33160-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NE7fykwlOl8C&pg=PA164 | access-date=12 July 2022 | page=164}}{{Cite web|title=BBC Four – More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On - 16 songs banned by the BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5R152hTbVPQdYjn29q5jt4/16-songs-banned-by-the-bbc|access-date=2020-06-25|website=BBC|language=en-GB|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101041616/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5R152hTbVPQdYjn29q5jt4/16-songs-banned-by-the-bbc|url-status=live}} These songs have this icon File:Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg against them.

{{compact TOC|short1|top=no|name=no|center=yes|num=yes|custom1=List of banned discographies|seealso=no|refs=no|notes=no|x=X|z=Z|q=Q}}

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{{Cast listing|

  • "5th Anniversary EP" – Judge Dread (1977){{refn|group=note|name=Note5}}

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  • "(Celebrate) The Day After You" – The Blow Monkeys and Curtis Mayfield (1987){{cite journal | url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/banned-10-songs-the-bbc-tried-to-censor | title=Banned! 10 Songs The BBC Tried To Censor | journal=NME | location=London | date=15 April 2013 | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Horton | first=Matthew | archive-date=12 May 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512092823/http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/banned-10-songs-the-bbc-tried-to-censor | url-status=live }}
  • "Celebrate the Bullet" – The Selecter (1981){{cite book|last1=Black|first1=Pauline|title=Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir|date=5 July 2012|publisher=Serpent's Tail|location=London|isbn=978-1-84668-791-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/blackbydesign2to0000blac/page/241 241]|url=https://archive.org/details/blackbydesign2to0000blac|url-access=registration|quote=the selecter celebrate the bullet.|access-date=6 December 2016}}
  • "Chaabian Boyz" – Frenzo Harami (2019){{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48132459 |title=BBC drops 'exploitative' rap song |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=2 May 2019 |access-date=2 May 2019 |archive-date=4 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504213332/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48132459 |url-status=live }}
  • "Charlie Brown" – The Coasters (1959){{Cite web|date=2007-12-14|title=Unfit for Auntie's airwaves: The artists censored by the BBC|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/unfit-for-aunties-airwaves-the-artists-censored-by-the-bbc-765106.html|access-date=2020-06-25|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=2 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202175948/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/unfit-for-aunties-airwaves-the-artists-censored-by-the-bbc-765106.html|url-status=live}}
  • "The Christening" – Arthur Askey (1943)
  • "Christmas in Dreadland" – Judge Dread (1975){{refn|group=note|name=Note5}}
  • "Come Again" – Au Pairs (1981){{cite book | title=A Girl's Guide to Taking over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution | publisher=Macmillan Publishers | year=1997 | last1=Taormino | first1=Tristan | author-link1=Tristan Taormino | last2=Green | first2=Karen | page=[https://archive.org/details/girlsguidetotaki00taor/page/101 101] | isbn=978-0-312-15535-3 | url=https://archive.org/details/girlsguidetotaki00taor/page/101 }}
  • "Come Monday" – Jimmy Buffett (1974){{cite journal| url=http://www.rebeatmag.com/10-well-known-songs-banned-by-the-bbc-for-ridiculous-reasons-1965-1977/| title=10 Well-Known Songs Banned by the BBC (For Ridiculous Reasons), 1965–1977| website=Rebeatmag.com| date=5 October 2015| access-date=13 March 2017| last=Simmons| first=Rick| archive-date=13 March 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313125811/http://www.rebeatmag.com/10-well-known-songs-banned-by-the-bbc-for-ridiculous-reasons-1965-1977/| url-status=live}}
  • "Come Together" – The Beatles (1969){{Cite news|date=2015-12-17|title=30 songs banned by the BBC|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/30-songs-banned-by-the-bbc/the-beatles/|access-date=2021-08-06|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=6 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806061307/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/30-songs-banned-by-the-bbc/the-beatles/|url-status=live}}
  • "The Cover of Rolling Stone" – Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (1973){{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57 | title=Promo of Hook Disk | magazine=Billboard | location=New York | date=24 March 1973 | access-date=29 May 2013 | page=57 | archive-date=4 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204221926/https://books.google.com/books?id=yCcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57 | url-status=live }}
  • "Cradle Song (Brahms' Lullaby)" – Frank Sinatra (1944)
  • "Creep" – Radiohead (1992)
  • "Croce di Oro (Cross of Gold)" – Joan Regan (1955)
  • "Crying in the Chapel" – Lee Lawrence (1953)
  • "Cuddle Me" – Ted Heath featuring Dennis Lotis (1954)

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  • "Hank Janson Blues" – Anne Shelton (1953)
  • "Have a Whiff on Me" – Mungo Jerry (1971){{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/baby-jump-the-definitive-collection-mw0000471192 | title=Baby Jump: The Definitive Collection – Mungo Jerry | website=Allmusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation | access-date=30 May 2013 | last=Thompson | first=Dave | archive-date=26 January 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126052702/http://www.allmusic.com/album/baby-jump-the-definitive-collection-mw0000471192 | url-status=live }}
  • "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" – The Beatles (1968){{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/14/the-greatest-banned-songs-of-all-time-ranked| title=The greatest banned songs of all time – ranked!| work=The Guardian |date=14 February 2019| access-date=30 April 2023| last=Snapes| first=Laura| archive-date=14 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414204037/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/14/the-greatest-banned-songs-of-all-time-ranked | url-status=live }}
  • "Hard Headed Woman" – Elvis Presley (1958)
  • "He" – Al Hibbler (1955)
  • "Heaven and Hell" – The Easybeats (1967){{cite news | url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Melody-Maker-IDX/IDX/60s/67/Melody-Maker-1967-0715-OCR-Page-0003.pdf#search=%22ban%20bbc%22| title=Easybeats Single | work=Melody Maker| location=London | date=15 July 1967 | access-date=11 April 2020}}
  • "Heaven Help Us All" – Stevie Wonder (1979) File:Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg
  • "The Heel" – Eartha Kitt (1955)
  • "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Wings (1972)
  • "High Class Baby" – Cliff Richard and the Drifters (1958)
  • "Hold My Hand" – Don Cornell (1954){{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572793/The-songs-censored-by-the-BBC.html | title=The songs censored by the BBC | work=The Telegraph | location=London | date=17 December 2007 | access-date=16 December 2008 | archive-date=2 February 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202200351/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572793/The-songs-censored-by-the-BBC.html | url-status=live }}
  • "Honey Hush" – The Rock and Roll Trio (1956)
  • "Honey Love" – Dennis Lotis (1954)
  • "Honeycomb" – Jimmie Rodgers (1957)
  • "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know" – Frank Sinatra (1956)
  • "The House of the Rising Sun" – Josh White (1950)
  • "Hunting High and Low" – A-ha (1985) File:Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg
  • "Hype on the Mic" – Frenzo Harami (2019){{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/02/frenzo-harami-banned-bbc-radio-1-due-prostitution-ring-lyrics-9388205/|title=Frenzo Harami dropped from BBC Radio 1 due to prostitution ring lyrics|date=2019-05-02|website=Metro|language=en|access-date=2020-01-29|archive-date=29 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129164558/https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/02/frenzo-harami-banned-bbc-radio-1-due-prostitution-ring-lyrics-9388205/|url-status=live}}

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  • "Jack the Ripper" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1963)
  • "Jackie" – Scott Walker (1967){{cite book | title=Selling the Sixties: The Pirates and Pop Music Radio | publisher=Routledge | year=1992 | last=Chapman | first=Robert | page=255 | isbn=978-0-415-07970-9}}
  • "Jerusalem" - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1973){{cite web | url= https://musictales.club/article/prog-rock-version-jerusalem-was-banned-bbc | title= Prog rock version of Jerusalem was banned by BBC| website=musictales.club| date= 2 July 2018}}{{cite web | url= https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/jerusalem.html | title= Jerusalem – how William Blake's poem became an anthem for all causes |access-date= 8 August 2023 | date= 1 May 2023}}
  • "Je t'aime... moi non plus" – Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (1969){{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jane-birkin-je-taime-song-serge-gainsbourg-brigitte-bardot-beyonce-a8896516.html | title= Jane Birkin on making 'Je T'Aime...': 'It's about not believing in physical love. And Serge was right. Bardot left him, I left him' | work= The Independent | access-date= 15 May 2020 | date= 3 May 2019 | archive-date= 19 March 2020 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200319002236/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jane-birkin-je-taime-song-serge-gainsbourg-brigitte-bardot-beyonce-a8896516.html | url-status= live }}
  • "Je t'aime... moi non plus" – Judge Dread{{refn|group=note|name=Note5|Judge Dread "made 11 records of innuendo set to reggae, all banned by the BBC, a record." Judge Dread "holds the record for having the most songs banned by the BBC, 11 in all, which incidentally is precisely the number of singles he placed on the charts". The 11 records that entered the UK Singles Chart were, "Big Six", "Big Seven", "Big Eight", "Je t'aime... moi non plus", "Big Ten", "Christmas in Dreadland", "The Winkle Man", "Y Viva Suspenders", "5th Anniversary EP", "Up With the Cock!/Big Punk", "Jingle Bells/Hokey Cokey" and "Relax".{{cite web | url= https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14684/judge-dread/ | title= Judge Dread | work= UK Singles Chart | access-date= 13 July 2022}}}}
  • "Jingle Bells/Hokey Cokey" – Judge Dread (1978){{refn|group=note|name=Note5}}
  • "John and Marsha" – Stan Freberg (1950)
  • "Johnny Remember Me" – John Leyton (1961){{cite web | url=http://johnleyton.net/news_item_062.html | title=News item #08.062 | publisher=JohnLeyton.net | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Leyton | first=John | author-link=John Leyton | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510081334/http://johnleyton.net/news_item_062.html | archive-date=10 May 2013 | df=dmy-all }}
  • "Jungle Fever" – The Chakachas (1971){{cite book | last=O'Leary | first=Chris| title=Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie From '64 to '76 | publisher=John Hunt Publishing | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-78099-713-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ggTmBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT47 | access-date=11 July 2022 | page=47}}

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  • "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959){{cite web| url=https://bestclassicbands.com/stones-song-banned-9-4-155/| title=Sept 4: Radio Bans Bobby Darin, Stones Songs| date=2 August 2015| publisher=Best Classic Bands| access-date=15 May 2020| archive-date=20 June 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620003757/https://bestclassicbands.com/stones-song-banned-9-4-155/| url-status=live}}
  • "Made You" – Adam Faith (1960){{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-barry-composer-and-songwriter-who-won-five-oscars-and-scored-11-of-the-james-bond-films-2200089.html | title=John Barry: Composer and songwriter who won five Oscars and scored 11 of the James Bond films | work=The Independent | location=London | date=1 February 2011 | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Leigh | first=Spencer | archive-date=28 October 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028160555/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-barry-composer-and-songwriter-who-won-five-oscars-and-scored-11-of-the-james-bond-films-2200089.html | url-status=live }}
  • "Maggie May" – The Vipers Skiffle Group (1957)
  • "Magic Roundabout" - Jasper Carrott (1975){{cite news | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/feature/jasper_carrott_2013_interview/ | title=Jasper Carrott – In Conversation interview | work=British Comedy Guide |date=28 February 2013| access-date=11 June 2022 | last= Plaice | first=Andy | archive-date=20 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020131030/https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/feature/jasper_carrott_2013_interview/ | url-status=live }}
  • "The Man with the Golden Arm" – Eddie Calvert (1956)
  • "Maybellene" – Chuck Berry (1955){{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xWWJ4FAdFq8C&pg=PA29 | title=Darker Than Blue: On the Moral Economies of Black Atlantic Culture | publisher=Harvard University Press | year=2010 | last=Gilroy | first=Paul | page=29 | isbn=978-0-674-03570-6 | access-date=4 October 2016 | archive-date=5 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205025930/https://books.google.com/books?id=xWWJ4FAdFq8C&pg=PA29 | url-status=live }}
  • "Midnight at the Oasis" – Maria Muldaur (1974) File:Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg
  • "Mighty Mighty Man" – Bobby Darin (1958)
  • "Minnie the Moocher" – Cab Calloway (1931)
  • "Miss You" – Bing Crosby (1942)
  • "Mix-A-Fix" – Haydock's Rockhouse (1967){{cite news | url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/a-long-long-road | title=Haydock's Rockhouse Lovin' You/Mix-A-Fix £60.00 | work=Record Collector | location=London | access-date=11 April 2020 | last=Smith | first=Simon | archive-date=11 April 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411075409/https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/a-long-long-road | url-status=live }}
  • "The Mocking Bird" – The Four Lads (1958)
  • "Monster Mash" – Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962){{cite web | url=http://blog.music.aol.com/2010/10/29/monster-mash-song-a-halloween-classic/ | title='Monster Mash' Song – A Halloween Classic | publisher=AOL | date=29 October 2010 | access-date=29 May 2013 | archive-date=2 January 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102215351/http://blog.music.aol.com/2010/10/29/monster-mash-song-a-halloween-classic | url-status=live }}
  • "Moonlight Love" – Perry Como (1956)
  • "My Christmas Prayer" – Billy Fury (1959)
  • "My Friend" – Eddie Fisher (1954)
  • "My Friend Jack" – The Smoke (1967)
  • "My Generation" – The Who (1965){{cite web | url=http://ncac.org/blog/turn-that-down-40-banned-and-censored-songs | title=Turn That Down! 40 Banned and Censored Songs – 32. 'My Generation', The Who (October 29, 1965) | publisher=National Coalition Against Censorship | date=3 March 2015 | access-date=8 September 2016 | archive-date=31 August 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831040347/http://ncac.org/blog/turn-that-down-40-banned-and-censored-songs | url-status=live }}
  • "My Little Ukulele" – Joe Brown and The Bruvvers (1963){{cite news | url=http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/leisure/leisure_home/10315789.Joe_Brown_at_the_Alban_Arena/?ref=rss | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305205911/http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/leisure/leisure_home/10315789.Joe_Brown_at_the_Alban_Arena/?ref=rss | url-status=dead | archive-date=5 March 2016 | title=George Nott catches up with Joe Brown who will be playing the ukulele at the Alban Arena in St Albans to show what the little instrument can do | work=Watford Observer | date=27 March 2013 | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Nott | first=George}}

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  • "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" – X-Ray Spex (1977){{Cite book |last=O'Brien |first=Lucy |title=She Bop 2: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul |pages=[https://archive.org/details/shebopiidefiniti0000obri/page/134 134-135] |publisher=Continuum Intl Pub Group |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-82645-776-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/shebopiidefiniti0000obri/page/134 }}
  • "The Old Dope Peddler" – Tom Lehrer (1953)
  • "Old Man Atom" – The Sons of the Pioneers (1950)
  • "Oliver's Army" – Elvis Costello (1979) File:Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg
  • "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" – Jimmy Wakely (1948)
  • "Open Your Box" – Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band (1971){{cite web| url=https://www.johnlennon.com/music/with-yoko-ono/open-your-box-2/| title=Open Your Box| publisher=Universal Music Group| access-date=13 July 2022| archive-date=22 December 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222022447/https://www.johnlennon.com/music/with-yoko-ono/open-your-box-2/| url-status=live}}
  • "Over the Wall We Go" – Oscar (1967){{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jun/19/if-you-have-dreams-follow-them-paul-nicholas-on-bowie-the-bee-gees-playing-jesus-and-ruffling-the-kings-hair | title='If you have dreams, follow them!' Paul Nicholas on Bowie, the Bee Gees, playing Jesus – and ruffling the king's hair| work=The Guardian | location=London | date=19 June 2023| access-date=29 June 2023 | last=Saner | first=Emine | archive-date=23 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623192644/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jun/19/if-you-have-dreams-follow-them-paul-nicholas-on-bowie-the-bee-gees-playing-jesus-and-ruffling-the-kings-hair | url-status=live }}

===P===

  • "Paper Doll" – The Mills Brothers (1943)
  • "Pass It Around" - Smokie (1975){{cite news|last=Hough|first=Andrew|date=4 January 2012|title=British rock band Smokie play before Dmitry Medvedev at Moscow 'extravaganza'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8992041/British-rock-band-Smokie-play-before-Dmitry-Medvedev-at-Moscow-extravaganza.html?fb|work=The Telegraph|location=London|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|access-date=22 March 2021|url-access=registration|archive-date=15 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015141114/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8992041/British-rock-band-Smokie-play-before-Dmitry-Medvedev-at-Moscow-extravaganza.html?fb|url-status=live}}
  • "Peaceful Street" – Ernest Butcher (1936)
  • "Peaches" – The Stranglers (1977){{cite news | url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/08/1097089555180.html | title=Still at full throttle | work=The Age | location=Melbourne | date=10 October 2004 | access-date=30 May 2013 | last=Bunbury | first=Stephanie | archive-date=8 December 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208020709/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/08/1097089555180.html | url-status=live }}
  • "Please No Squeeza da Banana" – Louis Prima (1945)
  • "Prince Andrew Is a Sweaty Nonce" – The Kunts (2022){{cite tweet|user=High_Command|number=1532755351401021447

|title=Massively disappointed with @BBCR1 refusing to play @kuntandthegang's Prince Andrew is a Sweaty Nonce on the @officialcharts or even mention what the subject of the song was. It's almost like the BBC has a history with covering up peados.}} {{better source needed|date=April 2023}}

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  • "Take Off Your Clothes" – Peter Sarstedt (1969){{cite magazine |author= |title=BBC ban Sarstedt 'strip' song |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Melody-Maker/60s/69/Melody-Maker-1969-0726.pdf |magazine=Melody Maker |location=London |publisher=Longacre Press |date=1969-07-26 |access-date=2020-04-11 |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015141114/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Melody-Maker/60s/69/Melody-Maker-1969-0726.pdf |url-status=live }}
  • "Teen Angel" – Mark Dinning (1959)
  • "Teen Age Prayer" – Gale Storm (1955)
  • "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ray Peterson (1960)
  • "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ricky Valance (1960){{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/feb/01/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1 | title=Ray Peterson | work=The Guardian | location=London | date=1 February 2005 | access-date=27 May 2010 | last=Laing | first=Dave | archive-date=14 April 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414125628/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/feb/01/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1 | url-status=live }}
  • "Terry" – Twinkle (1964)
  • "The Test of Time" – Robert Earl (1959)
  • "A Theme from the Threepenny Orchestra (Mack the Knife)" – Louis Armstrong (1956)
  • "Three Stars" – Ruby Wright (1959)
  • {{"'}}Til the Following Night" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1961){{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fie47qSuTsoC&pg=PA1753 | title=The Rough Guide to Rock | publisher=Rough Guides | year=2003 | editor-last=Buckley | editor-first=Peter | page=1753 | isbn=978-1-85828-457-6 | access-date=4 October 2016 | archive-date=5 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205070330/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fie47qSuTsoC&pg=PA1753 | url-status=live }}
  • "Till the End of Time" – Perry Como (1945)
  • "Ting Tong Tang" – Ken Platt (1958)
  • "To Keep My Love Alive" – Ella Fitzgerald (1956)
  • "Toll the Bell Easy" – Les Hobeaux (1957)
  • "The Tommy Rot Story" – Morris & Mitch (1957)
  • "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" - Rod Stewart (1976){{cite journal | url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/rsflashback-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night/| title=#RSFlashback: 45 Years Ago, A Song Got Banned For The Lyrics “Spread Your Wings And Let Me Come Inside” | journal=Rolling Stone India|location=New York | date=12 November 2021| access-date=5 April 2025 | last=Vaidya| first=Amit| archive-date=5 April 2025| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405201123/https://rollingstoneindia.com/rsflashback-rod-stewart-tonights-the-night/ | url-status=live }}
  • "Too Drunk to Fuck" – Dead Kennedys (1981){{cite book | title=Dirty Discourse: Sex and Indecency in Broadcasting | publisher=Wiley-Blackwell | year=2006 | last1=Hilliard | first1=Robert L. | last2=Keith | first2=Michael C. | page=[https://archive.org/details/dirtydiscoursese0000hill/page/98 98] | isbn=978-1-4051-5053-8 | url=https://archive.org/details/dirtydiscoursese0000hill/page/98 }}
  • "Tribute to Buddy Holly" – Mike Berry and The Outlaws (1961){{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/may/25/guardianobituaries | title=Geoff Goddard | work=The Guardian | location=London | date=25 May 2000 | access-date=29 May 2013 | last=Clayson | first=Alan | archive-date=29 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729202032/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/may/25/guardianobituaries | url-status=live }}
  • "Two Tribes" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984) File:Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg

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}}

{{clear}}

List of banned discographies

  • Lostprophets' discography (from 2014–onwards){{Cite web |url=https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/452911/BBC-bans-Lostprophets-music |title=BBC bans Lostprophets music|date=9 January 2014 |access-date=18 January 2018 |archive-date=19 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119060700/https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/452911/BBC-bans-Lostprophets-music |url-status=live }}
  • Alan Bush's discography (from March–June 1941){{cite book | last1=Hughes | first1=M. | last2=Stradling | first2=R. | last3=Stradling | first3=R.A. | last4=Martin | first4=P. | title=English Musical Renaissance, 1840-1940 | publisher=Manchester University Press | series=Music and Society | year=2001 | isbn=978-0-7190-5830-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g-FzJC-B51EC&pg=PA147 | language=fr | access-date=11 June 2022 | page=147}}{{Cite web|title=Timeline of Alan Bush's Life|url=http://www.alanbushtrust.org.uk/timeline/timeline.asp|access-date=2022-06-11|website=alanbushtrust.org.uk|language=en-GB|archive-date=2020-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206034957/http://www.alanbushtrust.org.uk/timeline/timeline.asp|url-status=live}}
  • Ewan MacColl's discography (during World War II){{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/mar/05/broadcasting.bbc | title=BBC banned communists in purge | website=theguardian.com| date=2006-03-06| access-date=2024-11-16| archive-date=2014-09-21| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921200149/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/mar/05/broadcasting.bbc | url-status=live }}

See also

Notes

{{Reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Songs banned by the BBC}}

Banned by the BBC

Singles banned

Category:BBC-related lists

Category:Censorship of broadcasting in the United Kingdom

Category:British music-related lists

Category:Blacklisting in the United Kingdom

Category:Radio controversies

Category:Lists of banned works