Official Chart Flashback 1977: The Sex Pistols anti-monarchist anthem God Save The Queen misses out on Number 1 during Silver Jubilee celebrations

officialcharts.com:

This week 45 years ago, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee and as Her Majesty begins celebrations for her record-breaking Platinum Jubilee, our eyes turn to the Official Singles Chart of 1977...and one of the most controversial chart races in the history of the Official Charts.

The Sex Pistols were punk - from their aesthetics, to their chaotic, rambunctious music to the fact that the band itself only ever existed properly for two and a half years (by the beginning of 1978, they would split up, having only released one album).

Managed by Malcolm McLaren, one thing the Pistols excelled at during their time together was spectacle, and was there ever a spectacle for the release of their anti-monarchist anthem God Save The Queen, released just in time to coincide with the height of Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Having just welcomed guitarist Sid Vicious into the fold, replacing founding member Glen Matlock, the Pistols signed with Virgin Records (their third label in little over half a year) and preparations for the launch of God Save The Queen began, although there were immediate roadblocks to its production - the now infamous cover of the single (by Jamie Reid) obscured a picture of the Queen with cut-out words of the band's name and song title, and workers at Virgin's pressing plant actually walked out in protest of the song's content, viewed by many to be a cry for the disbandment of the English Monarchy.