In the history of music, plenty of artists have been known to write a controversial lyric a time or two. Here are some lyrics that artists either no longer sing or have changed due to them causing a ruckus.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Picture To Burn” by Taylor Swift
“So go and tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy. That’s fine, I’ll tell mine you’re gay.”
In “Picture To Burn” off of Taylor Swift’s debut album, she changed the “gay” line in the song. Now, it sings, “That’s fine, you won’t mind if I say.” According to Swift, the way she chooses to express her emotions in such situations has changed a bit.
“I had this song called ‘Picture to Burn,’ that’s talking about how ‘I hate your truck,’ and ‘I hate that you ignored me,’ ‘I hate you,’” she explained to MTV. “Now, the way that I would say that and the way that I would feel that kind of pain is a lot different.”
“Misery Business” by Paramore
“Once a wh*re, you’re nothing more.”
Similar to Swift with “Picture To Burn”, Hayley Williams feels that her song “Misery Business” reflects the feelings of a 17-year-old. However, those feelings don’t necessarily reflect her current views on feminism. She told Track 7, “What I couldn’t have known at the time was that I was feeding into a lie that I’d bought into, just like so many other teenagers — and many adults — before me. The whole, ‘I’m not like the other girls’ thing… this ‘cool girl’ religion. What even is that? Who are the gatekeepers of ‘cool’ anyway?” The song was removed from Paramore’s setlist in 2018. For a 2022 concert, though, “Misery Business” made a comeback. Now, Williams simply omits the “wh*re” line when she sings the song, and everyone is happy.
“+57” by Karol G
“A hot mama since she was 14.”
“+57” was released in 2024 by artists Karol G, J Balvin, Maluma, Feid, Blessd, Ryan Castro, and DFZM. Although “+57” is a reference to Colombia’s international calling code, there were other numbers in the song that caused quite a bit of controversy. After the song’s release, the Colombian high court ruled that it did, in fact, violate the rights of children and teens. Karol G shared her feelings in a statement, expressing that this was never her intention.
“None of the things said in the song have the direction they have been given, nor were they said from that perspective. But I listen, I take responsibility, and I realize that I still have a lot to learn,” Karol G said. “I feel very affected and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”
The lyric has since been changed to “a hot mama since she was 18.”
Photo by: Emily Curiel/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
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