Woke Crowd Call These 17 Classic Rock Tracks “Problematic”

We reached out to the BuzzFeed Community to uncover which popular pre-1990 songs have aged poorly, and the majority of submissions pointed to classic rock hits. Here are the intriguing and thought-provoking results.

1. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by the Police (1980)
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police (1980) is a catchy song, but its theme has raised eyebrows over the years, making people think twice about the story it’s telling. One community member shares, “‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me’ by the Police is literally about a male teacher starting a relationship with his much younger female student.” —imbatmom2

2. “Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners (1982)
This is a feel-good anthem packed with energy and nostalgia. With its catchy fiddle and heartfelt lyrics, it’s the kind of song that gets everyone singing along, even if they’re not sure what it’s all about. But one insider finally found out:

“I loved the song when I was young, but then I grew up and listened to the lyrics. It’s basically about a guy trying to talk a young woman into sleeping with him by saying creepy things thinly veiled by nice words. Maybe even an older dude trying to trick a newly legal woman.”—hallamichellem

3. “Run for Your Life” by the Beatles (1965)
This is a catchy beat by the Fab Four, but its jealous and possessive lyrics make it unsettling today. It’s one of those songs that makes you tap your foot while raising an eyebrow at the words. As clothildedauphin comments, ‘Yeah, even the Beatles could write some seriously dodgy shit, like a song about a guy threatening to kill a girl if he sees her loving a different man.”

4. “Christine Sixteen” by Kiss (1977)
This song is a classic rock track with a big sound and an edgy vibe. But its lyrics about a much older man pursuing a 16-year-old definitely feel uncomfortable today and raise questions about its message. And one of many community members agree:

“‘Christine Sixteen’ by Kiss is just another pedophile anthem with really disgusting lyrics. It’s hard to listen to.” —christinesi

5. “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley (1968)
This track by Elvis is a bold, upbeat track that’s all about cutting through the small talk and getting to the point. But a shauna_malwae-tweep thinks it’s more than that:

“The lyrics for ‘A Little Less Conversation’ by Mac Davis and Billy Strange are definitely questionable. The entire song is basically a man telling a woman to shut up and service him: ‘Close your mouth and open up your heart and, baby, satisfy me.'”

6. “Under My Thumb” by the Rolling Stones (1966)
Yes, this song has a cool groove and swagger, but its lyrics about control and dominance over a woman make it pretty controversial today. It’s one of those songs that’s hard to ignore, for better or worse. As one member puts it:

“‘Under My Thumb’ by the Rolling Stones is about a guy bragging to everyone about how he controls his girlfriend by emotionally abusing her: ‘Under my thumb / Her eyes are just kept to herself / While I, I can still look at someone else.'” —timward

7. “Island Girl” by Elton John (1975)
Community member, audreys4a6196a57, couldn’t help but share her sentiments about this song from Elton John:

“I love Sir Elton John, but his song ‘Island Girl’ from the 1970s is both racist and sexist (we can thank Bernie Taupin for the lyrics). It’s about a Jamaican sex worker who services white men — the song describes her as being ‘Black as coal, but she burns like fire’ and asks the ‘island girl’ what she wants from the white man’s world since ‘Black boy’ wants her in his island world. It was a huge hit back then, but Elton doesn’t perform it in concert anymore (for good reason).”

8. “Into the Night” by Benny Mardones (1980)
Benny Mardones’ “Into the Night” didn’t escape the ears of two BuzzFeed members for it’s cringy and creepy lyrics:

“The whole concept of the song is that people are telling him to stop preying on a young, teenage girl, and he’s all, ‘But they don’t understand our love!!!!’ 🙄.” —karint41079a87f

“Yeah, this one should be #1. The song was so popular that he rerecorded it almost a decade later, and it hit the Billboard charts AGAIN. Awful.” —kngreyh

9. “One Way or Another” by Blondie (1979)
A high-energy song but with a pretty excessive obsession behind the lyrics. As one member shares: “A fun song to dance to…until you realize that it’s actually about a stalker.” —immabanana

10. “867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone (1981)
To nihilusx, this song by Tommy Tutone definitely belongs to the creepy side: “There are so many songs that have not aged well, and [unfortunately] there are many to choose from, but ‘867-5309/Jenny’ gives me the creeps every time I hear it (the live version is even worse). Dude, just find a therapist’s number instead…please!”

11. “My Sharona” by the Knack (1979)
Even the Knack’s seemingly fun and catchy tune didn’t pass these BuzzFeeders’ censorship:
“I never paid much attention to ‘My Sharona’ until recently, and TBH…it’s kinda creepy.” —asdzx

“How the fuck do people manage to listen to a song with a line: ‘I always get it up for the touch of the younger kind’ and NOT go: ‘Yup, this song is about pedophilia.'” —ryanw4b8930d84

12. “Good Morning, Little School Girl” by the Grateful Dead (1967)
As member mkatherinekelly says in her comments, need we say more?

“The song title speaks for itself. Good Morning, Little School Girl,” originally written by Sonny Boy Williamson and recorded by the Grateful Dead in 1967, is about an older man who’s sexually attracted to a teenage girl he notices walking home every day after school. It’s unfortunately another classic-rock song about an older man preying on a much younger woman, and yet, it’s a favorite among Dead fans.”

13. “Sweet Little Sixteen” by Chuck Berry (1958)
Talk about a classic from Chuck Berry among other songs that trigger rape culture, as a BuzzFeeder comments:
“There are countless examples because society has a huge problem with rape culture and infantilizing women. [That being said], Chuck Berry has both ‘Almost Grown’ and ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ to his name, and the list goes on and on.” —mkatherinekelly

14. “Keep It in the Family” by Deodato (1982)
Who wouldn’t get caught with a fun, fancy tune? But one member eventually discovered something about this track from Deodato: “The title says it all — this song is disgusting. I first heard it through Spotify on Discover Weekly, and it’s got a pretty cool disco beat, but then I listened to the lyrics. I was so shocked; I played a snatch of it to my partner to be sure I was hearing what I thought I had. I’m horrified this is still on Spotify — I tried to find a way to contact them because this is not OK.” —lizm75

15. “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (1968)
Another song falling in the cringe category, shannonantoinetteb shares her thoughts on this classic tune:

“For me, it’s the song ‘Young Girl’ by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap. People might say, ‘It was just the 1960s!’ but come on — it unfortunately makes the long list of classic-rock songs about older men sexually harassing underage women. ‘Young girl, get out of my mind / My love for you is way out of line.'”

16. “If You Wanna Be Happy” by Jimmy Soul (1963)
BuzzFeeders like Kayla Yandoli can’t help but point out the degrading (and eye-rolling) theme of this 1963 song:

“I first heard this song in Mermaids starring Cher and Winona Ryder and thought it was a fun and upbeat tune — years later, when I was making a playlist for a party, I actually listened to the lyrics and realized how horrible the song really is. It’s about a man encouraging other men to ‘settle’ down with an ‘ugly’ woman so the man’s ego doesn’t get crushed or feel compromised in any way. According to the lyrics, ‘An ugly woman cooks meals on time / She’ll always give you peace of mind’ [insert extreme eye roll here].”

17. And “Jailbait” by Ted Nugent (1981)
And of course, talk about creepy and unsettling, “Jailbait” is sure on the list. As one member shares:
“Ted Nugent isn’t even trying to hide anything — it’s about his attraction to a 13-year-old, her mom giving him permission to have sex, and it ends with him getting arrested and telling the officer to cuff the kid instead so they can ‘share her.’ He’s a well-known piece of shit, but this song is completely appalling and disgusting.” —ohok20