In 1977, we witnessed the ultimate culture clash. As millions came together to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, with flared trousers and bunting the order of the day at street parties across the country, the punk movement in the UK reached its zenith. All this played out against a backdrop of rampant inflation.
When the Sex Pistols released God Save the Queen to coincide with that Jubilee, the establishment went into full moral panic mode. The song, which featured some of the most provocative pop lyrics ever penned (“God Save the Queen / A fascist regime”), was banned by the BBC and commercial radio stations. Pop charts were rigged lest Her Maj was listening to Radio 1 and choked on her cornflakes. Big retailers including WHSmith and Boots refused to stock the single. Newspapers were full of outrage and venues refused to allow the band to play.
The Sex Pistols were signed by A&M records, with great pomp and circumstance near Buckingham Palace then dropped six days later. Copies of God Save the Queen were pulped bar a few, which trade for thousands these days. Virgin Records stepped in; Richard Branson toying with cultural carnage before saving up enough money to buy an island.
The Sex Pistols’ infamous live gig on a Thames cruiser, devised by Malcolm McLaren to provoke maximum fury, turned into pure chaos. The police tried to intervene and photographs captured the clash. McLaren was delighted – this was the moment that the Sex Pistols made most sense. And it was all downhill from there.
The Sex Pistols are re-releasing their most infamous song to coincide with the Platinum Jubilee. Of course they are. It still looks incredible. Jamie Reid’s artwork remains simply, symbolically powerful. But of course, it also feels like a cash-in – rebellion repackaged as titillation, repurposed as entertainment. A toothless exercise in mock rock shockery.
More interesting, perhaps, is an origins story of the Sex Pistols, directed by Danny Boyle and airing on Disney+. The six-part series is based on Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones’s 2016 memoir Lonely Boy. John Lydon is furious about it – which means it must be worth at least some of our attention.