13 Unapologetic, Controversial Tunes | Playlist 🎧

1. The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face”

💿 Beauty Behind the Madness • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2015

“I can’t feel my face when I’m with you / But I love it, but I love it.”  There was little controversy behind 🎵 “Can’t Feel My Face” a former no. 1 hit by 🎙 The Weeknd. Perhaps, there should’ve been more given the fact that the 🏆 Grammy-winner is referencing a different a relationship where the significant other is drugs. 💿 Beauty Behind the Madness, where “Can’t Feel My Face” hails from, dabbles in drugs multiple times.  Furthermore, The Weeknd has been singing about drugs throughout his career –part of what made him so distinct, in addition to those sublime pipes.

How was it that “Can’t Feel My Face” became incredibly beloved despite its addiction?

“And I know she’ll be the death of me
At least we’ll both be numb
And she’ll always get the best of me
The worst is yet to come.”

The Weeknd was surprised himself by the success sans controversy regarding, addresses it on a later song,  🎵 “Reminder” (💿 Starboy, 2016):

“I just won a new award for a kids show
Talking ‘bout a face numbing off a bag a blow
I’m like, goddamn bitch, I am not a Teen choice
Goddamn bitch, I am not a bleach boy.”

Basically, he asks himself, how did he become a pop star from a drug-infused record? Ultimately, The Weeknd got a pass.  I guess it’s those sick Michael Jackson vibes!

Also appears on 🔽:
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🔗 😈🎶 The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 9

2. Eric Clapton, “This Has Gotta Stop”

🎵 “This Has Gotta Stop” • 🏷 EPC Enterprises • 🗓 2021

Being anti-vax during a global pandemic is controversial.  🎙 Eric Clapton, who has a checkered past with controversy, struck up ‘his old friend’ once more with anti-vax protest song,  🎵 “This Has Gotta Stop”.  Protesting something you’re passionate about is your right.  The problem is, this protest feels counterproductive, fueling right-wing extremism and prolonging this hellish pandemic.  COVID-19 has been hell – we can all agree on that – but Mr. Clapton takes things next level.

He has personal issues with vaccination given the ill effects he suffered coupled with his neuropathy. “I can’t move my hands / I break out in sweat,” he sings, continuing, “I wanna cry / Can’t take it anymore.” The problem is the fact that Clapton seems to advise everyone against being vaccinated because of his own adverse reaction.  Furthermore, he takes the right-wing opinion that everything is an infringement on liberty regardless of the intent to return to pre-pandemic freedom enjoyed pre-pandemic:

“And I’m used to being free
I know who I am
Try to do what’s right
So, lock me up and throw away the key.”

The most damning lines: “It’s gone far enough / If you wanna claim my soul / You’ll have to come break down this door.” Like the song itself, the “This Has Gotta Stop” the music video 🎶📼 echoes the free spirit of the song.  While the anti-vax community cheers, “This Has Gotta Stop” irks me, and I wasn’t the only one that felt this way.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 😈🎶 Eric Clapton, “This Has Gotta Stop”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 22

3. Lil Nas X, “MONTERO”

💿 MONTERO • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2021

“I’m not fazed, only here to sin / If Eve ain’t in your garden, you know that you can…” 🏆 Grammy-winning, openly gay 🏳️‍🌈 pop artist🎙 Lil Nas X returned in 2021 with a controversial single, 🎵 “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)”, the title track from his debut album, 💿 MONTERO. Here, he reflects on his own experiences with his sexuality. Fueling the fire musically is sleek production courtesy of 🎛 Roy Lenzo, 🎛 Omer Fedi, and 🎛 Take A Daytrip. It’s the lyrics, narrative, and music video that make the record ‘controversial.’

“MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” shares experiences associated with many gay men at some point. Lil Nas X expresses desire: “I wanna feel on your ass in Hawaii / I want that jet lag from fuckin’ and flyin’ / Shoot a child in your mouth while I’m ridin’.” He’s a man who wants to have sex, but plenty of folks are quick to criticize him for ‘promoting a gay agenda.’ Gay sex remains taboo, sadly.  Another interesting lyric – “Never want the niggas that’s in my league / I wanna fuck the ones I envy, I envy” – is ear-catching because of its layers.  While ‘incredibly gay’ to those who aren’t gay, Nas X speaks about crushing on someone more fit, handsome, as well as potentially hetero- as opposed to homo- sexual. Furthermore, he expresses the plight of being gay, whether it’s being trapped in the closet, religious tension, and other factors.  I guess more close-minded find themselves triggered.

More controversial than the song is the music video 🎶📼. While, the queer component was ‘offensive’ to some, the big NO-NO was dabbling with Satan 😈.  Lil Nas X had a sexual encounter – a lap dance – that had those on the right cancelling him instantly. His experiences with Satan aren’t intended to be Satanic but rather poking jabs at how some Christians view anyone not heterosexual, damning them to hell.   It’s a complicated relationship between faith and sexuality. Nas X embraces the scenario, playing true to his proud, gay self and not giving a fizzuck.  When it comes to the gay pop artist who gets personal about desires and experiences, there’s naturally a degree of controversy.  When it’s Lil Nas X, who enjoys trolling, well, the controversy only grows exponentially.

Also appears on 🔽:
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🔗 😈🎶 Lil Nas X, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 3

4. cupcakKe, “Deepthroat”

💿 Cum Cake • 🏷 cupcakKe • 📅 2015

“Hump me, fuck me / Daddy better make me choke / Hump me, fuck me / My tunnel loves to deep throat / Lick, lick, lick, lick (I lick it) / I want to eat yo dick (I do).”  Yikes, 🎙 CupcakKe holds nothing back on 🎵 “Deepthroat”. The listener understands the rapper’s intent with no grey area whatsoever.  Arguably, the freakiest of freaks might take pause hearing these lyrics.  Every aspect of the song is characterized by shock value. Deepthroat itself refers to fellatio, and should you do a Google search, there are endless pornographic results… “Deepthroat” appears on cupcakKe’s 2015 album, 💿 Cum Cake.  Yikes!  We have a song named after a sex act popular in porn, and an album whose title references male ejaculate.  Perfect.

There are ample examples of CupcakKe being naughty AF, including “Mouth wide open, mouth wide open / Put it so deep, I can’t make a sentence.” Jesus! She adds even more absurd, over-sexed rhymes publicizing the bedroom, asserting:

“My fingers in it, gentle
Explore this nigga mental...
My pussy pink just like salami
...Ballerina that dick when I spin
I fucked this nigga so good
I ain’t swallow one kid, I think I swallowed twins.”

Also amplifying the controversy is a NSFW music video 🎶📼 once available to watch on YouTube.  You must see it to believe it.  There’s no hardcore sex, but the things cupcakKe uses to represent the sexual imagery is nearly, if not as potent as sex itself.  The feeling when watching “Deepthroat” is another form of pornography.  It’s wild. Ultimately, “Deepthroat” is polarizing, yet it is art that creates a discussion. It’s does exactly what it’s intended to do.

Also appears on 🔽:
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🔗 😈🎶 cupcakKe, “Deepthroat”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 10

5. Liam Payne, “Both Ways”

💿 LP1 • 🏷 Capitol • 🗓 2019

🎙 Liam Payne fell way short with his debut solo album, 💿 LP1 . Making matters worse, he was totally tone deaf on the song 🎵 “Both Ways”, giving cis-hetero men – particularly cis-hetero white men – a bad name everywhere.  How so? Fetishizing bisexuality, even if there are hints that he didn’t initiate the sexual experience (he’s still totally into it). Expectedly, he was slammed by numerous people, including Buzz Feed, Teen Vogue, and NME.

“Both Ways” is the most polarizing song from LP1. Liam’s girlfriend is portrayed as bi, hence, why “she like it both ways.” The problem is rather than respecting her sexuality, it devolves into a trashy threesome, portrayed with cringy, problematic, totally unsexy references.  Regardless of the perpetrator, Payne clearly wants to get freaky with his girlfriend and her girlfriend:

“Lovin’ the way that she’s turning you on
Switching the lanes like a Bugatti Sport
Nothing but luck that she got me involved, yeah
Flipping that body, go head, I go tails
Sharing that body like it’s our last meal
One and a two and a three, that’s for real.”

Sharing that body like it’s our last meal… really? Disgusting! Payne probably didn’t have bad intentions when releasing “Both Ways,” but his attempt to be edgy and risqué fell flat.  Yes, people partake of threesomes, but we didn’t need a bad song about it from an artist who doesn’t seem to fit the bill as a participant.  The good news? Payne is still a handsome guy who can 🎵 “Strip That Down” anytime he wants to – FACTS 😍!

Also appears on 🔽:
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🔗 😈🎶 Liam Payne, “Both Ways”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 17

6. Drake, “Girls Want Girls”

Ft. Lil Baby

💿 Certified Lover Boy • 🏷 OVO / Republic • 📅 2021

God, these cis-hetero/straight men are something else.  Three songs into the long awaited 💿 Certified Lover Boy, 🏆 Grammy winning rapper/singer 🎙 Drake ensures we get some controversy on 🎵 “Girls Want Girls”. That controversy is the fetishization of lesbians… by straight men.  UGH! Previously criticized 🎙 Liam Payne for it, and Drizzy, you don’t get a pass!

“Yeah, say that you a lesbian, girl, me too / Ayy, girls want girls where I’m from / Wait, woah, yeah, girls want girls…”  So, he’s a lesbian? How the hell is that even possible?  PinkNews was all over this early on, highlighting the bizarre, problematic nature of the song.  Of course, Drake isn’t a lesbian but rather a straight guy distastefully likening himself to a lesbian because he likes women too. Of course, what better to drum up controversy than another straight guy fetishizing lesbianism/bisexuality, 🎙 Lil Baby:

“She like eating pussy, I’m like, ‘Me too’
...Please bring your girlfriend along with you.”

Rap has long objectified women – nothing new.  Growing more common, unfortunately, are these horny, self-serving straight male rappers using female same-sex relationships to fulfill their inner freak. From my perspective, “Girls Want Girls” was a poor choice.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 😈🎶 Drake, “Girls Want Girls”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 23

7. TOOL, “Prison Sex”

💿 Undertow • 🏷 Tool Dissectional / Volcano Entertainment II • 📅 1993

“I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this / Shit, blood, and cum on my hands / I’ve come ‘round full circle.” The lyrics from the 🎙 TOOL classic, 🎵 “Prison Sex”, are filled wth controversy. Just analyze these isolated lyrics by the genius 🎙 Maynard James Keenan.  “Temporary sanity” suggests that the character in the song has transformed something insane into sane, which is an inappropriate rationalization.  Furthermore, if you heard no other portion of “Prison Sex,” the following lyric, “Shit, blood, and cum on my hands” suggests a sketchy, likely forced sexual experience. The confirmation comes as Kennan sings, “I’ve come ‘round full circle,” showing that the abused has become the ABUSER – a vicious cycle.

Look no further than the song title: “Prison Sex.” ‘Prison’ opens a can of worms, and add sex to it, and a flurry of filthy, troubling thoughts come to mind. The abuse that occurs while inmates are incarcerated is unspeakable.  Even if you forget literal prison, what about metaphorical imprisonment from sexual abuse?  For good reason, the 💿 Undertow gem raised eyebrows in 1993 and still does so today.

“My lamb and martyr, you look so precious
Won’t you, won’t you come on a bit closer
Close enough so I can smell you
I need you to feel this
I can’t stand to burn too long
Release in sodomy
For one sweet moment I am whole.”

“Prison Sex” encompasses sexual abuse, specifically child sexual abuse. Besides the disturbing tone of the song, the music video, which uses stop motion, is more disturbing than the song itself.  What TOOL creates is disturbing, even with good intentions to speak against abuse.  Of course, censorship reared its ugly head. The vicious cycle is masterfully captured in the excerpted lyrics, as well as the chilling closing lyrics, “My lamb and martyr, this will be over soon / You look so precious, you look so precious.” Anytime you tackle tough subject matter, be prepared for backlash, controversy, and censorship. 

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 13 Totally Locked Up, Prison Songs
🔗 😈🎶 TOOL, “Prison Sex”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 1

8. Robin Thicke, “Blurred Lines”

💿 Blurred Lines • 🏷 Star Trak • 🗓 2013

“Everybody get up / Everybody get up / Hey, hey, hey / Hey, hey, hey!” Back in 2013, everybody and his brother and sister were tuned into “Blurred Lines”,  the crowning achievement from 💿 Blurred Lines. With longtime collaborator 🎙 Pharrell Williams co-writing and producing, and ATL rapper 🎙 T.I. on board, “Blurred Lines” is that pop song that most artists would kill for – catchy as hell, groovy as hell, and ear catching AF.  But the rewards didn’t pay off given the shit-ton of controversy accompanying the hit.

“You’re a good girl / Can’t let it get past me / You’re far from plastic (Alright) / Talkin’ ‘bout getting blasted.” The lyrics of “Blurred Lines” are incredibly problematic. Misogyny and objectification of women are no strangers to music, but if you read or listen to the lyrics served up here, there’s honestly no redeeming value whatsoever. Thicke was accused of promoting a ‘rapy vibe’ and didn’t help himself when interviewing and promoting the song.  While he’s trying to unleash a wild side that he knows she possesses – “liberate” her as he asserts on the pre-chorus – it just doesn’t come off that way. Thicke seems too forceful, thinking more with his pants than brain. “I feel so lucky (Hey, hey, hey) / You wanna hug me (Hey, hey, hey),” he sings on the second verse, continuing, “What rhymes with hug me?”  Nice one Rob… 😏.   I won’t even break down the T.I. verse.

The music video 🎶📼 is a gargantuan YIKES 🤦!  Two versions were released, including an unrated version (yes, there are boobies).  Thicke had to have hot models, including Emily Ratajkowski, to help him illustrate his points, right? Furthermore, there’s a sign commenting on his penis size (“Robin Thicke has a big dick”) 🤦.  UGH – WTF man? That doesn’t stifle any controversy, adding fuel to the fire of the song being ‘rapy.’ The costliest happening was a copyright infringement lawsuit by the Gaye family, which they won.  There are similarities between the 🎙 Marvin Gaye classic, 🎵 “Got to Give It Up” and “Blurred Lines.” A slew of ‘new’ songs arrive that sound like songs of the past, requiring a writing credit to be safe.  The lesson with “Blurred Lines” is, even if unintentional, a writing credit can save some coin.  “Blurred Lines” is the biggest hit of Thicke’s career but cost him severely.

Also appears on 🔽:
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🔗 😈🎶 Robin Thicke, “Blurred Lines”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 2

9. Maroon 5, “Animals”

💿 V • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2014 

🎙 Maroon 5 isn’t the first band that comes to mind when it comes to controversy.  In fact, it might be welcome news if 🎙 Adam Levine and company generated some controversy given their sanitized, unoriginal pop as of late.  Honestly, post 🎵 “Animals” (💿 V), the most controversial thing about M5 has been Levine’s shirtless performance during the Superbowl Halftime show.  It was unnecessary, but damn, Adam looked good 🏋💪😍.

Focusing on the controversy, it’s two-fold.  First and foremost, the lyrics: “Baby, I’m preying on you tonight / Hunt you down, eat you alive / Just like animals…” Perhaps if Adam were literally singing about animals, the controversy would be less pronounced, though PETA still wouldn’t be pleased.  That said, these lyrics are sketchy as albeit, considering he’s singing about a love interest.  If you’re ‘preying’ on a human, that’s never good. Furthermore, add sexual subtext and the predator idea Maroon 5 are selling gets even worse. The lyrics are definitely ‘animalistic’, and honestly, that might be insulting animals. Sex itself isn’t the problem with “Animals”; it’s how it’s framed, of course.

The lyrics are a driving force behind the controversy, but Maroon 5 ‘doubled down’ when it came to the music video 🎶📼. Charlotte Alter (Time) asserts that the music video “confuses violence and love”.  It’s not family friendly, incorporating a mix of butchery, sex, and stalking.  Lyrically, the song isn’t explicit, but it’s disturbing thematically and visually. “Animals” = a bad look for the 🏆 Grammy-winning collective.

Also appears on 🔽:
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🔗 😈🎶 Maroon 5, “Animals”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 11

10. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar”

💿 Sticky Fingers • 🏷 Promotone B.V. • 🗓 1971

“Brown sugar, how come you taste so good? Uh huh / Brown sugar, just like a young girl should, uh huh, oh (Woo).” 🎵 “Brown Sugar”  hails from 🎙 The Rolling Stones’ 1971 classic album, 💿 Sticky Fingers.  “Brown Sugar” is a prime example of blues rock at its best.  🎙 Mick Jagger has ample swagger, showcasing his electrifying personality.  The energy is lit from enthused guitars, honky-tonk piano, and vocals. However, the controversy of “Brown Sugar” lies within its theme/lyrics!

Sex is key: “Drums beating, cold English blood runs hot…” Much dirtier, and incredibly controversial, however, are references to black women/sex with black women. Lauretta Charlton (Vulture) accurately writes in 2015, “‘Brown Sugar’ is gross, sexist, and stunning offensive toward black women’… It’s been called one of the nastiest, most controversial, and racist songs of all time.”  The first verse is undoubtedly problematic:

“Gold coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
Sold in the market down in New Orleans
Scarred old slaver knows he’s doing alright
Hear him whip the women just around midnight.”

What is Jagger doing exactly? Referencing the history of interracial sex. There’s a reason from his perspective why slave owners were whipping [black] women at midnight. Of course, he doesn’t stick with the slave days, as he and many other white men are intrigued with interracial sex… Woo! The second verse has more problematic lyrics (“House boy knows that he’s doing alright / You shoulda heard ‘em just around midnight”), while the third continues in unapologetic fashion: “I’m no schoolboy, but I know what I like / You shoulda heard me just around midnight.” “Brown Sugar” is problematic thanks to the tone-deaf references to slavery in relation to interracial ‘relations’ as well as a shallow view of interracial relations.  No, a controversial theme doesn’t keep “Brown Sugar” from being a classic, but it’s important to acknowledge it’s a song you avoid penning these days.

Also appears on 🔽:
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🔗 😈🎶 The Rolling Stones, Brown Sugar: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 20

11. Britney Spears, “If U Seek Amy”

💿 Circus • 🏷 Zomba • 🗓 2008

“Love me, hate me, say what you want about me / But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to, if you seek Amy.” Those lyrics made 🎵 “If U Seek Amy”, a gem from the 2008 🎙 Britney Spears album, 💿 Circus, controversial. Specifically, it’s the titular lyric, which isn’t what it seems that’s the culprit.  IF is equivalent to the letter ‘F,’ while U (or “you”) is just what it is – the letter ‘U.’ SEEK should be split, hence, “See” is equivalent to the letter ‘C.’  That leaves a K, which is combined with the long “A” of “Amy,” hence, sounds like the letter, ‘K.’ Last, but not least, the ‘my’ in “Amy” is equivalent to the pronoun “Me.”  Put it all together and “If U Seek Amy” is really the phrase “F-U-C-K Me.”

This makes perfect sense, given how Britney Spears characterizes Amy.  Basically, everyone wants a piece of her/be her/be with her.  Sexually speaking, “If U Seek Amy” isn’t that sexual.   “If U Seek Amy” faced pushback because of the double meaning double meaning.  Notably, Slate points out that the pun isn’t original but firmly planted in the past.  From my perspective, had “If U Seek Amy” came out just years later, it wouldn’t have created the same stir.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 😈🎶 Britney Spears, If U Seek Amy: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 8

12. Michael Jackson, “Morphine”

💿 Blood on the Dance Floor • 🏷 MJJ Productions, Inc. • 📅 1997

“Your every lick, baby / Your dog’s a bitch, baby.” Well, yes, a bitch is a female dog, but that’s not where 🎙 Michael Jackson seems to be taking with things…  🎵 “Morphine” (💿 Blood on the Dance Floor) marked the second time that Jackson has appeared on Controversial Tunes 😈🎶. His second entry is troubling given his untimely death at age 50 in 2009. “Morphine” is controversial because it references drugs throughout (“You just sit around just talkin’ about it / You’re takin’ morphine”).  Mention of Demerol, an opioid, which used improperly, can lead to overdose or death, is what’s most controversial.  Jackson, who became addicted to the opioid, died from a fatal overdose…

The eyebrow-raising ‘Demerol’ portion of “Morphine” occurs on the bridge, a stark departure from the rest of the song.  Much of “Morphine” is styled in the prevalent New Jack Swing of the 90s.  The bridge is dreamier, a perfect soundtrack to the effects of the drug which Jackson sings about.  “Relax / This won’t hurt you / Before I put it in / Close your eyes and count to ten,” he sings, later adding, “Close your eyes and drift away / Demerol / Demerol / Oh God, he’s taking Demerol.” Of course, ‘going under’ a drug like Demerol is a bad choice.  It certainly ended the life of an icon far too soon.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 😈🎶 Michael Jackson , “Morphine”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 18

13. Cannibal Corpse, “I Cum Blood”

💿 Tomb of the Mutilated • 🏷 Metal Blade • 🗓 1992

Cutting straight to the chase, the majority of 💿 Tomb of the Mutilated, the 1992 album by metal band 🎙 Cannibal Corpse, could’ve been featured on Controversial Tunes 😈🎶. Just scan the track names and there’s nothing the least bit ‘family friendly’ about this affair.  Focusing on 🎵 “I Cum Blood”, it is as brutal and rough around the edges as you’d expect. “Swollen with liquid / Ready to burst,” front man 🎙 Chris Barnes sings on the first verse, continuing, “Load of my nymph / Will quench this dead body’s thirst.” Well, damn.  Of course, Barnes and company are referring to, um, a particular white liquid: “Fucking the rotting / My semen is bleeding / Smell of decay / Seeps from her genital cavity.” DISGUSTING! Furthermore, I have questions about the ‘bleeding’ part of the lyrical excerpt.

Those excerpts, of course, ‘come’ merely from the first verse.  Chris Barnes is NOT done.  Prior to the second verse, we get the titular line, in all its, um, ‘blood lust,’ I suppose: “I cum blood from my erection / I feel it run / Down her throat, swallow.” The necrophilia only grows more twisted: “I need a live woman / To fill with my fluid / A delicate girl to mutilate, fuck and kill…” Oh the disturbing third verse, Barnes at least admits to his crimes 🤷:

“Greatest thrill of my life
Slit my own cock with a knife
Violent climax
Surging serum
On my skin.”

Cannibal Corpse has always lived on the edge and this hellish tune is a prime example.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 😈🎶 Cannibal Corpse, “I Cum Blood”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 24