3 of the Most Controversial Rock Songs From the 1980s

The world of rock is often rife with controversy for one reason or another. Maybe a song is just too “out there” for some people. Others might boast some troubling subject matter in their lyrics. Either way, these are three of the most controversial rock songs from the 1980s. (And this list is far from exhaustive, by the way.)

1. “Spasticus Autisticus” by Ian Dury And The Blockheads

This 1981 song from Ian Dury And The Blockheads ruffled a few feathers when it came out, mainly because so many listeners were uncomfortable with a visibly disabled person making music about being pissed off over being disabled. “Spasticus Autisticus” was polio survivor Ian Dury’s response to the United Nations designating 1981 as the Year of the Disabled. He saw the gesture for what it was: superficial. The punk rocker wrote the delightfully offensive song with Chaz Jankel, and the BBC ended up banning it.

2. “Dear God” by XTC

If you want to garner controversy for the sake of getting your band some attention, it’s not that hard to do. It was especially easy to pen controversial rock songs in the 1980s. For art-rock outfit XTC, they figured out that releasing an anti-religious song was a good way to stir up some emotions among the American and British public in 1986.

The song itself is simply an atheist challenging the existence of a God in a world full of starving people and war. A lot of people weren’t having that, which led to endless angry letters, bomb threats, and even violent protests.

3. “Beds Are Burning” by Midnight Oil

Australian rockers Midnight Oil gained international fame with the release of their 1987 song “Beds Are Burning”. Despite the fact that the song was a hit, it also made quite a few people angry. The song was originally about the fact that much of Australia was founded on the genocide of Aboriginal people and called for reparations to be given to the Pintupi Aboriginal peoples who remained in the country. The song got a makeover in 2009 with a focus on climate change, which probably also made people mad.

Photo by Gie Knaeps

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