Music

John Lydon doesn't support Universal's re-release of the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen"

by Tyler Munro

In a bout of misguided, delightful irony, Universal records is re-releasing the Sex Pistols classic “God Save the Queen” in celebration of the Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary’s Diamond Jubilee. Naturally, John Lydon is not okay with this.

Talking to the BBC, Lydon says the campaign to push the track to the top of the charts “totally undermines what The Sex Pistols stood for.”

“I am pleased that the Sex Pistols recordings are being put out there for a new generation, however, I wish for no part in the circus that is being built up around it,” he added, rejecting controversy and publicity for perhaps the first time in a long storied career built upon those same concepts.

The song was originally released during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, and while it failed to jump Rod Stewart’s “First Cut is the Deepest” to claim the top spot on the charts, it remains infamous for its lyrics and subject matter. Back in December, we reported that a vinyl copy of the track is purportedly the most valuable vinyl in the world, valued at $16,000.