Why was God Save The Queen by The Sex Pistols prohibited?

God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols is potentially one of the most controversial songs in British history.

Released by the band in 1977, in the midst of Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee (although the band denied this timing was intentional), God Save The Queen garnered widespread criticism. Of course, it also took its name from the national anthem.

Including lyrics like, ‘God save the queen/ She’s not a human being’, and ‘Our figurehead is not what she seems,’ and featuring a defaced image of the Queen on the cover, it’s easy to see why people were more than a little horrified.

The song was consequently banned by the BBC and was described by the corporation as an example of ‘gross bad taste’.

It was also banned by the Independent Broadcasting Authority, which regulated Independent Local Radio.

Despite the bans, God Save the Queen officially reached number two in the charts, just behind Rod Stewart’s I Don’t Want To Talk About It, but there were rumours that it actually reached the top spot and was pushed down so as not to cause offence.

The Sex Pistols outside Buckingham Palace.

As it stands, the Official Chart Company’s archive shows God Save the Queen as having a nine-week run in the Top 40, with its peak position being number two.

Despite the widespread controversy the song caused, the Sex Pistols have been quoted saying much of it was unintentional.

Paul Cook said: ‘It 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.’

Meanwhile, Johnny Rotten said of the lyrics: ‘To me, the lyrics themselves were a fun thing.

‘It was expressing my point of view on the Monarchy in general and on anybody that begs your obligation with no thought. That’s unacceptable to me. You have to earn the right to call on my friendship and my loyalty. And you have to have value-proven points in order for me to support you. That’s how it is.’

Aside from the lyrics, the Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren managed to capitalise on the situation by organising a boat trip on the day of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and planned for the boat to pass Westminster.

However, things quickly got a bit chaotic when a scuffle ensued and several members of the band’s party were arrested.

That didn’t exactly work to dampen the excitement around God Save The Queen though – after the news spread, sales rocketed.
Nowadays, the song has gone down as a deeply influential moment in punk history.

In fact, Danny Boyle even used it as part of the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony – an event opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at the age of 96, following a 70-year reign.

Her death prompted a national mourning period, with her son Charles now the King.