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Obscenity controversies in music

  • Elvis PresleyA teacher told young Elvis Presley he had no aptitude for singing. He later sold an estimated 500 million records.
  • Lady GagaLady Gaga's name may have come from a phone typo. Producer Rob Fusari said autocorrect turned "Radio Ga Ga" into "Lady".
  • EminemEminem performed with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards while GLAAD protested outside.
  • Kanye WestKanye West recorded "Through the Wire" with his jaw still wired shut. A 2002 car accident had shattered it.
  • Sex PistolsThe Sex Pistols never made a second studio album. Yet the punk band reshaped British music in about two years.
  • I Am the WalrusJohn Lennon wrote "I Am the Walrus" to baffle fans who over-analyzed the Beatles.
  • Nine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails began as the after-hours project of a janitor in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1987, Trent Reznor worked at Right Track Studios as an assistant engineer and cleaner. The studio's owner, Bart Koster, let him record demos for free…
  • Gangsta rapGangsta rap first went by a different name: reality rap. Schoolly D and Ice-T said they described a world they knew.
  • Jim MorrisonOn live TV in 1967, Jim Morrison sang a lyric censors had told him to change. Ed Sullivan then banned the Doors.
  • Tyler, the CreatorAt the age of seven, Tyler Gregory Okonma, known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, was already making albums that did not exist. He pulled the covers out of CD cases and made new ones for imaginary records, each with a tracklist and…
  • The DoorsThe Doors sang the banned word "higher" on The Ed Sullivan Show. Network executives had asked the band to cut it.
  • Ozzy OsbourneOn the 5th of July 2025, Ozzy Osbourne sat on a black throne at Villa Park in Birmingham, because Parkinson's disease had left him unable to stand. More than 40,000 people filled the ground. At its peak, the livestream drew 5.8 million…
  • Straight Outta ComptonThe FBI sent a warning letter over one song on N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton.
  • Fuck tha PoliceIce Cube reportedly threw the lyrics to "Fuck tha Police" in the trash. His friend Phoenix Phil fished the paper out.
  • Don't Trust MeA Colorado duo nearly cut "Don't Trust Me" from their album over a Helen Keller lyric.
  • The Marshall Mathers LPThe Marshall Mathers LP sold 1.76 million copies in its first week in the US. It also set off Senate hearings.
  • Yesterday and TodayCapitol recalled the Beatles' Yesterday and Today over a cover of butcher smocks and raw meat.
  • Mozart and scatologyMozart's crude jokes were mostly a family habit, not a secret vice. His father, mother and sister wrote them too.

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