16 songs that haven't aged well

Max KalnitzNov 26, 2020, 00:04 IST

"Summer Nights" has a problematic lyric.Paramount Pictures/Fotos International/Getty Images

In 2018, many radio stations banned "Baby, It's Cold Outside" because critics said the lyrics told a story of date rape.
Other similarly controversial songs by today's standards include The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" and Tim McGraw's "Indian Outlaw."
It's unlikely that the 16 songs on this list would have been released today.

It's officially holiday music season, which means that classics like "Jingle Bell Rock" and "White Christmas" are starting to become ubiquitous on airwaves across the nation.

It also means the return of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and questions over its appropriateness and meaning. In recent years, some radio stations have refused to play the song, which critics say has a date rape narrative.

If the song was released today, it probably wouldn't fly, and the same goes for numerous other songs released decades ago. Here are 16 songs that would be considered politically incorrect — or outright offensive — if released today.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" has long been criticized for its problematic lyrics.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" was performed in the 1949 film "Neptune's Daughter." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

"Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl is another Christmas song criticized for its language.

The Pogues on "SNL" in 1990. NBC/Getty Images

"Summer Nights" from the 1978 movie "Grease" contains a line that is also uncomfortable today.

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta from "Grease." Paramount Pictures/Fotos International/Getty Images

The lyrics of The Rolling Stones song "Brown Sugar" describe slavery and other violence.

The Rolling Stones. Michelle Eve Sandberg/AFP via Getty Images

Elton John's "Island Girl" includes degrading, patronizing lyrics about women of color.

Elton John. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

It's hard not to feel uncomfortable listening to the adult men of Winger sing about a 17-year-old girl in "Seventeen."

Winger performing in 1990. Paul Natkin/Getty Images

Similarly, an older man's infatuation with a 16-year-old in Kiss' "Christine Sixteen" gives off stalker vibes.

Kiss performing in 2019. NBC/Getty Images

Tim McGraw's "Indian Outlaw" is filled with derogatory stereotypes.

TIm McGraw performing at CMA Fest 2019. Mark Levine/ABC via Getty Images

Carl Douglas' 1974 hit single "Kung Fu Fighting" has also been accused of propagating negative Asian stereotypes.

Carl Douglas. Michael Putland/Getty Images

Katy Perry's "Ur So Gay" is problematic on many levels.

Katy Perry. Bill McCay/Getty Images

Who knows what John Lennon and Yoko Ono were thinking when they released the track "Woman Is The N----- Of The World."

John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Susan Wood/Getty Images

Guns N' Roses also used the N-word in the highly controversial song "One in a Million."

Guns N' Roses in 1987. Paul Natkin/Getty Images

Similarly, Bob Dylan's "Hurricane" is a protest song about racial injustices, but his use of the N-word has marred the song's legacy.

Bob Dylan. Jay Dickman/Getty Images

Despite their good intentions, the Band Aid supergroup was patronizing toward the people of Ethiopia in the song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

The Band Aid choir in 1984. Steve Hurrell/Getty Images

"Under My Thumb" is another song by The Rolling Stones with misogynistic lyrics.

The Rolling Stones performing in 2019. Reuters

Taylor Swift says she would approach the homophobic lyric on her 2006 song "Picture To Burn" differently today.

Taylor Swift. Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic

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