The definition of “problematic,” as it relates to art, is constantly changing. What was considered a taboo subject in the early 1900s might be commonplace today. Conversely, words and ideas we would never entertain in polite company today were unremarkable 20, 30, or 40 years ago. The luxury of having decades’ worth of recorded music means we can compare these older tunes to today’s standards.
To say some fall short would be quite the understatement. Here are four one-hit wonders that would definitely be considered problematic if they came out today. Does this automatically mean they would be banned and hidden from the public? Not necessarily. But they would certainly spark some heated debates.
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“Stay Awhile” by The Bells
The Bells’ track, “Stay While”, broke into the Billboard Top 10 in 1971. But if this song came out today, we would wager there would be a lot of people wondering why in the world it’s so creepy. And frankly, we couldn’t say we would blame them.
“Into my room he creeps without making a sound / into my dreams he peeps with his hair all long and hanging down / How he makes me quiver / How he makes me smile.” Who is this man? And an even more important follow-up: why is he creeping into their room?
“Johnny Are You Queer?” by Josie Cotton
We’ve come a long way with queer representation since the 1980s. And that is why a one-hit wonder like “Johnny Are You Queer?” by Josie Cotton would almost certainly be labeled problematic in the mid-2020s. The song follows a narrator who is questioning her date’s sexuality because of his ambivalence toward her. These days, you can’t just go around accusing people of having a certain sexual orientation just because they’re not expressing interest in you.
“I saw you today, boy, walking with them gay boys / Now you hurt me so / Now I gotta know / Johnny, are you queer?” Maybe Johnny just doesn’t like you like that?
“Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas
Including “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas in this list of problematic one-hit wonders is not meant to discredit the catchiness of the song. But let’s be honest. If someone came out with a song about martial arts in 2026 and had the cheesiest “Eastern melody” riff featured front and center, people would probably accuse them of stereotyping.
Of course, back when the one-hit wonder first came out in 1974, few people were up in arms about the disco hit. “Kung Fu Fighting” topped the charts around the world. So if people did think the one-hit wonder was problematic, they didn’t let on.
“Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot
Once again, we’re not suggesting that Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” is an inherently bad song. And that includes both in terms of subject matter and musically. But one can’t help but think about the backlash to Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass”. Like “Baby Got Back”, this pop tune celebrated bigger bodies while simultaneously dogging on smaller ones. People didn’t think that was cool in 2014. So, they definitely wouldn’t think Sir Mix-A-Lot’s plea not to get skinny would be in 2026.
“So, I’m looking at rock videos / knock-need bimbos walkin’ like h***s / You can have them bimbos / I’ll keep my women like Flo Jo.”
Photo by David Corio/Redferns