Satanic Verses

Here are some of my favourite songs adhering to the theme, in the order of their time of release.

Please enjoy the music, and have a blessed week ❤️

1. AC/DC - Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be (1977)

During the "Satanic Panic" of the 80s, religious groups pointed to the song's title as proof that AC/DC was leading youth straight to the devil. But just like in their even more famous song "Highway to Hell", the actual lyrics have little to do with theology: "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be" is about a man who is in love with a woman who treats him terribly.

2. Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin (1987)

Much more to the point, Neil Tennant wrote the lyrics for this song about his time at St. Cuthbert's High School for Catholic boys. When the single became a hit, said school apparently warned its students that anyone found with a copy of "It's a Sin" would be suspended. It's a song about religious pressure and guilt, and remains one of my all-time favourites.

3. Ozzy Osbourne - Miracle Man (1988)

Throughout his career, Ozzy Osbourne was vilified by religious groups. One of the most vocal of his accusers was televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who habitually called Ozzy "Dark Lord made flesh". When Swaggart was then caught doing business with a sex worker, Ozzy took his sweet revenge on him by releasing "Miracle Man" later that year.

4. Madonna - Like a Prayer (1989)

"Like a Prayer" caused a magnificent meltdown back in the day. Amusingly, Pepsi had signed a record-breaking $5 million sponsorship deal with Pepsi before the music video had even debuted, and were caught completely off-guard with what followed. The Vatican itself condemned the video and religious groups launched huge campaigns to boycott Pepsi and all of its subsidiaries, unless they didn't drop Madonna (which they did). However, because of how the way the contract was written, Madonna got to keep the money anyway and the controversy made the song a massive global no. 1 hit. When she won the Viewer's Choice Award at the MTV Music Video Awards, Madonna walked on stage and said "I would really like to thank Pepsi for causing so much controversy."

5. Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (1989)

Another song that was accused of being blasphemous (and also seen as a direct mockery of televangelism, which honestly deserves all it can get), it is - perhaps surprisingly - another example of a song that tells about something entirely different. Martin Gore wrote the lyrics after reading Priscilla Presley's memoir, Elvis and Me, and it's about Priscilla's complete idolization of her husband.

6. The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson (1996)

With the release of "Antichrist Superstar", Marilyn Manson quickly became the personification of all evil in the eyes of the Evangelical Christian circles, and "The Beautiful People" was the lead track on the album. Due perhaps more to the stunning visuals of the music video than the actual song, many a pure-hearted conservative became deeply disturbed, which is of course very sad. The song itself is a critique of modern capitalism, high society and organized religion, the "beautiful people" being the elite who maintain their position by making everyone else feel small and ugly.