[h=2]Sex Pistols, “God Save the Queen”[/h] Sex Pistols | Graham Wood/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

U.K. punks the Sex Pistols perfectly timed the release of their single “God Save the Queen” to coincide with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebration in May of 1977. While many mindlessly celebrated the monarchy’s milestone, the working class of England was being ignored and falling into poverty. Punk rock protested these social conditions with seething, riotous music that scared the establishment.
When “God Save the Queen” was released, the BBC refused to play the song even though it skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. With lyrics like “God save the Queen / She ain’t no human being / She made you a moron,” Billboard even blanked out the name of the song and the band on the charts, making the top spot for that week technically blank; as if there were no No. 1 song. In addition to the censorship from the BBC, other radio stations also refused to play the song and many major chains refused to sell the record. The Guardian has called it “the most heavily censored record in British history.”