17 Problematic Songs That Never Should've Been Recorded In The First Place

You're gonna want to update your classic rock playlist after reading this post.

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell which popular songs are actually really problematic. Here are the eye-opening results.

Note: Some submissions include topics of domestic abuse, sexual harassment, incest, rape, pedophilia, and anti-gay abuse. Please proceed with caution.

1. "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke, Pharrell, and T.I.

Star Trak / Interscope

"I hate 'Blurred Lines' so much. This gross song about nonconsensual sex is still being played, and it makes my blood boil."

—bluetinda

Listen to the song here:

Star Trak / Interscope / Via youtube.com

2. "Run for Your Life" by the Beatles

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

"How about ‘Run for Your Life’ by the Fab Four themselves? They’d never write anything problematic, surely??? 'You better run for your life if you can, little girl / Hide your head in the sand, little girl / Catch you with another man — that's the end, little girl.' 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."

—clothildedauphin

Listen to the song here:

Parlophone / Via youtube.com

3. "Jailbait" by Ted Nugent

Paul Natkin / Getty Images

"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

Listen to the song here:

Epic / Via youtube.com

4. "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" by Aerosmith

Icon and Image / Getty Images

"It's definitely not a fun song written for Mrs. Doubtfire (the song was released in 1987, and Mrs. Doubtfire came out in 1993). The song plays into the idea that trans women are just 'in disguise' to 'trick or trap people.'"

—jenyshendo

Listen to the song here:

Geffen / Via youtube.com

5. "If I Want To" by Usher

Tim Roney / Getty Images

"Usher's 'If I Want To' from 2001 — he's into a woman who is not into him, but he won't accept her rejection. She literally says: 'No, I don't want you' and his reaction is: 'Yes, I can, and I will if I want to.' He basically calls her a bitch for rejecting him, then continues to tell her how he'll take her if he wants to: 'You cop an attitude like you're too good for me / And you know good and damn well that if I wanted, I could take you from your man (please believe it).'"

—mvanpurren

Listen to the song here:

Arista / Via youtube.com

6. "Kim" by Eminem

Marion Curtis / Getty Images

"It's supposed to be told from 'Slim Shady's' perspective, but still...like, you don't write a song about beating your wife..."

—drink_water_1

"It’s literally him screaming about assaulting and killing his wife."

—casuallyobsessive223

Listen to the song here:

Aftermath / Interscope / Via youtube.com

7. "My Sharona" by the Knack

Paul Natkin / Getty Images

"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

Listen to the song here:

Capitol / Via youtube.com

8. "Barbie Girl" by Aqua

Universal / MCA

"I used to love this song when I was a kid because I thought it was about playing with Barbie dolls, and it had a fun, upbeat tune. But when I got older and listened to the lyrics closely, I couldn't believe that I was allowed to listen to it as a kid. It's really about a man using a woman as a sex object, and controlling her like she's a doll — which is very messed up."

—ilovemycatskittle

Listen to the song here:

Universal / MCA / Via youtube.com

9. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by the Police

AM

"'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

Listen to the song here:

A&M / Via youtube.com

10. "Seventeen" by Winger

Atlantic

"'Seventeen' by Winger, released in 1988. I remember this song and video was on heavy rotation on MTV and rock radio. Hearing it as a 10-year-old, I was completely clueless about it all — looking up the full lyrics now makes my stomach turn."

—katvondive

Listen to the song here:

Atlantic / Via youtube.com

11. "Daughters" by John Mayer

Steve Granitz / Getty Images

"'Daughters' by John Mayer is disturbing, tbh. Him singing: 'Fathers be good to your daughters' and 'girls become lovers and turn into mothers' just gives off really creepy vibes. He sees women as objects, and how they're 'only good for loving men' and 'making babies.' The song plays at my work all the time, and it disgusts me."

—lexluthors

Listen to the song here:

Columbia / Via youtube.com

12. "Keep It in the Family" by Deodato

Mondadori Portfolio / Getty Images

"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 okay."

—lizm75

Listen to the song here:

Warner Bros. Records / Via youtube.com

13. "Blame It (On the Alcohol)" by Jamie Foxx and T-Pain

J Records

"I heard 'Blame It (On the Alcohol)' on the radio the other day, and it was just so cringey. Men encouraging women to drink until they regret what they do — it made me think about all the songs I listened to back in high school that were pretty problematic."

—bobertleebabybee

Listen to the song here:

J Records / Via youtube.com

14. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," originally from Neptune's Daughter (1949)

MGM

"'Baby, It's Cold Outside' for sure — it normalizes ignoring consent."

—allisonistired

Listen to the song here:

MGM / Via youtube.com

15. "Ur So Gay" by Katy Perry

Capitol

"It was released as one of her first singles when she was breaking into the music business in the late 2000s. If you listen closely, the song is pretty anti-gay and full of problematic lyrics — it's incredibly cringeworthy to listen to."

—kaylayandoli

Listen to the song here:

Capitol / Via youtube.com

16. "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number" written by R. Kelly for Aaliyah

Blackground / Jive / BMG Records

"'Age Ain't Nothing but a Number' is wrong on so many levels because it was written by R. Kelly for Aaliyah when she was only 14 or 15 years old — it’s like a pedophile’s anthem. The fact that R. Kelly married her when she was underage makes this song (and entire album) more than problematic."

—annelister

Listen to the song here:

Blackground / Jive / BMG Records / Via youtube.com

17. And "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones Records

"'Brown Sugar' by the Rolling Stones has some really questionable lyrics."

—clothildedauphin

Listen to the song here:

Rolling Stones Records / Via youtube.com

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.