#20: “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison

Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, now a beloved classic, faced unexpected controversy upon its 1967 release. The lyric “making love in the green grass” was deemed too suggestive for mainstream radio, leading many stations to ban the song.

To ensure wider airplay, an edited version replaced the line with a tamer from an earlier verse: “laughin’ and a-runnin’.” Despite the censorship, Brown Eyed Girl became one of Morrison’s signature hits, its nostalgic melody and warm storytelling resonating across generations.