Masturbation
Pictures of Lily
The Who
While not overtly about its subject, the song is about unrequited love for a pin-up girl. It's made all the more creepy buy the fact that his dad supplies him with the picture:
He said, 'Son now here's some little something'
And stuck them on my wall
And now my nights ain't quite so lonely
In fact I, I don't feel bad at all
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Runners up: Turning Japanese by The Vapors and Orgasm Addict by The Buzzcocks
Stalking
The Vogues
Turn Around, Look At Me
The sentiment of this song is love from afar. The singer laments that the object of his desire doesn't even notice him. But the lyrics tell a more sinister story:
There is someone walking behind you,
Turn around, look at me.
There is someone watching your footsteps,
Turn around, look at me
Runner up: Every Breath You Take by The Police
Gruesome Death By Auto
DOA
Bloodrock
Take your pick on this one. A staple of the early sixties, the cautionary tale showed up in everything from girl group to surf to hard rock. Certainly the most over the top was Bloodrock's incredible DOA, a song that depicts an accident, told from the point of view of a victim who's slowly dying.
Life is flowing out my body
Pain is flowing out with my blood
The sheets are red and moist where I'm lying
God in Heaven, teach me how to die
Runners up: Leader of the Pack by The Shangri Las, Dead Man's Curve by Jan and Dean, Tell Laura I love her by Ray Peterson.
Transvestitism/Homosexuality
The Kinks
Lola
A big hit in 1968 for Ray Davies and company. A real head scratcher for mainstream America. OK, "Girls will be boys and boys will be girls." Not exactly news. "Dark brown voice." Huh? "She walked like a woman and talked like a man." Oh.
Well I’m not the world’s most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I’m not dumb but I can’t understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Runners up: Arnold Layne by Pink Floyd and Hash Pipe by Weezer
Pedophilia
Donnie Osmond
Go Away, Little Girl
This one technically isn't quite so scandalous, owing to the fact that Donnie was all of 14 when he recorded it. It was, however, covered by the likes of Steve Lawrence and Johnny Mathis, full grown men. Sung by them, the song takes on a whole new meaning:
Please go away little girl
Go away little girl
It's hurting me more each minute that you delay
When you are near me like this
You're much too hard to resist
So go away little girl before I beg you to stay.
Runners up: Young Girl by The Guess Who and Youngblood by The Coasters
Adultery
Billy Paul
Me And Mrs. Jones
No mistaking this one. Billy is clearly seeing a married woman and is probably married himself:
Well, it's time for us to be leaving,
It hurts so much, it hurts so much inside,
Now she'll go her way and I'll go mine,
But tomorrow we'll meet the same place, the same time.
Runners up: Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel, I Was Checkin' Out She Was Checkin' In by Joe Tex, and about half of all Country Music songs
Suicide
Bobbie Gentry
Ode To Billie Joe
"It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty delta day." So begins the saga of Billy Joe MacAllister. Not only does he jump off the Tallahatchee Bridge, but Papa dies and Mama never seems to wanna do much of anything. So sad.
And Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge
Runners up: Alone Again, Naturally by Gilbert O'Sullivan and about a million other songs.
Mindless Teen Violence
I Don't Like Mondays
Boomtown Rats
On 29 January 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire on children arriving at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego from her house across the street, killing two men and wounding eight students and a police officer. Bummer.
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while.
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die.
Runner up: Jeremy by Pearl Jam
Orgasm
Jungle Fever
Chakachas
Not much to say about this one:
Oooh! Aaah! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Aieee, Papi!!
Runner up: Love To Love You Baby by Donna Summer
Scandalous Songs [Zip file 32MB]
