Friday 14th February 2014 by Gaby Whitehill

The most controversial Rolling Stone magazine covers of all time

8 images that shocked the world

Kanye West, 2006: This cover marked the beginning of the rapper's ego expanding into supernova status, and was condemned, unsurprisingly, by the religious community. Kanye is portrayed with a crown of thorns on his head, blood on his face, and a fiery look in his eyes, the caption screaming: 'The Passion of Kanye West'. It could have been a lot worse, though; outtakes from the 13 hour photoshoot with David LaChapelle reportedly included a photo of Kanye in a suit with Pamela Anderson astride a horse, topless, in the background, whilst a clown wearing a George W Bush mask lies in the foreground. The accompanying interview was even more eyebrow-raising, with West admitting he had an addiction to porn.

Britney Spears, 1999: This issue of Rolling Stone hit newsstands when Spears was just 17, three months after the release of her smash debut, Baby, One More Time. The provocative poses in her childhood bedroom and accompanying sexually charged copy outraged families, whose children already idolised Britney. Photographer David LaChapelle recalls the moment her manager walked in on the shoot, furious the singer was posing so scantily clad and demanding to know what was going on. "She went, 'Yeah, I don't feel comfortable,'" revealed Chapelle. "At first I felt betrayed. But as soon as he walked out, Britney said 'Lock the door' and unbuttoned her shirt wide open."

Jim Morrison, 1981: A decade after his death, this portrait of Jim Morrison on Rolling Stone's cover sparked rage thanks to the caption, which read "Jim Morrison - he's hot, he's sexy and he's dead". The piece inside was slightly less offensive, profiling the musicians who become more successful after their premature end. The attention-grabbing headline did the job - and proved their theory rather nicely.

Janet Jackson, 1993: Visually, it's fairly self-explanatory as to why this cover ruffled feathers. The image was originally featured on the singer's debut album - from the neck up. When the full version was unveiled, jaws hit the floor - many were shocked to see the angelic little sister of Michael Jackson transitioning into a full-fledged, sex symbol pop star in such a daring, obvious and public way. This is obviously now the norm, but back in the early 90s it was still a shocker.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 1968: It would be the couple's portrait on the cover of Rolling Stone's January 1981 issue which would become iconic, but their first was just as, if not more, controversial. Standing fully nude with their backs to the camera, the photograph caused massive controversy - and was the first issue of the magazine ever to be a complete sell-out, proving the old adage that sex sells. It explains why Rolling Stone have always pushed the boundaries with their covers since - money, money, money.

Miley Cyrus, 2013: This cover, in many ways, harks back to the previously mentioned 1999 Britney Spears issue - a teen popstar choosing to mark her transition to a proper, adult singer in the most public, in-your-face possible - the cover of the Rolling Stone. By the time this issue was released, the world had, by now, been introduced to Miley's new, sexy, tongue-waggling, outrageous persona but this cover cemented the fact that Hannah Montana was truly dead.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1992: Another cover that raised eyebrows thanks to its gratuitous use of nudity, this now-iconic Rolling Stone cover captured the band at the height of their fame, fresh from releasing Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The image originally featured guitarist John Frusciante, but he was digitally removed after leaving the band a month before the magazine hit newsstands, leaving Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith and Flea to be immortalised as a three piece, naked, forever.

Michael Jackson, 1971: Compared to other covers referenced here, it's not immediately obvious as to why this innocent, black and white photo of an 11 year old Michael Jackson is controversial. The story goes that dozens of photos of the other Jacksons were taken for a cover that was supposed to feature The Jackson 5. However, only Michael ended up on the cover, setting the precedent for the rest of the Jacksons' career - especially Michael's, who would of course go on to become one of the biggest singers in the world. The spotlight would remain largely on him, and only him, forever. Jackson remains the youngest person to ever appear on the Rolling Stone's cover.

Rolling Stone magazine has been one of the most influential figureheads in pop culture since it was founded in 1967.

Specifically, its interviews with musicians are legendary, and the covers that accompany the pieces become even more iconic.

To appear on the cover of the Rolling Stone was and is every musician's dream - 70s band Dr Hook & The Medicine Gang even released a track detailing their wishes to be appear on the front of the publication, called 'The Cover of Rolling Stone'. As a result, they did indeed appear on the cover - however, in caricature format, captioned: "What's-Their-Names Make the Cover".

A lot has changed since 1972, but Rolling Stone remains just as iconic, and increasingly controversial with their covers; the recent Drake/Philip Seymour Hoffman debacle has highlighted this fact. Here are 8 Rolling Stone covers that got people talking, mostly for the wrong reasons.