10 Legendary Rock Songs That Were Insanely Controversial

In the age when grunge was king, Rage Against the Machine really stuck out like a sore thumb in the world of rock and roll. Here was a band that didn't come from Seattle and didn't really talk about their inward feelings that much, but still had the same amount of anger and frustration that you would see out of a band like Pearl Jam. Rage's anger was a lot more real though, and their first single didn't really sugarcoat what was going down in California at the time.

Written in direct response to the Rodney King trials that were happening around the same time, Killing in the Name has Zack de la Rocha depicting a dystopian like scenario where the policemen that carry out these unjust acts are actually members of the KKK, looking to beat these people into submission to do their bidding. While most high school kids co-opted the line "F*** you I won't do what you tell me" to their stern parents, there's something frighteningly real there, and it was enough to get the song either banned or radio stations editing out the profane sections.

It's not like Rage weren't right on the money here either, with the ongoing injustices involving police in America only growing greater in recent years, with the George Floyd protests only solidifying the ideals of this song. The mission statement might be to protect and serve, but the kind of behavior Zack is seeing is someone who fights first and asks questions later.