Rough Trade recorded the raunchy High School Confidential in 1980 at Toronto’s Manta Sound studio and released it on the True North label on the album “Avoid Freud” (TN-43).

The second single off the album, High School Confidential borrows its title from the 1958 film, and like the film is fraught with teenage hormones and jealousies.

True North released the single despite concerns about its very explicit lyrics. A month later, CHUM radio’s music director called Bernie Finkelstein to ask if the band could record an edited version to remove one particularly over-the-top lyric. “I took the idea to Carole and Kevan and although they were somewhat reluctant they were willing to give it a shot,” Finkelstein remembered. After some experimentation, they simply bleeped out the offending words.

CHUM aired this edited version, and as Finkelstein explained, “The phone lines lit up. For a while, it was the most requested song on the station….The bleep was like honey to a bear.” Listeners rushed out in droves to buy the album in order to hear the uncensored version, driving album sales to platinum.

Pushed by the controversy, the single rose to Top 10 on radio stations including CHUM (No. 8 on May 30, 1981) and CFUN Vancouver (No. 9), and to No. 12 on RPM’s Top 100 chart that June.

Rough Trade then infamously performed High School Confidential at the 1982 Juno awards with frontwoman Carole Pope, on live national television, making a gesture that was considered obscene (but that Justin Timberlake, Madonna and others have since adopted as normal).

The impact was felt across the music world. Staples later told the CBC that “The appearance on the Junos… was a life-changing moment.”

That evening Pope won the Juno award for most promising female vocalist, and Gene Martynec won producer of the year. Pope and Staples were also nominated for songwriter of the year, and the song for best-selling single.