“There are not many songs written over baked beans at the breakfast table that went on to divide a nation and force a change in popular culture.” – Johnny Rotten
On May 31st, 1977 the Sex Pistols song “God Save the Queen” was banned from being played on the BBC for “gross bad taste.”
Though it was released right before Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee, drummer Paul Cook says that the song “wasn’t written specifically for the Queen’s Jubilee. We weren’t aware of it at the time. It wasn’t a contrived effort to go out and shock everyone.” Singer Johnny Rotten explained, “You don’t write ‘God Save The Queen’ because you hate the English race. You write a song like that because you love them, and you’re fed up with them being mistreated.”
With the idea that “There’s no such thing as bad publicity,” Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren received all the press he could have ever hoped for. “God Save the Queen” reached #1 on the NME charts, but only reached #2 on the UK Singles Charts, behind “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” by Rod Stewart. Most people think it was actually #1 on the charts, but most people are wrong.
When the U.K. Parliament threatened to ban all sales of the single, a Virgin spokesbloke said “It’s remarkable that MPs should have nothing better to do than get agitated about records which were never intended for their Ming vase sensibilities.” Despite the controversy, as major retailers like Woolworth refused to sell “God Save The Queen,” the record was selling up to 150,000 copies a day.
A week after “God Save the Queen” was banned, the Sex Pistols showed up on a boat (rented by Virgin’s Richard Branson) to the Queen of England’s Silver Jubilee celebration to serenade Her Majesty. As the boat passed the Houses of Parliament on the River Thames, the band performed “Anarchy in the UK,” “God Save the Queen,” “Pretty Vacant” and “No Feelings.” When the police inevitably forced their way onto the boat, they arrested Malcolm McLaren. As the provocateur was being dragged into a police van, he screamed “You fucking fascist bastards!”
“God Save the Queen”
God save the queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
A potential H bomb
God save the queen
She’s not a human being
and There’s no future
And England’s dreaming
Don’t be told what you want
Don’t be told what you need
There’s no future
No future
No future for you
God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves
God save the queen
‘Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems
Oh God save history
God save your mad parade
Oh Lord God have mercy
All crimes are paid
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
God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves
God save the queen
We mean it man
There’s no future
In England’s dreaming God save the queen
No future
No future
No future for you
No future
No future
No future for me
No future
No future
No future for you
