7 Hit '80s Songs That Are Offensive by Today's Standards

BestLife ^ | 6/19/23 | Lia Beck

[DallasBiff]

It's a hard fact to process, but the '80s began over 40 years ago. And in the decades that have passed since, some entertainment that wasn't given a second thought at the time is considered inappropriate today, as people have become more educated and aware of different viewpoints and experiences. These reconsidered pieces of media include everything from politically incorrect movie quotes to outdated storylines on TV shows. And while some offensive moments from the past are lost to time, when it comes to the most popular songs of the '80s, many uncomfortable ones live on as classics

1 "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by The Police (1980)

[BarbM]

Listen to the words of the Too Fat Polka.

Those were the days..

[Retrofitted]

I like your interpretation better, but the lyric is "Shareef", meaning someone descended from Mo his own self. But if we bring punk into it...

How'd she miss anything by the Dead Kennedys? Shoot, their name alone is offensive to demobats! And anything by Fear should do it, too. "Butthole Surfers" might be the only one's to get a pass cuz, well, you know.

[Keyhopper]

Foreigner

[Tired of Taxes]

Van Halen’s music video - “Hot for Teacher”

Most of the music (and movies) of the 80’s could never be made today.

[RitchieAprile]

Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas

[rxh4n1]

“Seems to imply that the teacher is attracted to her. The reference to Nabokov’s character of the old man obsessed with Lolita backs up the implication to me.”

I too got that vibe from those lines.

[rxh4n1]

“This is the same woke moron, who criticized 70’s songs, what is wrong with the above Police song?”

I’m wondering if this is the same snowflake who reviewed “Abbey Road’ on Yahoo for the 50th anniversary. It was hilarious. She rated “Mean Mr. Mustard’ as the worst song because the line “He’s a dirty old man” triggered her.

[Getready]

Let’s see....
I saw her Standing There...about a guy going after a 17 year old....the Beatles....

Hey Joe.....going to kill a cheating girlfriend..popularized by The Leaves, and Jimi Hendrix...

Run for Your Life...threatening to kill your unfaithful girlfriend...the Beatles

Go Away Little Girl...Steve Lawrence

Born too Late...the Poni-tails

Lola...the Kinks

Hickory Hollows Tramp...O.C. Smith

You Talk too Much....Joe Jones

The Woman with the skinny legs....Joe Tex

Young Girl....Union Gap

Wives Should Always Be Lovers....Jack Jones

If you wanta’ Be Happy...Jimmy Soul

The Wanderer...Dion

Travelin’ Man...Ricky Nelson

You and Me..”they can go to Hell”....Rick James

Don’t Say Nothin’Bad about my Baby...the Cookies
...
Yup...all kinds of miscreants in pop songs....

and don’t forget the all time worst whatever song...
“Don’t worry Kyoko...momma’s outside looking for her hand in the snow”....Yoko Ono...unclassifiably bizarre..

[Getready]

Since she’s built like a brick house...I would say 48-48-60

[2CAVTrooper]

“Surprised Black Betty isn’t on there”

Or Rebel Yell by Billy Idol.

I know of a song that would really trigger the precious little snowflake😁

“Germany” by a punk rock band called Sloppy Seconds. IMO it has to be one of the most brutal break-up songs ever written, and it’s by no means for the faint of heart either.

A small PG-13 sample of the lyrics:

“Well I thought
That I meant something to you
But now I see that it’s untrue

I guess you must have slept
With every guy you ever met
But I’m gonna get you back
If its the last thing I ever do...”

And it came out in late 88, early 89 so it fits her timeline. LOL

[Getready]

He was complimenting the Kung Fu fighters for their fearsome athleticism

....quick as lightning....
....a little bit frightenin’.....

It would have been offensive if the song mentioned Coke bottle glasses, hand speed on the abacus or slide rule...

[gnarledmaw]

Try @honest2betsy on Youtube, she does a bunch of different things but a good number of her videos are songs from the 30s to the 60s that someone these days would find offensive.

Here is 1931s “My girls pussy”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xHqBt5_d64c

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

52 posts and no one has mentioned Christine McVie?
Probably because it wasn’t a lecherous man trying to seduce an underage girl.

[Dr. Franklin]

I am offended by people who get offended overeverything and nothing. In a free country, we should be able to listen to any music we want. ‘Eff the PC police.

[crusty old prospector]

OK, how about “I Wanna Be a Cowboy”? White Man speaking with forked tongue.

[Harpotoo]

Push push in da bush , disco song;-)

[faucetman]

One In A Million by Guns N Roses.

[dangus]

I think the thing about the Dead Kennedys is (1) they were famous only for their name. I remember everyone talking about them in my HS, but I don’t remember ever hearing them played. and (2) they were deliberately trying to be obnoxious. Most punk bands chose deliberately obnoxious names.

[Greenpees]

Lola seems to have a second life- I hear it quite often.

[NorthMountain]

To HELL with “today’s standards”.

Today’s “all faggot all the time” entertainment media are extremely offensive by 1970s standards.