1979. Australia. Marianne Faithfull
Heathcote Williams' infamous ode to sexual jealousy, ‘Why'd Ya Do It?’, was banned in Australia in Marianne Faithfull's interpretation. As the last track on the album ‘Broken English’released in 1979, ‘Why D’Ya Do It?’ was a caustic response to a lover’s betrayal set to a grinding tune inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s recording of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’. Writer Heathcote Williams had originally intended the lyric for Tina Turner but Marianne Faithfull succeeded in convincing him that Turner would never record such a number. Its plethora of four-letter words and explicit references to oral sex caused controversy and led to a ban in Australia, where local pressings of the LP were released with smooth vinyl in place of the track and a 'bonus' 45 single as compensation (the ban did not extend to import copies). Whilst the song’s notoriety arguably guaranteed a favourable reception from contemporary critics, reappraisals over the years still tend to regard it as one of the album’s highlights.