List of songs banned by the BBC

This article lists songs and whole discographies which have been banned by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) over the years. During its history, the corporation has banned songs from a number of high-profile artists, including Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Noël Coward, the Beatles, Ken Dodd, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, the BBC Dance Orchestra, Tom Lehrer, Glenn Miller, and George Formby. Some songs were banned for only a limited period, and have since received BBC airplay, while others were banned many years after having been first aired, as was the case of the Cure's "Killing an Arab", ABBA's "Waterloo", Queen's "Killer Queen", the Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays" and 67 other songs which were banned from BBC airplay as the first Gulf War began. Judge Dread had all of his 11 singles that entered the UK Singles Chart banned by the BBC, which is the most for any one artist.

History
On occasion the BBC has seen fit to prevent certain pieces of music from being broadcast if it was felt that these recordings were unsuitable for the British public. Files in the BBC's Written Archives Centre in Caversham, Berkshire that are now available for public inspection show that the Dance Music Policy Committee, set up in the 1930s, took its role as Britain's cultural guardian seriously: one 1942 directive read: "We have recently adopted a policy of excluding sickly sentimentality which, particularly when sung by certain vocalists, can become nauseating and not at all in keeping with what we feel to be the need of the public in this country in the fourth year of war."

The BBC's director of music, Sir Arthur Bliss, wrote instructions during World War II advising the committee to ban songs "which are slushy in sentiment" or "pop" versions of classical pieces, such as "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" from the 1918 Broadway show Oh, Look!, which made use of Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. Other songs based on Classical music themes that were later banned by the committee due to "distortion of melody, harmony and rhythm" were the Cougars' 1963 single "Saturday Nite at the Duck-Pond", which used music from Swan Lake, and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads", from the 1953 musical Kismet, which was based on the second movement of Alexander Borodin's String Quartet in D.

Other justifications for such bans have included the use of foul language in lyrics, explicit sexual content, alleged drug references, and controversial political subject matter. Don Cornell's 1954 song "Hold My Hand" was banned from airplay due to religious references. Bob Dylan's song "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" was banned in 1962, as it included the phrase, "God-almighty world". Satire was another possible reason for banning: in 1953, ten of the twelve tracks on humorist Tom Lehrer's album Songs by Tom Lehrer were banned. In February 1956, the British music magazine NME reported that the theme for the film The Man with the Golden Arm, recorded by Eddie Calvert, was also banned. Despite the song being an instrumental, a BBC spokesman reported: "The ban is due to its connection with a film about drugs." Billy May's version, retitled "Main Theme", was approved for transmission.

In certain cases, appeals to the BBC in favour of banning a song have failed or have only been partial. In 1972, Christian morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse failed in her campaign to stop the BBC playing Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling", and featuring Alice Cooper's "School's Out" on Top of the Pops. In the case of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's 1980 anti-war song "Enola Gay", a ban was applied only to its airing on the BBC's children's programming, as some within the organisation perceived the word "gay" as a corrupting sexual influence. Occasionally, a ban has first been imposed by an individual DJ refusing to play a particular song; in January 1984, Radio 1's Mike Read refused to play Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" on his mid-morning show, declaring it "overtly obscene", a decision which the BBC then followed.

In 1997, "Smack My Bitch Up" by the Prodigy was banned due to controversy regarding its lyrics, "change my pitch up, smack my bitch up", which prompted criticism from feminist groups. At the time, the BBC was attempting to shed its old-fashioned image and embrace dance culture, but at the same time they were concerned about broadcasting a song that was believed by some to be about physically assaulting women. In the end, the corporation decided to restrict the song's airplay to a minimum and generally used an instrumental remix version whenever they did play it.

Since the early 2000s, the BBC has claimed that it no longer bans any records. However, cases of direct or indirect censorship have occurred; according to a BBC spokesperson, no official ban was imposed in the case of Linda McCartney's posthumous "The Light Comes from Within", despite her widower Paul McCartney running advertisements in the national press criticising a supposed ban. While the bans on some songs have been lifted, other songs have never been officially cleared for airing on BBC radio, and their status is uncertain – in some cases, records which had been banned have since been played on BBC radio without any official announcement that the ban has ended, such as the Beatles' "A Day in the Life". BBC Radio 1 banned the full version of the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" in 2007, replacing it with an edited version; however, the ban was quickly lifted due to public outcry.

Censored versus banned
In some cases, it was considered sufficient to censor certain words, rather than banning a song outright. In the case of the Kinks' song "Lola", the BBC's strict ban on advertising led to singer and songwriter Ray Davies replacing the brand name "Coca-Cola" with "cherry cola" in the lyrics prior to the release of the record to avoid a possible ban. In other cases, it was not necessary for the BBC to formally ban a particular song, since both parties were well aware of what would be acceptable or not, as was the case of George Formby's 1937 song "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock".

In the case of songs that the BBC deemed politically controversial, many were not banned outright and were instead placed on a "restricted" list, in order that they not be used in "general entertainment programmes". Some of Bob Dylan's early 1960s protest songs were put on this list and so too was Barry McGuire's 1965 hit, "Eve of Destruction".

After the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher on 8 April 2013, anti-Thatcher sentiment prompted campaigns on social media platforms which resulted in the song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. On 12 April, Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper said that the station's chart show would not play the song in the usual format, but that a short snippet would be aired as part of a news item.

List of banned songs
The following is a list of songs which have been banned by the BBC over the years. Some were banned from particular shows (e.g. children's programming), while others were banned for a limited period, and have since received BBC airplay. In some cases, more information about the banned songs can be found in their respective articles.

As the first Gulf War began, the BBC deemed several songs inappropriate for airplay in light of the situation and subsequently banned them from their radio stations for the duration of the war. A list of 67 banned songs was published by New Statesman and Society in conjunction with British public-service television broadcaster Channel 4. These songs have this icon against them.

0–9
{{Cast listing|


 * "5th Anniversary EP" – Judge Dread (1977) {{refn|group=note|name=Note5}}

A

 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Act of War" – Elton John and Millie Jackson (1985)
 * "A-huggin' and A-chalkin – Johnny Mercer (1946)
 * "All the Young Dudes" – Mott the Hoople (1972)
 * "Angels in the Sky" – The Crew-Cuts (1955)
 * "Answer Me" – Frankie Laine (1953)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" – First Choice (1973)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Army Dreamers" – Kate Bush (1980)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Atomic" – Blondie (1979)

B

 * "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" – Bob Dylan (1962)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Back in the U.S.S.R" – The Beatles (1968)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" – The Temptations (1970)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Bang Bang" – BA Robertson (1979)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" – Cher (1966)
 * "The Battle of New Orleans" – Johnny Horton (1959)
 * "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" – Kirby Stone Four (1958)
 * "Be Prepared" – Tom Lehrer (1953)
 * "Beep Beep" – The Playmates (1958)
 * "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" – Ella Fitzgerald (1958)
 * "Big Eight" – Judge Dread (1973)
 * "Big Seven" – Judge Dread (1972)
 * "Big Six" – Judge Dread (1972)
 * "Big Ten" – Judge Dread (1975)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Billy Don't Be a Hero" – Paper Lace (1974)
 * "The Blue Danube" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1945)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Boom Bang-a-Bang" – Lulu (1969)
 * "Boris Johnson Is a Fucking Cunt" – The Kunts (2020)
 * "Boris Johnson Is Still a Fucking Cunt" – The Kunts (2021)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Brothers in Arms" – Dire Straits (1985)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Buffalo Soldier" – Bob Marley and the Wailers (1983)
 * "Burn My Candle" – Shirley Bassey (1956)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Burning Bridges" – Status Quo (1988)

C

 * "(Celebrate) The Day After You" – The Blow Monkeys and Curtis Mayfield (1987)
 * "Celebrate the Bullet" – The Selecter (1981)
 * "Chaabian Boyz" – Frenzo Harami (2019)
 * "Charlie Brown" – The Coasters (1959)
 * "The Christening" – Arthur Askey (1943)
 * "Christmas in Dreadland" – Judge Dread (1975)
 * "Come Again" – Au Pairs (1981)
 * "Come Monday" – Jimmy Buffett (1974)
 * "Come Together" – The Beatles (1969)
 * "The Cover of Rolling Stone" – Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (1973)
 * "Cradle Song (Brahms' Lullaby)" – Frank Sinatra (1944)
 * "Creep" – Radiohead (1992)
 * "Croce di Oro (Cross of Gold)" – Joan Regan (1955)
 * "Crying in the Chapel" – Lee Lawrence (1953)
 * "Cuddle Me" – Ted Heath featuring Dennis Lotis (1954)

D

 * "Danny Boy" – Conway Twitty (1959)
 * "A Day in the Life" – The Beatles (1967)
 * "The Deck of Cards" – T. Texas Tyler (1948)
 * "Deep in the Heart of Texas" – Bing Crosby and Woody Herman (1942)
 * "The Devil Is a Woman" – Herb Jeffries (1957)
 * "Diggin' My Potatoes" – Lonnie Donegan (1954)
 * "Dinner with Drac" – John Zacherle (1958)
 * "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans" – Noël Coward (1943)
 * "Disarm" – The Smashing Pumpkins (1994)

E

 * "Ebeneezer Goode" – The Shamen (1992)
 * "Ebony Eyes" – The Everly Brothers (1961)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "The End of the World" – Skeeter Davis (1962)
 * "Enola Gay" – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
 * "Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire (1965)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" – Tears for Fears (1985)

F

 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Fields of Fire" – Big Country (1982)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Fire" – The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (1968)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Flash" – Queen (1980)
 * "The Foggy, Foggy, Dew" – Peter Pears (1950)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Fools Rush In" – Ricky Nelson (1963)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Forget Me Not" – Martha and the Vandellas (1968)
 * "French Kiss" – Lil Louis (1989)
 * "Fucking in Heaven" – Fatboy Slim (1998)
 * "Fuck the Tories" – The Kunts

G

 * "The Garden of Eden" – Frankie Vaughan (1957)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Ghost Town" – The Specials (1981)
 * "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" – Bessie Smith (1933)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Gimme Hope Jo'anna" – Eddy Grant (1988)
 * "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" – Wings (1972)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Give Peace a Chance" – Plastic Ono Band (1969)
 * "Glad to Be Gay" – Tom Robinson Band (1978)
 * "Gloomy Sunday" – Billie Holiday (1941)
 * "God Bless the Child" – Billie Holiday (1942)
 * "God Save the Queen" – Sex Pistols (1977)
 * "Green Jeans" – The Flee-Rekkers (1960)
 * "Granny Takes a Trip" – Purple Gang (1967)
 * "Greensleeves" – The Beverley Sisters (1956)
 * "Guess Things Happen That Way" – Johnny Cash (1958)

H

 * "Hank Janson Blues" – Anne Shelton (1953)
 * "Have a Whiff on Me" – Mungo Jerry (1971)
 * "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" – The Beatles (1968)
 * "Hard Headed Woman" – Elvis Presley (1958)
 * "He" – Al Hibbler (1955)
 * "Heaven and Hell" – The Easybeats (1967)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Heaven Help Us All" – Stevie Wonder (1979)
 * "The Heel" – Eartha Kitt (1955)
 * "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Wings (1972)
 * "High Class Baby" – Cliff Richard and the Drifters (1958)
 * "Hold My Hand" – Don Cornell (1954)
 * "Honey Hush" – The Rock and Roll Trio (1956)
 * "Honey Love" – Dennis Lotis (1954)
 * "Honeycomb" – Jimmie Rodgers (1957)
 * "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know" – Frank Sinatra (1956)
 * "The House of the Rising Sun" – Josh White (1950)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Hunting High and Low" – A-ha (1985)
 * "Hype on the Mic" – Frenzo Harami (2019)

I

 * "I Am the Walrus" – The Beatles (1967)
 * "I Can't Control Myself" – The Troggs (1966)
 * "I Can't Make It" – Small Faces (1967)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "I Don't Like Mondays" – The Boomtown Rats (1979)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "I Don't Want to Be a Hero" – Johnny Hates Jazz (1987)
 * "I Hear the Angels Singing" – Frankie Laine (1954)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" – Cutting Crew (1986)
 * "I Leaned on a Man" – Connie Francis (1957)
 * "I Love a Man in Uniform" – Gang of Four (1982)
 * "I Want to Be Evil" – Eartha Kitt (1953)
 * "I Want You to Be My Baby" – Annie Ross (1956)
 * "I Want Your Sex" – George Michael (1987)
 * "I Went to Your Wedding" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1953)
 * "I'll Be Home for Christmas" – Bing Crosby (1943)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "I'll Fly for You" – Spandau Ballet (1984)
 * "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" – Ken Dodd (1963)
 * "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" – Perry Como (1949)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun" – Cat Stevens (1967)
 * "I'm Nobody's Baby" – Frankie Howerd (1948)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "I'm on Fire" – Bruce Springsteen (1984)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Imagine" – John Lennon (1971)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "I Shot the Sheriff" – Eric Clapton (1974)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "In the Air Tonight" – Phil Collins (1981)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "In the Army Now" – Status Quo (1986)
 * "In the Beginning" – Frankie Laine (1955)
 * "In the Hall of the Mountain King" – Nero and the Gladiators (1961)
 * "Invisible Sun" – The Police (1981)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Israelites" – Desmond Dekker & the Aces (1968)
 * "It Is No Secret" – Jo Stafford (1954)
 * "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" – Kitty Wells (1952)
 * "It Would Be So Nice" – Pink Floyd (1968)
 * "I've Come of Age" – Billy Storm (1959)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "I Will Survive" – Arrival (1980)

J

 * "Jack the Ripper" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1963)
 * "Jackie" – Scott Walker (1967)
 * "Jerusalem" - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1973)
 * "Je t'aime... moi non plus" – Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (1969)
 * "Je t'aime... moi non plus" – Judge Dread
 * "Jingle Bells/Hokey Cokey" – Judge Dread (1978)
 * "John and Marsha" – Stan Freberg (1950)
 * "Johnny Remember Me" – John Leyton (1961)
 * "Jungle Fever" – The Chakachas (1971)

K

 * "Keep Me in Mind" – Lita Roza and Al Timothy (1955)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Killer Queen" – Queen (1974)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Killing an Arab" – The Cure (1979)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack (1973)
 * "Kodachrome" – Paul Simon (1973)

L

 * "Landing of the Daleks" – The Earthlings (1965)
 * "La Petite Tonkinoise" – Josephine Baker (1930)
 * "Lazy Mary" – Lou Monte (1958)
 * "Leader of the Pack" – The Shangri-Las (1964)
 * "Let the People Go" – McGuinness Flint (1972)
 * "Let's Spend the Night Together" – The Rolling Stones (1967)
 * "Light a Candle in the Chapel" – Frank Sinatra (1942)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Light My Fire" – José Feliciano (1968)
 * "Lili Marleen" – Lale Andersen (1939)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "A Little Peace" – Nicole (1982)
 * "Little Star" – The Elegants (1958)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Living on the Front Line" – Eddy Grant (1979)
 * "Lola" – The Kinks (1970)
 * "Love for Sale" – Cole Porter (1930)
 * "Love for Sale" – Ella Fitzgerald (1956)
 * "Love Is" – Alma Cogan (1958)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Love Is a Battlefield" – Pat Benatar (1983)
 * "Love Is Strange" – Mickey & Sylvia (1956)
 * "Love to Love You Baby" – Donna Summer (1975)
 * "Lovin' Machine" – Wynonie Harris (1951)
 * "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" – The Beatles (1967)

M

 * "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959)
 * "Made You" – Adam Faith (1960)
 * "Maggie May" – The Vipers Skiffle Group (1957)
 * "Magic Roundabout" - Jasper Carrott (1975)
 * "The Man with the Golden Arm" – Eddie Calvert (1956)
 * "Maybellene" – Chuck Berry (1955)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Midnight at the Oasis" – Maria Muldaur (1974)
 * "Mighty Mighty Man" – Bobby Darin (1958)
 * "Minnie the Moocher" – Cab Calloway (1931)
 * "Miss You" – Bing Crosby (1942)
 * "Mix-A-Fix" – Haydock's Rockhouse (1967)
 * "The Mocking Bird" – The Four Lads (1958)
 * "Monster Mash" – Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962)
 * "Moonlight Love" – Perry Como (1956)
 * "My Christmas Prayer" – Billy Fury (1959)
 * "My Friend" – Eddie Fisher (1954)
 * "My Friend Jack" – The Smoke (1967)
 * "My Generation" – The Who (1965)
 * "My Little Ukulele" – Joe Brown and The Bruvvers (1963)

N

 * "Night of the Vampire" – The Moontrekkers (1961)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" – Joan Baez (1971)
 * "Ninety-Nine Years (Dead or Alive)" – Guy Mitchell (1956)
 * "Nobody Loves Like an Irishman" – Lonnie Donegan (1958)

O

 * "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" – X-Ray Spex (1977)
 * "The Old Dope Peddler" – Tom Lehrer (1953)
 * "Old Man Atom" – The Sons of the Pioneers (1950)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Oliver's Army" – Elvis Costello (1979)
 * "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" – Jimmy Wakely (1948)
 * "Open Your Box" – Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band (1971)
 * "Over the Wall We Go" – Oscar (1967)

P

 * "Paper Doll" – The Mills Brothers (1943)
 * "Pass It Around" - Smokie (1975)
 * "Peaceful Street" – Ernest Butcher (1936)
 * "Peaches" – The Stranglers (1977)
 * "Please No Squeeza da Banana" – Louis Prima (1945)
 * "Prince Andrew Is a Sweaty Nonce" – The Kunts (2022)

R

 * "Radio Times" – BBC Dance Orchestra (1935)
 * "The Reefer Song (If You're a Viper)" – Fats Waller (1943)
 * "Relax" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)
 * "Relax" – Judge Dread (1984)
 * "Respectable Street" – XTC (1981)
 * "Rock You Sinners" – Art Baxter and His Rock 'n' Roll Sinners (1958)
 * "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" – George Hamilton IV (1956)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Rubber Bullets" – 10cc (1973)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" – Kenny Rogers and The First Edition (1969)
 * "Rum and Coca-Cola" – The Andrews Sisters (1945)
 * "A Russian Love Song" – The Goons (1957)

S

 * "The Sabre Dance" – Woody Herman (1948)
 * "Sad Affair" – Marxman (1993)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Sailing" – Rod Stewart (1972)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg" Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – Elton John (1973)
 * "Saturday Nite at the Duckpond" – The Cougars (1963)
 * "Say a Prayer for the Boys Over There" – Deanna Durbin (1943)
 * "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" – George Melly (1953)
 * "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – Ian Dury (1977)
 * "The Shag (Is Totally Cool)" – Billy Graves (1958)
 * "Shall We Take a Trip" – Northside (1990)
 * "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor" – Johnny Messner (1939)
 * "She Was Only a Postmaster's Daughter" – Durium Dance Band (1933)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" – Mike and the Mechanics (1985)
 * "The Silver Madonna" – Kirk Stevens (1957)
 * "Sincerely" – Liberace (1955)
 * "Sink the Bismark – Johnny Horton (1960)
 * "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" – Split Enz (1982) (banned during the Falklands War)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Sixty Eight Guns" – The Alarm (1983)
 * "Sixty Minute Man" – The Dominoes (1951)
 * "The Sky" – Petula Clark (1957)
 * "Smack My Bitch Up" – The Prodigy (1997)
 * "Song of India" – Tommy Dorsey (1938)
 * "So What?" – Anti-Nowhere League (1981)
 * "Soldier" – Harvey Andrews (1972)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Soldier of Love" – Donny Osmond (1989)
 * "Somebody Up There Likes Me" – Perry Como (1956)
 * "A Souvenir of London" – Procol Harum (1973)
 * "Space Oddity" – David Bowie (1969)
 * "Spasticus Autisticus" – Ian Dury and the Blockheads (1981)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "State of Independence" – Donna Summer (1982)
 * "Statue of Liberty" – XTC (1978)
 * "St. Therese of the Roses" – Malcolm Vaughan (1956)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Stop the Cavalry" – Jona Lewie (1980)
 * "The Story of a Starry Night" – Glenn Miller (1943)
 * "The Story of Three Loves" – Ray Martin (1954)
 * "Stranger in Paradise" – The Four Aces (1953)
 * "Such a Night" – Johnnie Ray (1954)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Suicide Is Painless" – M*A*S*H (1970)
 * "Summer Smash" – Denim (1997)

T

 * "Take Off Your Clothes" – Peter Sarstedt (1969)
 * "Teen Angel" – Mark Dinning (1959)
 * "Teen Age Prayer" – Gale Storm (1955)
 * "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ray Peterson (1960)
 * "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ricky Valance (1960)
 * "Terry" – Twinkle (1964)
 * "The Test of Time" – Robert Earl (1959)
 * "A Theme from the Threepenny Orchestra (Mack the Knife)" – Louis Armstrong (1956)
 * "Three Stars" – Ruby Wright (1959)
 * Til the Following Night" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1961)
 * "Till the End of Time" – Perry Como (1945)
 * "Ting Tong Tang" – Ken Platt (1958)
 * "To Keep My Love Alive" – Ella Fitzgerald (1956)
 * "Toll the Bell Easy" – Les Hobeaux (1957)
 * "The Tommy Rot Story" – Morris & Mitch (1957)
 * "Too Drunk to Fuck" – Dead Kennedys (1981)
 * "Tribute to Buddy Holly" – Mike Berry and The Outlaws (1961)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Two Tribes" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)

U

 * "The Unbeliever" – Guy Mitchell (1957)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Under Attack" – ABBA (1982)
 * "Up With the Cock!/Big Punk" – Judge Dread (1978)
 * "Urban Guerrilla" – Hawkwind (1973)

V

 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "A View to a Kill" – Duran Duran (1985)
 * "The Voice in My Heart" – Eydie Gormé (1958)

W

 * "Walk Hand in Hand" – Tony Martin (1956)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Walk Like an Egyptian" – The Bangles (1986)
 * "Walking on Water" – Eliza Doolittle (2013)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "War" – Edwin Starr (1970)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "War Baby" – Tom Robinson (1982)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Warpaint" – The Brook Brothers (1961)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "Waterloo" – ABBA (1974)
 * "We Call It Acieed" – D-Mob (1988)
 * "We Can't Let You Broadcast That" – Norman Long (1932)
 * "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" – Heaven 17 (1981)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" – The Animals (1965)
 * "We Have to Be So Careful" – The Beverley Sisters (1953)
 * "We Will All Go Together When We Go" – Tom Lehrer (1959)
 * "Wet Dream" – Max Romeo (1969)
 * "What God Wants, Part I" – Roger Waters (1992)
 * "When I'm Cleaning Windows" – George Formby (1936)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "When I'm Dead and Gone" – McGuinness Flint (1970)
 * Zusatzzeichen 1049-12 - nur militärische Kettenfahrzeuge, StVO 1992.svg "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" – Billy Ocean (1985)
 * "When Your Lights Turned On" - The Hollies (1967)
 * "Whoa Buck" – Lonnie Donegan (1959)
 * "The Winkle Man" – Judge Dread (1976)
 * "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" – George Formby (1937)
 * "With My Little Ukulele in My Hand" – George Formby (1933)
 * "Woman Love" – Gene Vincent (1956)
 * "A Worried Man" – The Kingston Trio (1959)

Y
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 * "Y Viva Suspenders" – Judge Dread (1976)
 * "You'll Get Yours" – Frank Sinatra (1956)

List of banned discographies

 * Lostprophets' discography (from 2014–onwards)
 * Alan Bush's discography (from March–June 1941)