Recently, both BeyonceÌ and Lizzo have removed lyrics from songs on their most recent albums, Special and Renaissance. Criticism was aimed at both songs for having lyrics that were ableist, upsetting some fans of both artists and starting a dialogue about the language used in song lyrics and in art, in general.
While this news earned the artists a lot of attention, the idea of changing lyrics to a song is not new, and many singers and songwriters have released songs in the past and changed the lyrics after release, due to a variety of reasons.
One of The Kinks' most endearing and popular songs, "Lola" was met with controversy from the day it came out due to the ambiguous nature of the titular character's sex. However, the lyric that led to BBC pulling it from stations was not any of these references, but due to the reference to "Coca-Cola," which was considered product placement. This led to lead singer Ray Davies rerecording the line as "Cherry Cola."
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"Lola" is still played quite regularly on classic rock stations and is widely considered to have been an influential song, both musically and socially. While the lyrics caused outrage among more conservative areas of the country, it was interesting that it was the name of a brand that led to Davies heading back to the studio to rerecord the line.
Eminem is a cultural icon, with many shows and movies that feature his music released over the last two decades. However, over the years, he has seen a lot of controversy. This came to fruition in 2018, when in dissing Tyler, The Creator, he used homophobic slurs in the song "Fall," resulting in backlash. Eminem responded by back by masking the lyric on the album.
Eminem has often tried to be controversial and has hurt a lot of people with his choice of words. As time went on, it was something that would have to end and this appeared to be where the line was finally drawn. Slim Shady acknowledged that he was in the wrong and was even praised by longtime friend, Elton John, for finally apologizing for the constant use of the word.
The King of Pop found himself in some controversy when his hit song "They Don't Care About Us," was criticized for its use of antisemitic slurs. The song, which was made to criticize prejudice of all types, was widely condemned by Jewish leaders who thought the song does not make its anti-prejudice message clear.
While Jackson seemingly had good intentions here, his use of slurs immediately caused controversy. Jackson, who wanted the song to be about unity, did go and re-record the song, and one of the most controversial and yet arguably greatest entertainers of all time had another hit on his hands.
Radio Disney was infamous for having songs rerecorded for the more child-friendly station. Oftentimes, this would completely change the meaning or purpose of the song, and other times, it just sounded wrong. One of these times was with Sean Kingston, who scored a huge hit with his '60s-inspired pop tune, "Beautiful Girls."
While only a couple of swear words are in the song, it does reference suicide multiple times. Due to the song's popularity with children, multiple stations around the world had Kingston change the lyric to "in denial," as well as drop other lyrics that referenced crime. While it does get rid of the lyric, many felt that it led to making a far less impactful or memorable song.
While "Let's Spend The Night Together" may not be one of the Stone's most remembered songs, it was part of a famous censoring incident. When performing the song on The Ed Sullivan Show, the band was told to censor the titular lyric to "Let's spend some time together." While they did, Mick Jagger made a widely expressive eye role, leading to a ban from the show.
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The Stones would eventually perform on Sullivan again, doing so in 1969. Times were changing and using innuendo was not as frowned upon in pop culture anymore. Even if he agreed to do something, Mick was going to do it his way.
When originally recorded, "Let's Get It Started" was not the huge hit it ended up being for The Black Eye Peas. In fact, under its original name, it sparked controversy due to the chorus featuring a slur toward people with intellectual disabilities. They eventually recorded a censored version, which was picked up for the NBA playoffs.
The censored version did a lot for the careers of The Black Eyed Peas, one of the most successful acts of the 2000s. While that sort of language was not as frowned upon at the time, it was still considered offensive and unnecessary. Changing the lyric gave the song longer shelf life, and it remains one of the most popular songs from the pop-rap group.
Taylor Swift is one of the most successful singers ever, with a career that has lasted well over a decade. This success started early, with her self-named debut album hitting the shelf in 2006, including numerous hits such as "Picture To Burn." However, the song created controversy with Swift, who said in the song that she'll tell her friends that her ex is gay as a rumor. This lyric was eventually changed to a less offensive lyric.
While she was young, it was important to know that a lyric like this would hurt many LGBTQ+ fans of Swift. Removing the lyric did a lot for the song, which is still popular to this day, and has more lasting power, as well as helps everyone see one of this generation's most prolific songwriters mature in front of fans' very eyes.
Hailey Williams has shown dislike towards one of her most famous songs for years now. The song, written from the perspective of a girl crushing on a boy who does not reciprocate, includes a line calling the boy's girlfriend a "wh**e." Williams disliked this lyric, believing it to be anti-feminist and unnecessary, eventually removing the song from the band's set altogether.
The song has since been performed by the band, most notably with Billie Eilish. But whenever it's performed now, the lyric is removed, reflecting on how much the band has matured. Williams was a kid when she wrote this song and did not fully understand how her words could hurt people.
Shortly after releasing her fourth studio album in July 2022, Lizzo was criticized for her word choice, using a word considered to be an ableist slur in "s**z." Lizzo ended up making a statement apologizing for the lyric, saying she was unaware of the negative connotations. She rerecorded it shortly thereafter.
While Lizzo had no malicious intent, the word used has often been used to attack people with intellectual or physical disabilities and mock them. Showing how social times are changing, Lizzo and many others became more educated about these issues and the word as a result of the backlash.
Shortly after the Lizzo controversy, BeyonceÌ used the same word in her song, "Heated." Faced with a similar backlash to Lizzo, Beyoncé promised to swiftly change the lyrics, as well.
What both Lizzo and BeyonceÌ taught everyone is how musicians need to be up-to-date with modern language and recognize that their words have impact. They also showed that musicians are still human and will almost always change their mistakes if they are brought up.
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