5 Classic Rock Songs That Offended Religious People
A lot of classic rock songs were provocative. For example, many classic rock songs upset religious people. One of the songs in question was a George Harrison track called for unity among religious denominations.
5. John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’
John Lennon’s “Imagine” was begging for controversy with the line “Imagine there’s no heaven” and its call for “no religion. The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. In it, Johns said the World Church asked if they could use the song but change the lyrics to “Imagine one religion.”
“That showed they didn’t understand it at all,” John said. “It would defeat the whole purpose of the song, the whole idea.” According to the Los Angeles Times, the song got banned from multiple school events over the years for its lines about religion.
4. Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’
Madonna isn’t really a rock singer, but “Like a Prayer” rocks pretty hard. The song’s sexual overtones should’ve been enough to upset people but its music video took things even further, showing Madonna making out with a Catholic saint. According to ET, Pope John Paul II condemned the music video.
“I am aware that the Vatican and certain communities are accusing my show of being sinful and blasphemous, that they are trying to keep people from seeing it,” Madonna said. “I think I’m offending certain groups, but I think that people who really understand what I’m doing aren’t offended by it.”
3. George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’
George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” uses a combination of Judeo-Chrsitian and Hindu terms to praise God in a call for religious unity. According to the book Contextualization and the Old Testament: Between Asian and Western Perspectives, the tune received a varied response among Christians. While some embraced the song, others called for a boycott. Many Christian musicians who covered the song removed the Hindu elements from the lyrics.
2. Marilyn Manson’s ‘The Beautiful People’
Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People” takes a few lyrical jabs at Christianity, but it’s only one of many examples of the band attacking religion. Examples of people finding Marilyn Manson offensive are too numerous to count. A 1999 Christianity Today article says 2,500 Australian Christians petitioned to get a series of scheduled Marilyn Manson concerts canceled. Concert promoter Vivian Lees didn’t bow to pressure, saying the band’s frontman was a draw.
1. The Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows’
If it were released today, The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. Some religious people would probably embrace it for mentioning God.
Despite this, Rolling Stone reports the use of the word “God” in the title caused some radio programmers to stay away from the track. The tune merely reached No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. “God Only Knows” wasn’t a big hit in the 1960s, but it’s become part of the classic rock song canon. Notably, it recently appeared in the trailer for the horror movie Lamb.
