Anarchy in the U.K.

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Written by: Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Johnny Rotten
Produced by: Chris Thomas, Bill Price
Released: Nov. '77 on Warner Bros.
Charts: Non-single

This is what the beginning of a revolution sounds like: an explosion of punk-rock guitar noise and Johnny Rotten's evil cackle. The Sex Pistols set out to become a national scandal in the U.K., and they succeeded with their debut single. Jones made his guitar sound like a pub brawl, while Rotten snarled, spat, snickered and ended the song by urging his fans, "Get pissed/Destroy!" The Pistols' record label pulled the single and dropped the band, which just made them more notorious. "I don't understand it," Rotten said in 1977. "All we're trying to do is destroy everything."

Appears on: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (Warner Bros.)

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