The Sex Pistols And Transgression

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Transgression in the arts has become an important role in bending the traditional rules and exploiting the norms of society. Through transgression, artists, musicians and authors have been able to spark interest within their audiences. This often results in those audiences questioning what is acceptable, and allowing their minds to explore every possibility and angle of a piece of art, song or piece of literature. Transgression is the breaking of traditional rules, crossing traditional lines and manipulating and exploiting the “norms” associated with a particular form of art. Perhaps one of the most famous forms of transgressive work in the music industry is “God Save the Queen,” by the British punk band, The Sex Pistols. The entire piece of work, from the lyrics and music video, to the time of release and first performance crossed any boundary imaginable and caused riots and massive rebellious behavior from the people who listened to the song. The lyrics are the most transgressive element in this work of art. The song starts out with a strong message, rebelling against the government and hierarchy of power in Britain. In the same verse, The Sex Pistols offer a very strong opinion of what the government has done to the population. “God save the Queen, the fascist regime, they made you a moron, potential H-bomb.” The next verse, again an opinion by the band, strengthens their view on the government, and its effect on the citizens of Britain. “God save the Queen, she ain’t no human being, there is no future, in England’s dreaming.” The lyrics have a way of crossing every line in normal culture. Before The Sex Pistols, no punk band had displayed such a rebellious form of music, and certainly none had sparked the uproar and response that this song got. The next element of transgression in the “God Save the Queen” song by The Sex Pistols is the music
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