With the release of the top ten controversial records of all time, it seems a way of achieving success is to create a record that manages to get itself banned, or at the very least a bad reputation. The top three in the list, all achieved this status, with the Prodigy’s 1997 ‘Smack my Bitch up’ topping the poll. The Sex Pistols, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and XTC were all in the top ten.

It is a strange phenomenon that we tend to crave that we cannot have, regardless of the quality of the song. Though people rave about ‘Smack my Bitch up’, it is arguably not one of the bands best. The title and the fact it was banned providing a platform for its success. It is a little like gore in a film, it tends to bring in a larger audience if a movie has some, and a few more people if it has a lot. So the banned record achieves fame and sells a lot.

Ironically, though the Prodigy’s other songs have received critical and public acclaim, ‘Smack my Bitch up’, is likely to be the band’s legacy song.

The top ten are shown below.

1. The Prodigy - 'Smack My Bitch Up'
2. The Sex Pistols - 'God Save The Queen'
3. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - 'Relax'
4. Eminem - 'Kim'
5. Rage Against The Machine - 'Killing In The Name'
6. The Shamen - 'Ebeneezer Goode'
7. Ozzy Osbourne - 'Suicide Solution'
8. Marilyn Manson - 'Get You Gunn'
9. Slayer - 'Angel Of Death'
10. XTC - 'Dear God'