Ethically Iffy, Morally Questionable, Politically Incorrect and/or Roundly Objectionable Songs by Your Favorite Artists

Sometimes hard to delineate "singer speaking as an invented character" from "lyricist speaking his or her own truest feelings."

I suspect Lennon stans will come down on the side of "Run for Your Life" as being from the point of view of an imagined monster; clues from his actual conduct may or may not change that opinion.

No one listens to "Psycho" and concludes that Elvis Costello killed a little girl with a wrench.

As in a lot of things, the middle cases are harder!

Levon Helm was not actually in the Civil War btw

I believe Neil Young has taken a lot of flak for "A Man Needs a Maid" over the years. Even John Mendelsohn, who liked the song, made mention of its "brazen(ness)" (read political incorrectness, before it had a name) in his 1972 Rolling Stone review:

"Only 'A Man Needs a Maid,' in which Neil treats his favorite theme--his inability to find and keep a lover--in a novel and arrestingly brazen (in term's of our society's accelerating consciousness of women's rights) manner, is particularly interesting..."

dunno, find Young's vulnerability in that song at odds with the subject - but get the flak

welcome back alex!

Alice in Chains - "Queen of the Rodeo"

agnostic front - public assistance

slayer - satan doesn't like it when you jack off on the seat

TSOL - Code Blue

Type O Negative - Der Untermensch

Speaking of X, Johnny Hit and Run Pauline is a tough listen even if it's meant as a sicko character study.

Foo Fighters - Big Me (we know u got a big dick Grohl don't gotta rub it in)

Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
Devo - Mongoloid

Not a Lemmon stan, whatever that is, but am sure that Run For Your Life is less about an imagined girlfriend-murdering character and more about a (quite juvenile) black humour based around some of the more questionable tropes of rock & roll - dry clowning without really questioning the underlying issue. Obvious that Lennon would feel embarrassed about it later, most people feel this way about their juvenile humour, especially when it has that personal connection to his physical violence.

hi alex in nyc!!

my first answers are "shake ya ass" and "bitch please II" but there are so many

the the : violence of truth.

i never did get a response as to why matt felt the need to use the n word.

Lots of Death in June.

If Death In June is your favourite artist you can hardly be surprised at their / his questionable ethics.

He's not my favourite artist by any means, but I still have a lot of time for the early stuff when he was part of the Current 93/Coil/NWW crew.

Not a Lemmon stan, whatever that is, but am sure that Run For Your Life is less about an imagined girlfriend-murdering character and more about a (quite juvenile) black humour based around some of the more questionable tropes of rock & roll - dry clowning without really questioning the underlying issue. Obvious that Lennon would feel embarrassed about it later, most people feel this way about their juvenile humour, especially when it has that personal connection to his physical violence.

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length)

"run for your life" is the work of the lennon who, in his youth, delighted in doing physical caricatures of cripples, and was only dissuaded from same slowly and at great length.

Yes, that's what I mean, a cruel, juvenile sense of humour, which he later grew out of (not saying he was a wonderful person later on, but he stopped *this* bullshit at least, eventually.) Think RFYL is degrees more interesting than those horrible impressions though.

the older i get the more credit i'm willing to give lennon for, like, actual personal growth, which was not a necessity for him after about 1963. lennon thought mocking cripples was hilarious, eventually grew out of it and became embarassed by it... and then you have people who mock cripples when they're fucking 70 years old and get elected president anyway. lennon wasn't a wonderful person, but these days i'm not honestly convinced that humanity has much better to offer.

More early Squeeze:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqkb-UAjebg
Thankfully they grew out of this kind of thing

<i>Devo - Mongoloid</i>

Ah, good one. Totally forgot that one. Also, "Pink Pussycat" is vaguely disquieting in that capacity (though still an excellent track, to my mind).

The point upthread about the Stranglers going well out of their way to be provocative in that era is completely spot-on, but that does't necessarily absolve them, so to speak.

Oops, i've forgotten how to properly format here. It's been that long.

I can think of a few but black metal is low-hanging fruit.

Also: what's so morally objectionable about 'Windowlicker'? The French lyric 'j'aime faire des croquettes au chien', i.e. 'I like to make biscuits out of dog meat'? The video? Its prelude, perhaps, but that assumes the song is inseparable from its visual component.

'Windowlicker' is offensive UK slang for someone with Down's syndrome or a similar disability

Ah, I had no idea. My French-inflected mind automatically associated it with 'faire du lèche-vitrine, i.e. 'window-shopping'.

Devo - Mongoloid

if this one bothers you probably don't pay attention to the lyrics on any of the Hardcore Devo stuff, especially "Bamboo Bimbo". just gross all around.

Gil Scott Heron - The Subject Was Faggots

'Windowlicker' is offensive UK slang for someone with Down's syndrome or a similar disability

― plp will eat itself (NickB),

I had no idea

I don't think it's that commonplace, I'd never heard anyone say it, I only found out about it due to this crappy punk band from London that were around in the 00s called Short Bus Window Lickers, I knew what Short Bus meant and that made it pretty obvious.

i'm about the same age as RDJ, maybe its use was confined to that generation

btw: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-lego-calls-new-character-5853032

Sparks - Young Girls

Maybe nick its only used in a certain part of the uk? pretty sure we are about the same age roughly

In the past I've heard it used in both Western Scotland and London, fwiw

I've only ever (over)heard it being used twice.

I've heard it in west of scotland in the 90s. Well more "Windae" licker obv.

I'm from Australia and encountered it in imported English culture before the Aphex record.

Weird thing to be hipster about

On the same Aphex vibe I have always felt Rubber Johnny was built around horror of physical disability. Perhaps more Chris Cunningham's fault than Richard James'.

Ah, I had no idea. My French-inflected mind automatically associated it with 'faire du lèche-vitrine, i.e. 'window-shopping'.

― pomenitul

i kind of assumed it was a drug reference, some variation of "windowpane"

This was my assumption too.

I don't know if morally objectionable is the right word, and I think it's an amazing songwriting but I never know how to feel about Graham Parker's "You Can't Be Too Strong." Not many songs have taken on abortion in an artistic way, and he has since claimed it being interpreted as anti-abortion was incorrect (he was intending to present it from three perspectives then "you decide what's wrong" as he sings at the end) but...it's always somewhat troubled me even though like I said I don't completely know how to feel about it or interpret it.

some of you ppl don't like characterizations in lyrics

<i>Devo - Mongoloid</i>

Ah, good one. Totally forgot that one. Also, "Pink Pussycat" is vaguely disquieting in that capacity (though still an excellent track, to my mind).

― Alex in NYC

"bamboo bimbo" is miles more offensive than either of these. just a vile song.

There are a few tracks by NWA that would qualify ! Right now I'm listening to "She Swallowed It"...

The police deserve a bit more respect than they got from those guys imo

Saw "Mongoloid" mentioned, and I'll add a lot of stuff from those "Hardcore Devo 1974-77" collections.