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Quiz about Banned By The Beeb Songs They Wouldnt Play
Quiz about Banned By The Beeb Songs They Wouldnt Play

Banned By The Beeb: Songs They Wouldn't Play Quiz

The British Broadcasting Corporation (a.k.a. 'The Beeb') has for decades been Britain's leading music broadcaster. Over the years 'Auntie' (as it is also known) has courted controversy by banning various records.

A multiple-choice quiz by darksplash. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
darksplash
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
294,685
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
1175
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
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Question 1 of 10
1. Which song by a punk rock band was banned by the BBC during the Queen's Jubilee celebrations of 1977? Hint


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Question 2 of 10
2. Which of these songs was pulled off BBC playlists during the first Gulf War, years after it was a Eurovision song contest winner? Hint


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Question 3 of 10
3. It's hard to believe Part One: The Byrds had a song banned in Britain by the BBC in 1966. What was it called?
 Hint


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Question 4 of 10
4. It's hard to believe Part Two: Frankie Laine had a song banned in the UK by the BBC in 1953. What was it called? Hint


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Question 5 of 10
5. It was described by one of Radio One's top DJs as "disgusting". Which UK number one hit was banned by the BBC in 1984? Hint


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Question 6 of 10
6. Banning records was always something that could be counter-productive: the controversy often increased sales. Which was the first song to reach Number one in the UK charts after it was banned by the BBC? Hint


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Question 7 of 10
7. Sometimes the reasons for banning a song could be obvious, but why was Perry Como's "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" banned by the BBC? Hint


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Question 8 of 10
8. Which song looked set for a high chart place before it was pulled from the BBC's playlists and removed from record shops following the death of Diana Princess of Wales? Hint


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Question 9 of 10
9. Which song by Wings was considered so political that it was banned?
 Hint


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Question 10 of 10
10. No quiz on banned songs would be complete without "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg. Jane Birkin was not, however, the first female vocalist on the song; who was? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which song by a punk rock band was banned by the BBC during the Queen's Jubilee celebrations of 1977?

Answer: God Save The Queen

 The Sex Pistols song was too much for the BBC in 1976, but was a massive seller nevertheless. Indeed, some argue that being banned by the BBC was tantamount to generating more sales of a record. It has also been claimed that the British Market Research Bureau (which compiled the UK's 'official' charts at the time) kept 'GSTQ' at number two, even though it had sold more than the Number 1, Rod Stewart's "I Don't Want To Talk About It".
This quiz was suggested by 'We Can't Let You Broadcast That...', an article by Bob Stanley in 'The Times', London, August 2008. (see www.timesonline.co.uk).
2. Which of these songs was pulled off BBC playlists during the first Gulf War, years after it was a Eurovision song contest winner?

Answer: Boom Bang A Bang

 The Scottish singer Lulu won the Eurovision contest in 1969 with 'Boom Bang A Bang'. The title was thought to be too extreme for a war situation. Other songs that were also "deemed unsuitable" for play included 'Imagine', by John Lennon; 'Waterloo' by Abba ; 'Give Me Hope, Joanna' by Eddie Grant; and even 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' by Joan Baez. Also during the war, the band 'Massive Attack' had a rename, to 'Massive', while 'Bomb The Bass' received a totally new name, 'Tim Simenon'.
3. It's hard to believe Part One: The Byrds had a song banned in Britain by the BBC in 1966. What was it called?

Answer: Eight Miles High

 Gene Clark, the songwriter, claimed it was about his fear of flying rather than about drugs. Despite this, it was still banned by the BBC and by many US radio stations. It reached No 14 in the US Billboard charts.
4. It's hard to believe Part Two: Frankie Laine had a song banned in the UK by the BBC in 1953. What was it called?

Answer: Answer Me

 The line 'answer me, Lord above' caused the problems. The BBC's head of religious broadcasting described it as "a sentimental mockery of a Christian prayer". Despite the lack of play time, and in 1953 there were few outlets in the UK other than the BBC, it reached Number one in the charts, as did a cover by David Whitfield (with changed lyrics).
5. It was described by one of Radio One's top DJs as "disgusting". Which UK number one hit was banned by the BBC in 1984?

Answer: Relax

 "Relax, don't do it, if you want to go through it..." sang Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Mike Read declared it "disgusting" on air. 'Relax' reached the top of the UK charts in January 1984 and sold 1.9 million singles. The song had already been performed on the BBC's TV show 'Top Of The Pops' before it was banned.

Another song that was thought to have suggestive lyrics was Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wild Side' which was initially allowed by the BBC, but later pulled. 'Comes A-Long A-Love' was number one for Kay Starr in January 1953; 'Tell Laura I Love Her' was a number one for Ricky Valance in September 1960 (his only chart topper in the UK); 'Bad To Me' was number one for Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas in August 1963.
6. Banning records was always something that could be counter-productive: the controversy often increased sales. Which was the first song to reach Number one in the UK charts after it was banned by the BBC?

Answer: Such A Night

 Johnny Ray's 1954 hit was thought to be too explicit. Ray was born in Oregon in 1927 and died in Los Angeles in 1990.
'Are You Sure?' was a hit (and a Eurovision runner-up) for The Allisons in 1962. The other three choices were all Johnny Ray hits.
7. Sometimes the reasons for banning a song could be obvious, but why was Perry Como's "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" banned by the BBC?

Answer: It was based on a classical tune

 The melody was based on Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu". The BBC described it as "a perversion" of the original. In 1963, a cover version by Ken Dodd was also banned.
8. Which song looked set for a high chart place before it was pulled from the BBC's playlists and removed from record shops following the death of Diana Princess of Wales?

Answer: Summer Smash

 A lot of hopes were pinned on the Denim song; it had been 'record of the week' on Radio 1's morning show. EMI, one of Britain's biggest music retailers, removed the disc from shops after the car crash in Paris that killed Diana, Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul, their driver. I don't suppose the Dave Edmunds album track 'Crawling From The Wreckage' got a lot of play at that time, either.
9. Which song by Wings was considered so political that it was banned?

Answer: Give Ireland Back To The Irish

 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish' was written by Paul and Linda McCartney as a comment on the 'Bloody Sunday' incident of January 30 1972 in which 14 people died after being shot by soldiers in Derry/Londonderry. It was completely banned by virtually every broadcasting organisation in the UK - not just the BBC, but reached Number one in the Republic of Ireland and Spain.

Despite the ban it reached Number 16 in the UK.
10. No quiz on banned songs would be complete without "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg. Jane Birkin was not, however, the first female vocalist on the song; who was?

Answer: Brigitte Bardot

 Despite being banned or censored in most places in Europe because of its sexually charged content, and denounced by the Pope, the song reached Number one in the UK. The BBC played an instrumental version, After the initial recording, Bardot changed her mind and it was released with Birkin on vocals. Both Petula Clarke and Dionne Warwick recorded songs written by Gainsbourg.
Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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Referenced Topics
Music   History   People   European Geography   Albums   Corporations   History of Music   Names   Eurovision   UK Number Ones   Punk Rock   Sex Pistols   1990s Country Music   Banned or Censored Music   Rod Stewart   The Byrds   1960s Country Music   Perry Como   Joan Baez   Frankie Goes To Hollywood  

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