“God Save the Queen”
Single by Sex Pistols from the album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Released	May 27, 1977 October 8, 2007 (30th anniversary re-issue)
Format	Vinyl single: Worldwide
Recorded	London, England
Genre	Punk rock
Length	3:20
Label	Virgin Records
Writer(s)	Sex Pistols
Producer	Chris Thomas Bill Price
Sex Pistols singles chronology
"Anarchy in the U.K." (1976) "God Save the Queen" (1977) "Pretty Vacant" (1977)

"God Save the Queen" was the second single released by the punk rock band Sex Pistols. It was released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977 and reached number two in the British charts. Its lyrics were particularly controversial at the time, and it was banned by the BBC. The single's cover was considered very controversial at the time. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Sex Pistols are an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... Singles from Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols Released: November 26, 1976 Released: May 27, 1977 Released: July 2, 1977 Released: October 15, 1977 Released: May 27, 2002 Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols is the only album recorded by the English punk rock... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Virgin Records was a British recording label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition (chords) or melody to songs, or both. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Chris Thomas is a respected British record producer who was born on January 13, 1947. ... Sex Pistols are an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... Anarchy in the U.K. is the title track of the first single by Sex Pistols, released on November 26, 1976. ... Pretty Vacant was the third single released by punk band the Sex Pistols. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Sex Pistols are an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

Overview

The single was released on 27 May 1977, and was regarded by much of the general public to be an assault on Queen Elizabeth II and the monarchy^{[citation needed]}. The title is taken directly from "God Save the Queen", the British national anthem. At the time it was highly controversial, firstly for its equation of the Queen with a "fascist regime", and secondly for the apparent claim that England had "no future". is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; for further information, see Commonwealth realm, Elizabeth II, and British Royal Family. ... For other uses, see God Save the Queen (disambiguation). ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Fascism is a term used to describe authoritarian nationalist political ideologies or mass movements that are concerned with notions of cultural decline or decadence. ...

Although many believe it was created because of the Jubilee, the band denies it, Paul Cook saying that, "It wasn't written specifically for the Queen's Jubilee. We weren't aware of it at the time. It wasn't a contrived effort to go out and shock everyone."^[1] Johnny Rotten has explained the lyrics as follows: "You don't write a song like 'God Save The Queen' because you hate the English race. You write a song like that because you love them, and you're fed up of seeing them mistreated."^[2] His intentions were apparently to evoke sympathy for the English working class, and a general resentment for the monarchy. Elizabeth IIs Silver Jubilee and her domestic and international visits proved very popular with her subjects. ... Paul Cook, born on July 20, 1956, is an English drummer and former member of the Sex Pistols. ... John Joseph Lydon (born 31 January 1956), also known as Johnny Rotten, is an English rock musician. ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ...

On June 7, 1977 - the Jubilee holiday itself - the band attempted to play the song from a boat on the river Thames, outside the Palace of Westminster. After a scuffle involving attendee Jah Wobble and a cameraman, eleven people were arrested when the boat docked, including several members of the band's entourage.^[3] is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... This article is about the River Thames in southern England. ... “Houses of Parliament” redirects here. ... Jah Wobble (born John Wardle, Stepney 1958) is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. ...

The song peaked at number 2 (behind Rod Stewart's I Don't Want To Talk About It) on the official UK Singles Chart used by the BBC, though there have been persistent rumours - never confirmed or denied - that it was actually the biggest-selling single in the UK at the time, and was kept off number 1 because it was felt that it might cause offence. It did hit number 1 on the unofficial NME singles chart. It was banned by the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority which regulated Independent Local Radio, effectively denying it any media exposure. It was also not stocked by some shops. Since the official singles chart at the time was compiled using sales returns from a number of outlets amongst a wider participating roster, it is in theory possible that the single's number 2 position was not the result of disregarding sales figures as such, but of the selection for that week's chart source data of a number of stores which were not selling the record. Rod Stewart CBE (born January 10, 1945), is a singer and songwriter born and raised in London, England, with Scottish parentage. ... I Dont Want to Talk About It is the name of a song written by Danny Whitten. ... British Hit Singles redirects here. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ... The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television (ITV and Channel 4 - cable and satellite television were the responsibility of the Cable Authority) and radio broadcasts. ... Logo used by the Independent Broadcasting Authority for promoting Independent Local Radio services. ...

The phrase "no future", the song's closing refrain, became emblematic of the punk rock movement. The lyric provided the title of Jon Savage's award-winning 1991 history of the Sex Pistols and punk rock, England's Dreaming. Jon Savage real name Jonathan Sage (born 1953) is a writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his award winning history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, Englands Dreaming (1991). ...

Before the group signed to Virgin, a small number of copies of "God Save the Queen" had been pressed on the A&M label. These are now among the most valuable records ever pressed in the UK, with a resale value as of 2006 of between £500 to £13,000 a copy, depending on condition of the disc.^[4] A&M redirects here. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The song also features on the album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, and several compilation albums. Singles from Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols Released: November 26, 1976 Released: May 27, 1977 Released: July 2, 1977 Released: October 15, 1977 Released: May 27, 2002 Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols is the only album recorded by the English punk rock...

Rolling Stone ranked "God Save the Queen" number 173 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the group's two songs on the list along with "Anarchy in the U.K.". Sounds magazine made it their Single of the Year in 1977.^[5] In 1989 it was 18th in the list of NME writers all time top 150 singles.^[6] Q Magazine in 2002 ranked it first on their list as "The 50 Most Exciting Tunes Ever..."^[7] and 3rd in their list of "100 Songs That Changed The World" in 2003.^[8] In 2007 NME launched a campaign to get the song to number 1 in the British charts and encouraged readers to purchase or download the single on October 8. However it only made #42. This article is about the magazine. ... ... Anarchy in the U.K. is the title track of the first single by Sex Pistols, released on November 26, 1976. ... Sounds was a British music paper, published weekly from October 10, 1970 – April 6, 1991. ... Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 140,282 and a readership of 731,000. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

During the 80's, a gifted art student from Toronto (who remains anonymous) created a video with the song playing over edited clips of The Archie Show to make it look like the characters are singing the song. The last scene features the Archie character, Betty, with an audio clip of Nancy Spungen on her boyfriend, bassist Sid Vicious. The video was made using a editing program for VHS cassettes, which was a common computer tool during the 1980s.^[9] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gifted education. ... The Archie Show was the first in a long line of Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation and based upon Bob Montanas Archie characters. ... Nancy Spungen, right, with boyfriend Sid Vicious Nancy Laura Spungen (February 27, 1958 – October 12, 1978) was the girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious. ... For the professional wrestler, see Sid Eudy. ... Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard. ...

Cover Artwork

The record cover, depicting a defaced picture of Queen Elizabeth II, was designed by Jamie Reid and in 2001 was named #1 in a list of 100 Greatest Album Covers of All Time by Q Magazine.^[10] Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the year. ... Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 140,282 and a readership of 731,000. ...

Cover versions

• The song was covered by Anthrax on their Armed and Dangerous EP in 1985.
• Motörhead did so on their We Are Motörhead album, and as a single in 2000.
• Part of the song was played by the Foo Fighters in the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards.
• The Swedish crossover thrash outfit Inbördeskrig released a faster version of the song on their first demo.
• It was also covered by Bathory on their final box set.
• UK indie band The Enemy performed the song live as part of their two homecoming gigs at Coventry's Ricoh Arena in 2008.

Armed and Dangerous is the name of the second album by the band Anthrax. ... This article is about the band. ... Motörhead storm into the new millennium in top form with their 2000 We Are Motörhead album. ... God Save The Queen is a cover of the Sex Pistols song God Save The Queen by the heavy metal band Motörhead. ... This article is about the band. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see demo. ... Bathory was a highly influential Swedish thrash metal/black metal/viking metal band, and were regarded as one of the forefathers of black metal and founder of viking metal. ... For other uses, see Enemy. ...

References

Picador is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, a publisher owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• "God Save The Queen" Songfacts entry