Sex Pistols To Re-Release 'God Save The Queen' In Time For Diamond Jubilee, 35 Years After It Was First Released

Sex Pistols To Re-Release Their Alternative National Anthem

The Sex Pistols are paying tribute to the Queen as she celebrates 60 years of reign, in the only way they know how.

35 years after they stormed the establishment walls with their unique take on God Save the Queen, they will be re-releasing their alternative national anthem.

The launch is set for 28 May, exactly 35 years to the day after it was first released, amidst a barrage of controversy in 1977, the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Never had a band questioned the royal set-up so publicly, and it didn't go down well with monarchy supporters. While it went to the top of the charts (a position not acknowledged by chart officials at the time), members of the band - Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious and all - were set upon in the streets, it was banned by the BBC and questions were even asked in the House, with suggestions that the musicians be hanged at Traitors' Gate.

On the Jubilee holiday itself, the band took a boat trip along the River Thames in full view of the Houses of Parliament. Police eventually boarded the boat, and arrested a number of people on board, including the group's manager, Malcolm McLaren.

A more serene reception will undoubtedly greet the re-release of the song - the Queen has seen bigger threats to her her reign than a band in the years in between.

Anarchy in the UK, the Sex Pistols' first-ever single, will also be re-released this year, on 21 April, in time for Record Store Day. See that below... God Save the Queen above.