I would say that not all of these are controversial in the way that we might think. Some of these are just downright corny and unusual for what we now know of a Super Bowl Half-time Show! Time Magazine put out their list of the most controversial through the years.

How about this one from 1989…an Elvis impersonator/Magician!

When New Kids did perform in 1991, they did a kids-themed show, because Disney was producing it.  They even sang “This One’s for the Children” . . . the song that they warned about having a “very serious message.” I actually really liked this performance b/c it was good and family friendly.

But a lot of people didn’t even get to see the show live, because halftime was pre-empted by a news report on the Gulf War.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTOt6CjYaHc

In 1995, there was an Indiana Jones theme . . . with Patti LaBelle, Tony Bennett, a Harrison Ford impersonator, and an army of shirtless male dancers paying homage to the game trophy.

I have to be honest that I don’t remember ANY Super Bowl Half-time Show before Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. So glad they started using professional artists to do these shows!