On this day (September 10), in 1973, the BBC banned “Star Star” from The Rolling Stones’ album Goats Head Soup. The song, written about groupies, originally had a much more explicit title. It also features a chorus that largely consists of repeated F-bombs. As a result, it is easy to see why the BBC banned the song.
The Rolling Stones originally called the song “Starf**ker,” another word for “groupie.” However, Atlantic Records forced the band to change the title. However, they repeat the original title a dozen times in the song’s chorus, and that might be the least NSFW part of the song.
Some believe that Mick Jagger wrote the song about Carly Simon. Their affair ended a little under a year before the band released the song as a single from Goats Head Soup. By then, she had married James Taylor and relocated to Los Angeles. The song’s second verse begins with the lines, Honey, honey, call me on the telephone. / I know you’re movin’ out to Hollywood / With your can of tasty foam. The song also seemingly references lyrics from “You’re So Vain,” on which Jagger provided backing vocals.
The BBC Banned “Star Star” Before The Rolling Stones Released It
The Rolling Stones didn’t release “Star Star” as a single until December 1973. However, the album came out on August 31, and they were touring Europe to support the LP. Part of that tour was a three-night run at Wembley Stadium (then, the Empire Pool), which received late-night news coverage in the United Kingdom. A snippet of “Star Star” played during the broadcast, and the BBC took notice.
Many groups were outraged by the song’s lyrics, calling them misogynistic. Jagger didn’t beat those allegations when talking about the song during a 1975 tour stop.
“People always give me this bit about us being a macho band, and I always ask them to give me examples,” he said. “They always say ‘Starf**ker,’ and that just happened to be about someone I knew. There’s really no reason to have women on tour, unless they’ve got a job to do. The only other reason is to f**k. Otherwise, they get bored and moan,” he added.
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