Sex Pistols released “God Save the Queen”

God Save the Queen Sex Pistols

Writer(s): Glen Matlock, John Lydon, Paul Cook, Steve Jones (see lyrics here) Released: May 27, 1977 First Charted: June 4, 1977 Peak: 1 CL, 1 CO, 2 UK, 6 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.25 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 16.36 video, 74.82 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The “spitting, screaming and spiky Sex Pistols” LW were at the forefront of the punk movement, whose "real legacy was in sweeping away the old guard, bring[ing] music back to the people, [and] allowing even those who only knew three chords on the guitar to make records." LW It gave its audience an escape from “the bombast of supergroups like Yes, the overindulgence of progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd, and the allegedly cocaine-fueled nonsense of the Eagles.” LW They Their first single, “Anarchy in the UK,” was full of “crashing guitar chords and snarling lyrics [that] gave their music energy and a freshman that people were crying out for.” LW It soared to #1 on the UK charts and its follow-up, “God Save the Queen,” climbed to the runner-up position behind position behind Rod Stewart’s double-A-sided single “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” / “The First Cut Is the Deepest.” There have been rumours that “God Save the Queen” actually outsold Rod Stewart, but was kept out of the #1 spot because it might offend people. WK It has also been reported that the song was banned by the BBC. While they certainly made programming decisions about what to play and not to play, they didn’t ban records. There were also some major retailers who refused to stock the song, but that only made it more marketable because of the taboo associated with the song. SF It was released during Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, which marked the 25th anniversary of accession to the throne. The celebration was “a nonsense and an insult” LW for those “who lived on [Prime Minister Margaret] Thatcher’s breadline.” LW The band has said it wasn’t written specifically in response to the jubilee, but it certainly helped raise their anti-establishment profile. Member Paul Cook said, “We weren’t aware of it at the time. It wasn’t a contrived effort to go out and shock everyone.” WK The lyrics were anything but celebratory. The song, originally called “No Future,” was about resentment towards “the stifling rule of the old-fashioned royal monarchy” SF and sympathy for the English working class. Lead singer John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, said, “You don’t write ‘God Save the Queen’ because you hate the English race. You write a song like that because you love them and you’re fed up with them being mistreated.” WK The song became “an anthem for the punk movement.” SF Resources: LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 139. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/7/2021; last updated 11/22/2022.

Sex Pistols chart with “Anarchy in the U.K.”

Anarchy in the U.K. The Sex Pistols

Writer(s): Paul Cook, Steve Jones, John Lydon, Glen Matlock (see lyrics here) Released: November 26, 1976 First Charted: November 27, 1976 Peak: 33 UK, 1 CL, 1 CO, 5 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 27.04 video, 82.03 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: During the mid-‘70s, a stagnant economy, labor strikes, and the “perpetually drizzly weather that has always afflicted the country” TB contributed to general dissatisfaction amongst British youth and “things seemed to assume a permanent greyness.” TB The Sex Pistols “contempt for their dreary culture and moribund music scene” TB put them at the forefront of the British punk scene. Then band had generated buzz with their live shows and “the groundswell that was clearly building..for snotty, amateurish rock bands.” TC EMI signed the band and their first single, “Anarchy in the U.K.,” as released in late 1976. It is “what the beginning of a revolution sounds like.” RS500 Its “wit and anger make it the great political protest song of our times.” MC It certainly generated controversy – British radio banned it and EMI “pulled the single and dropped the band, which just made them more notorious. ‘I don’t understand it,’ Rotten said in 1977. ‘All we’re trying to do is destroy everything.’” RS500 The Sex Pistols “were not only sincere in their desire to make rock that smashed rock, but…they were absolutely equal to the task.” MA They “essentially…reinforced what the garage bands of the ‘60s had demonstrated – you don’t need technique to make rock & roll.” TC Actually, though, while “Anarchy” certainly displayed combative lyrics by opening with “I am an anti-Christ” and ending with “Destroy!” it was otherwise “comparatively familiar, highly competent hard-rock.” TB Steve “Jones made his guitar sound like a pub brawl, while [Johnny] Rotten snarled, spat, [and] snickered” RS500 with an “evil cackle.” RS500 This is a band, which despite its reputation for not being able to play, “understood perfectly how to make rock and roll effects in the recording studio.” MA Resources: TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 735. MA Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New York, NY; New American Library. Pages 72-3. MC Neil McCormack (3/13/09). Telegraph.co.uk “100 Greatest Songs of All Time” RS500 Rolling Stone (4/7/2011). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 165. WK Wikipedia PW Paul Williams (1993). Rock and Roll: The Best 100 Singles. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc. Page 168. Related Links: First posted 4/9/2020; last updated 10/2/2022.