Prodigy’s ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ voted ‘Most Controversial Song Of All Time’

PERTH - A track by British dance act The Prodigy has topped a new poll of ‘Most Controversial Songs Of All Time’.

The band’s 1997 offering, ‘Smack My Bitch Up’, was banned by the UK’s BBC network, which refused to show the sex and drug-filled video or play the song as part of chart rundowns, and attracted criticism from feminist groups.

However, it has now topped the online poll of 1757 respondents by the Performing Right Society (PRS).

The single has been voted ahead of the Sex Pistols’ God Save The Queen and Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

Eminem’s Kim and Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine also made the top 10 list.

PRS chairman Ellis Rich says the results demonstrate the link between music and society.

“Many of these songs have achieved iconic status because of the controversy or because the record was banned,” WA Today quoted him as saying in a statement on the PRS website.

The top 10 most controversial songs:

1. Smack My Bitch Up - The Prodigy

2. God Save The Queen - The Sex Pistols

3. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4. Kim - Eminem

5. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine

6. Ebeneezer Goode - The Shamen

7. Suicide Solution - Ozzy Osbourne

8. Get Your Gunn - Marilyn Manson

9. Angel of Death - Slayer

10. Dear God - XTC (ANI)