{"id":2054261,"date":"2025-09-27T16:03:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T16:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2054261"},"modified":"2025-09-27T16:03:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T16:03:13","slug":"the-10-most-outrageous-pop-controversies-of-the-1980s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-10-most-outrageous-pop-controversies-of-the-1980s\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 most outrageous pop controversies of the 1980s"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The 1980s was the decade of big hair, huge shoulder pads and seismic musical controversies. From onstage bust-ups to scandalous videos and genuine tragedy, it was a time when the next epoch-changing bombshell was always just around the corner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The era is explored and celebrated in a new BBC documentary, <em>Banned in the 80s: Moments That Shook Music<\/em>, which promises to reveal \u201cthe untold stories behind the most controversial music of the 1980s\u201d. Ahead of its broadcast, here is our own list of the scandals, tragedies and storms in a newfangled CD slipcase that set the decade alight.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">1. Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a bat, 1982<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The bat incident became shorthand for a life lived in the fast lane &#8211; Alamy<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/obituaries\/2025\/07\/22\/ozzy-osbourne-wild-man-heavy-metal-black-sabbath\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Osbourne died this July;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Osbourne died this July<\/a>, one of the oft-repeated war stories about his glory days as a bad-boy rocker involved a concert in Des Moines, Iowa, where a fan threw a bat on stage. Believing it to be a rubber toy, Osbourne snapped the head off with his teeth. He was later relieved to discover the bat had been dead for days and that the rabies shots he received straight after the show had been unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Nonetheless, the incident became a shorthand for a life lived in the fast lane. Talking about it in later life, he reportedly said, \u201cI got rabies shots for biting the head off a bat \u2013 but that\u2019s okay. The bat had to get Ozzy shots.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">2. Frankie Goes To Hollywood banned by the BBC, 1984<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In your face and laden with innuendo, Frankie\u2019s debut single, <em>Relax<\/em>, was controversial by design. But initially, it drew little attention \u2013 to the disappointment of Frankie\u2019s record label, ZTT, a high-concept alliance between producer <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/interviews\/trevor-horn-music-business-debauchery-80s-busy-earning-living\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Trevor Horn;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Trevor Horn<\/a> and journalist Paul Morley. Despite several ads that spotlighted the flamboyant homosexuality of Frankie\u2019s members Holly Johnson and Paul Rutherford, the tune failed to catch on \u2013 until, in January 1984, Radio One DJ Mike Read expressed his distaste for the suggestive lyrics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Two days later, <em>Relax <\/em>was officially banned by the BBC \u2013 along with its S&amp;M themed video. As the moral panic took hold, the track shot up the charts, though the band initially denied the song had a sexual undertone. They would eventually relent. \u201cIt <em>was <\/em>about shagging\u201d, admitted bassist Mark O\u2019Toole in the liner notes to their 1985 album, <em>Welcome to the Pleasure Dome<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">3. MTV blacklists Queen\u2019s I Want to Break Free video, 1984<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Never the most macho of bands, by the 1980s Queen, and singer Freddie Mercury, were leaning with gusto into their camp side. The group went full panto queen by appearing in drag in the video for <em>I Want to Break Free<\/em>, where Mercury played a busty housewife, guitarist Brian May donned curlers and a nightdress, bassist John Deacon appeared as a stern-faced grandmother and drummer Roger Taylor vamped it up as a \u201cnaughty\u201d schoolgirl. Nobody blinked in the UK \u2013 if anything, they were impressed at Mercury\u2019s vacuuming skills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But in the US, the response was shock and fury over the sight of men in tights \u2013 and MTV refused to play it. \u201cI remember being on the promo tour [for album <em>The Works<\/em>] in the Midwest of America and people\u2019s faces turning ashen,\u201d May recalled in 2010. \u201cAnd they would say, no, we can\u2019t play this. We can\u2019t possibly play this. You know, it looks homosexual&#8230; I know that it really damaged our whole relationship with radio in [the US] and probably the public as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">4. Matt Bianco are insulted on Saturday Superstore, 1984<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Matt Bianco on BBC kids' show Saturday Superstore in December 1984\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"292\" height=\"182\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/VoHWp.vSbNuLrlfUZrc1OQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTI2MjtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/21d080f23346bdefb5ceb6cc5db4d4c1\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Matt Bianco on BBC kids\u2019 show Saturday Superstore in December 1984<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">All seemed well in the world of cod-soul chart-toppers Matt Bianco when they appeared on the BBC kids\u2019 show <em>Saturday Superstore <\/em>in December 1984. They\u2019d just released a smash debut album and were the toast of <em>Smash Hits<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However, none of that cut much ice with a phone-in caller named Simon Roberts, who labelled the band (none of whom were actually named Matt) a \u201cbunch of w&#8212;-ers\u201d. They look appropriately miffed \u2013 as were sibling R\u2019n\u2019B quintet Five Star, when schoolboy Eliot Fletcher called into their appearance on the BBC\u2019s <em>Going Live <\/em>in 1989 to ask, \u201cwhy are you so f&#8212;&#8211;g crap?\u201d \u2013 though, he would apologise to the band\u2019s Doris Pearson on social media 30 years later.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">5. Judas Priest are caught up in the Satanic Panic, 1985<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Judas Priest Guitarist KK Downing, guitarist Glenn Tipton and singer Rob Halford\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/SZS7PJPS7o4jCo9KPvXqIQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/d896ed9df2f63d317d3ca9f565514a26\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Pictured l-r: Guitarist KK Downing, guitarist Glenn Tipton and singer Rob Halford of Judas Priest<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">By the mid-1980s, much of Bible Belt America was convinced Satan worshippers were taking over the US. Dungeons &amp; Dragons players were accused of being in league with the Devil, as were heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the case of the Birmingham headbangers, the inciting incident was the double suicide in 1985 of Raymond Belknap, 18, and James Vance, 20, who took a shotgun to themselves after allegedly listening to Priest\u2019s <em>Stained Class <\/em>album. Vance\u2019s parents brought a $6.2 million lawsuit against the group and their label, claiming that their cover of Spooky Tooth\u2019s <em>Better by You, Better than Me <\/em>had subliminal messages like, \u201ctry suicide,\u201d \u201cdo it\u201d, and \u201clet\u2019s be dead\u201d. At the trial, singer <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/artists\/judas-priests-rob-halford-booing-thatcher-death-pact-accusations\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Rob Halford;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Rob Halford<\/a> explained that the \u201cbackwards sounds\u201d were the result of him exhaling while singing, and the case was ultimately thrown out of court.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">6. The Beastie Boys\u2019 Licensed to Ill Tour hits the UK, 1987<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/E_ZpcdaxrrTaOAdnlUUHcA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/be5e967b4958020e8efa0ce2fd674720\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys &#8211; Corbis Historical<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Three middle-class kids from New York\u2019s Upper West Side and Brooklyn, the Beastie Boys had so much fun playing rock \u2019n\u2019 roll bad-boys in the aftermath of their debut album, <em>Licence to Ill<\/em>, that they began to confuse fantasy and reality. Instantly notorious, the <em>Licence to Ill Tour <\/em>featured giant inflatable genitalia while the group went out of their way to provoke fans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It all came to a head in Liverpool in 1987, when band member Adam Horovitz got into a scuffle with audience members at the Royal Court Theatre. Police were called as bottles and other objects were hurled at the stage, and Horovitz lashed out. As the group hastily retreated, the crowd chanted, \u201cWe tamed the Beasties\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">7. George Michael\u2019s I Want Your Sex video banned by the BBC, 1987<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The 1980s was a high point for pop videos \u2013 and also for broadcasters banning pop videos. One of the more notorious cases was that of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/artists\/george-michael-life-career-pictures\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:George Michael;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">George Michael<\/a>, whose determination to shed the teen heartthrob image cultivated with Wham! led him to record the steamy <em>I Want Your Sex<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It also led him to make a promo in which the closeted singer cuddled with his then-girlfriend, Kathy Jeung. \u201cIt was genuine. Kathy was in love with me, but she knew that I was in love with a guy at that point in time. I was still saying I was bisexual,\u201d he would later state. \u201cShe was the only female that I ever brought into my professional life. I put her in a video. Of course, she looked like a beard. It was all such a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">8. NWA release F&#8212; Tha Police, 1988<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Rappers MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre (L-R) of the rap group NWA in 1991\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/wBwrwE1OBBhkPjfF7AHIMw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/7dbc15156e63ccfca5789653903f56e0\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Rappers MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre (L-R) of the rap group NWA in 1991 &#8211; Michael Ochs Archives<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The moral panic against rap music was already underway by the time Compton \u201cgangsta\u201d quintet NWA released their seminal invective against police brutality. It sparked a furore: the FBI wrote to the band\u2019s record label expressing their misgivings, and it was banned from radio stations across America. The pressure would cause NWA to implode, with rapper Ice Cube leaving the following year \u2013 by which point <em>F&#8212; Tha Police <\/em>had already guaranteed their lasting infamy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">9. Milli Vanilli Exposed as fakes, 1989<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/62j0LFotWntyORGJuwHFUA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/e5357cf959d1c969c5d70519507c6d45\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli &#8211; Gamma-Rapho<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It seemed like a sweet deal for male models and dancers Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan. Mime along to the songs of camera-shy Munich music producer <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/obituaries\/2024\/01\/26\/frank-farian-musician-boney-m-milli-vanilli-died-obituary\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Frank Farian;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Frank Farian<\/a> (also the mysterious figure behind Boney M) and wait for the cheques to arrive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However, a mid-show technical failure in Connecticut made it clear that Milli Vanilli were pretending to sing, and it all came crashing down. Forced to hand back their Best New Artist Grammy, their career ended almost as soon as it had begun. \u201cI knew right then and there, it was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli,\u201d Pilatus would confess.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">10. Madonna dances with a black saint in the Like A Prayer video, 1989<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As the 1980s came to an end, Madonna was already a figure of considerable controversy. There had been an outcry in America when she performed <em>Like A Virgin <\/em>in a wedding dress at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards and ended up rolling on the floor. Meanwhile, her 1986 single <em>Papa Don\u2019t Preach <\/em>scandalised both sides of the political aisle: those on the Right believed it promoted promiscuity, while Planned Parenthood feared it could lead to a spike in teen pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Still, that was all merely an appetite-whetter for <em>Like A Prayer <\/em>\u2013 and a video in which she sings in front of the burning crosses associated with the Ku Klux Klan and grooves with Saint Martin de Porres, a figure widely mistaken for Jesus at the time. There was an outcry \u2013 and not just among American conservatives. The Pope criticised the video for showing Madonna and Saint Martin getting loved up in a church; facing calls for a boycott, Pepsi cancelled its $5 million endorsement deal with Madonna.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The singer\u2019s defence was that the video and song represented her working through her complex emotions about Catholicism. \u201cOnce you\u2019re a Catholic, you\u2019re always a Catholic,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes I\u2019m wracked with guilt when I needn\u2019t be, and that, to me, is left over from my Catholic upbringing. Because in Catholicism you are born a sinner and you are a sinner all of your life. No matter how you try to get away from it, the sin is within you all the time\u201d. While her feelings were not unique, only Madonna would seek to exorcise them with a pop promo that left jaws agape, and both Popes and paupers foaming at the mouth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Banned in the 80s: Moments That Shook Music is on BBC 2 on Saturday 27 September at 9.25pm<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/customer\/subscribe\/01doysa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><b>Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 1980s was the decade of big hair, huge shoulder pads and seismic musical controversies. From onstage bust-ups to scandalous videos and genuine tragedy, it was a time when the next epoch-changing bombshell was always just around the corner. The era is explored and celebrated in a new BBC documentary, Banned in the 80s: Moments [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2054262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[381973,381971,323954,350954,381970,381974,33128,381972,381975,348526],"class_list":["post-2054261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-ad-rock","tag-bbc-documentary","tag-freddie-mercury","tag-judas-priest","tag-matt-bianco","tag-milli-vanilli","tag-ozzy-osbourne","tag-paul-rutherford","tag-rabies-shots","tag-rob-halford"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/The-10-most-outrageous-pop-controversies-of-the-1980s.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2054261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2054262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2054261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2054261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2054261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}