Content warning: This article contains images which some readers may find offensive.
If you’re a music lover and enjoy a bit of drama, you must have heard that controversy is brewing over the artwork of Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming album ‘Man’s Best Friend’.
The suggestive – but hardly sexually explicit - cover features the buzzy ‘Espresso’ hitmaker on her knees in front of a faceless man who is pulling her hair back. And the release of the image has caused much debate.
Many argue that Carpenter’s MO has always been pop-horniness, and that she has every right to express herself and her sexuality – in this case what some may perceive as a submissive kink - in any way she sees fit and crucially, without being policed or harassed; others see this image as degrading, regressive and promoting traditional gender roles.
At the end of the day, it’s her album cover and can’t we just let her be?
Some hyper-conservative and hyper-progressive corners of the internet clearly disagree, and the reactions have been intense – which is hardly surprising, considering sexuality has always rubbed some people up the wrong way. Plus, scandal is hardly new for musicians, as artists have sparked outrage with their album covers for decades, leading some to be censored or even banned.
From nudity to the open courting of outrage via political statements (and sometimes, downright poor taste), here are 20 provocative covers that rocked the music world and faced the most backlash.
We proceed chronologically.
The Faith Tones – Jesus Use Me (1964)
While hardly controversial compared to some of the other covers in this list, that’s a downright unfortunate title to go with this image. And isn't the one on the right an uncanny dead ringer for a young Stephen Fry? Unsettling.
The Beatles – Yesterday And Today (1966)
It's not one of the Fab Four’s most famous albums, but certainly their most notorious. Photographer Robert Whitaker took a snap of the band in white butcher’s coats, surrounded by raw meat and dismembered baby dolls. Paul McCartney claimed it was a comment against the Vietnam War. US retailers were shocked and refused to stock the album, leading to it being withdrawn and reissued with a more vanilla alternative. Today, the “Butcher cover” is available in pirated form. Those lucky enough to own an original pressing have an expensive and coveted piece of music history.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Two Virgins (1968)
The cover for the avant-garde 'Two Virgins' captures John Lennon and Yoko Ono completely naked. It sparked outrage, leading distributors to clandestinely sell the album wrapped in brown paper bags.
Blind Faith – Blind Faith (1969)
At the end of the 1960s, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker founded a supergroup with Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. They released only one album together, and to mark the occasion, they enlisted photographer Bob Seidemann. His image features a young topless girl holding a model spaceship. The image was considered deeply problematic and was promptly banned and replaced with a more classic shot of the band members.
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (1971)
The Stones have had several album cover controversies over the years, including 'Beggar’s Banquet'’s artwork which featured a graffiti covered bathroom wall. However, it’s the band’s ninth studio album, designed by Andy Warhol, matched with its inuendo-heavy title, which rubbed censors up the wrong way. It features a suggestive denim-clad crotch and the original pressing of the LP also had a working fly which unzipped to reveal white underwear. The cover was famously banned in Spain, which was under the fascist rule of General Franco at the time.
Roxy Music – Country Life (1974)
Photographer Eric Boman’s shot of Constanze Karoli and Eveline Grunwald led many US outlets to censor the image, feeling uncomfortable with the sight of scantily clad models. Thankfully, most European distributors weren’t irked by the sight of lingerie.
Scorpions – Virgin Killer (1976)
There’s misguided and then there’s what was going on in the minds of German rockers Scorpions in 1976. The album titled 'Virgin Killer' depicts a naked 10-year-old girl with broken glass covering her genitalia. The controversy led to a bump in sales, but it remains to this day one of the most censored album covers in music history. NB: Euronews Culture has decided to blur the image since this album cover has been deemed by many as child pornography.
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols (1977)
Sex Pistols’ only studio album caused plenty of pearl clutching when it was released in 1977. A record shop owner in Nottingham, UK, was arrested for displaying the records. This led to an obscenity-related court case, as he was charged for contravening the Indecent Advertisement Act 1889. The charges were eventually dropped. All because of the word ‘bollocks’.
The Slits – Cut (1979)
All it took was a female-led punk outfit appearing topless and covered in mud for everyone to collectively lose their minds. Considering the sheer amount of topless men on album covers, the only words that come to mind are: deal with it.
Coil – Scatology (1984)
With an album title like that, it was pretty obvious that the (cheeky) cover image would cause some outrage.
Millie Jackson – Back To The S..t! (1989)
There are no words.
Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)
It’s one of the most famous album covers in the world but the artwork for Nirvana’s grunge masterpiece proved divisive at the time of its release. It features a photo taken by Kirk Weddle of a four-month-old nude baby named Spencer Elden. Kurt Cobain refused for it to be censored, but did state that he would agree to a sticker covering the penis, reading: “If you’re offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.” It didn’t come to that. However, several decades later, Elden attempted to sue Nirvana for violating US federal child pornography protections with the image, arguing that it resulted in “lifelong damages”. The suit was eventually dismissed.
Ice Cube – Death Certificate (1991)
Rap pioneer Ice Cube was no stranger to controversy, what with the headline-grabbing lyrics of N.W.A’s ‘Fuck Tha Police.’ But with ‘Death Certificate’, he sparked further outrage with the image of a corpse identified as Uncle Sam.
Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine (1992)
The famous rap-metal band’s debut album depicts the infamous self-immolation of Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức in 1963, protesting the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam’s US-backed government. The graphic image caused outrage. Not displeased with the situation, frontman Zach de la Rocha famously burned a US flag at Woodstock ‘99. The question remains: Could anyone really be surprised with a name like Rage Against The Machine?
Megadeth – Youthanasia (1994)
Heavy metal has always been a genre that has courted controversy, and there are numerous album covers that have shocked over the years. For their 1994 album, titled 'Youthanasia', Megadeth wanted to comment on the fact that society was euthanizing the young. The visual depiction of this ended up being a woman hanging babies by their feet on her washing line. A bit on-the-nose, but it was enough to get everyone freaking out.
Marilyn Manson - Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death) (2000)
Marilyn Manson has always pushed the envelope when it comes to taste, and the controversial rocker did just that in 2000 for the album 'Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)'. The disturbing cover depicts Manson as a crucified Christ, which led US stores to ban it completely. Considering that the controversial shock rocker’s intended purpose was to critique censorship and that the previous albums 'Mechanical Animals' and 'Portrait Of An American Family' also sparked moral panic, the reaction to the artwork must have delighted him.
The Strokes – Is This It (2001)
European fans of New York rockers The Strokes were treated with the original cover of their stunning debut album, featuring a leather gloved hand on a naked hip. The US were quick to call foul, however, disapproving of the suggestive nature of the image. The band had to swap the gorgeous shot by Colin Lane – who spontaneously took a picture of his then-girlfriend after she came out of the shower. The replacement? A psychedelic but far less impactful depiction of subatomic particle tracks.
The Coup – Party Music (2001)
In 2001, US hip-hop group The Coup, composed of Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funktress, wanted to make a statement about destroying capitalism. Their idea: pose in front of the World Trade Center on fire. The image was conceived prior to 9/11 and the eerie timing of the album’s November release meant that they had to replace the image with a martini glass on fire. Probably for the best.
Ted Nugent – Love Grenade (2007)
The cover for Ted Nugent’s album was pulled before it hit shelves - and considering the misogynist credentials of this particular image, it might have been for the best.
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
The sleeve for 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' saw a painting of a naked Kanye West being straddled by a winged female monster with sharp teeth. The controversial rapper refused for the image be pulled, but the record label reached a compromise by pixelating the image in some territories.
Sabrina Carpenter's 'Man's Best Friend' is released on 29 August.
