Unlike other punk songs of its time, “God Save the Queen” attracted criticism because it mixed signifiers of British pride and patriotism with one of the most reviled symbols in the world: the swastika. But for those who lived in London’s crumbling, impoverished neighborhoods during the 1970s, the “victory” against the Nazis seemed like a myth. If winning the war promised a better future, British youth were still waiting. And as the song alleges, Nazism was simply replaced by a “fascist regime” intent on keeping the poor in their place by denying them educational opportunities and meaningful employment. It also overlaid this political critique with a sharp stab at the Church of England, which the band viewed as complicit in the subjugation of those it was supposed to help.

Murthi, R. S. (9 May 1993). "Infectious Rage of Punk". New Straits Times. p.17 . Retrieved 8 August 2010. British single certifications – Sex Pistols – God Save the Queen". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 16 June 2022.a b Savage, Mark (3 May 2022). "Sex Pistols to re-release God Save the Queen ahead of Jubilee". BBC News . Retrieved 4 May 2022. A cover version by the English heavy metal band Motörhead was released as a single in 2000 to promote their album, We Are Motörhead. It also appears on their covers album Under Cöver (2017).

Where other punk songs only hinted at the source of the economic and social problems in the U.K. in the mid-1970s, the Pistols were prepared to name their enemy. Until “God Save the Queen,” no punk band had pointed directly at the queen or the church as the source of all societal ills. And this is what made them sinners – and even treasonous – to the band’s critics. The song could be heard during Journey Along the Thames, a two-minute film directed by Danny Boyle and played at the beginning of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, an event opened by the queen Elizabeth II, and held during her Diamond Jubilee. A camera traverses the route the band took in the boat the Queen Elizabeth, between Tower Bridge and Westminster, as the song plays. [45] I did not see myself as a fashion designer, but as someone who wished to confront the rotten status quo through the way I dressed and dressed others.” There we have it. More sinned against than sinning, don’t you think? I’d like to sum up with what my real opinion of censorship is, but quite frankly, I’d be censored for it. So I’ll let you guess the rest.”Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. May 31: The BBC bans the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen" ". History.com. 1 April 2010 . Retrieved 22 January 2021.

Sex Pistols to re-release God Save the Queen ahead of Jubilee". BBC News. BBC News. 3 May 2022 . Retrieved 14 November 2022. If you want to return something, you must tell us within 14 days of receiving the items. You have another 14 days to return the goods once you've told us. Greatest Songs of All Time: Sex Pistols, 'God Save the Queen' ". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2003. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018 . Retrieved 23 October 2016.Eleven-time Paralympic gold medal winner Dame Tanni-Grey Thompson leads a sporting quartet that features Sir Andy Murray, Sir Mo Farrah and Northern Irish pentathlon gold medal winner, Lady Mary Peters. In 2010, the song was ranked among the top 10 most controversial songs of all time in a poll conducted by PRS for Music. [31] A performance of the song recorded during the band's twenty-fifth anniversary concert at Brixton Academy, on 22 October 2000, appears on their 25 & Alive Boneshaker DVD. Hall, James (27 May 2017). "God Save the Queen at 40: how the Sex Pistols made the most controversial song in history". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235 . Retrieved 1 January 2018.