The Lemon Song" got itself banned.

“The Lemon Song.”

Led Zeppelin’s “The Lemon Song” ran into radio trouble because its lyrics—specifically the repeated “squeeze my lemon” and other double entendres—were too sexually explicit for broadcast standards in 1969. Some stations pulled it; others just edited the hell out of it.

The song is basically a reworked version of Robert Johnson’s “Traveling Riverside Blues,” but Zeppelin amped up the innuendo until it was unmistakable. Robert Plant’s delivery didn’t help. He sounds like he’s having a great time, and that was the whole problem.

It’s not the only Zeppelin song that got banned. “Whole Lotta Love” also got flak. But “The Lemon Song” is the one that got the most explicit label, and it’s the one people point to when they want to prove that classic rock wasn’t always subtle.

If you haven’t heard it, go listen. Then imagine trying to explain to the FCC why “squeeze my lemon ’til the juice runs down my leg” is fine for the airwaves.