‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ removed from new version of Queen’s best-of album

The song “Fat Bottomed Girls” has been removed from the new version of Queen’s greatest hits collection. On whether this should be considered an example of a “cancellation culture” in relation to a great group, reflects Igor Gavrilov.

The Greatest Hits disc was released in 1981 and included 18 of the best songs from 9 Queen albums released by that time. In 2023, headlines appeared in the media: “‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ Kicked Out of Queen’s New Version of ‘Greatest Hits’.” The question of whether an overly sexualized female image or, on the contrary, ruthless fat-shaming can be present in a mass entertainment product in the era of women’s struggle for rights and various “acceptance of oneself” is acute.

The disc was released in 1981 and included 18 of Queen’s best songs. Headlines appeared in 2023: “‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ Kicked Out of Queen’s New ‘Greatest Hits’ Version.”

More recently, in early August, three dancers from Lizzo’s concert band sued her, accusing her employer of sexualized harassment, creating a hostile work environment, non-payment of salaries and, most importantly, discrimination due to being overweight. And this despite the fact that Lizzo herself is considered in popular culture as an “icon of body positivity.” As a result, Lizzo was removed from the list of potential participants in the highest-rated pop show in the United States – a music program during the break of the final game for the title of champion of the National Football League.

At the same time, “doubtful” texts are removed from already existing albums. Taking on re-recording her old albums in order to gain maximum control over them, Taylor Swift softened her own lines. In the new version of the album “Speak Now” (2010), she changed the lyrics of the song “Better Than Revenge”. In the original version, Swift blames the “actress” her ex had run off with and who is “known for doing things on the mattress”. In the 2023 version, a more harmless phrase appeared: “moths are drawn to fire.” Fan opinion is divided here. Some welcomed the rejection of the “slut-shaming” of an unnamed actress, while others accused Swift of self-censorship.

Beyoncé and the aforementioned Lizzo released remastered versions of their songs “Heated” and “Grrrls” respectively this year. The reason is the use of the word “spaz”. In black American slang, it means “lose your temper” or “lose control” and has no offensive connotation. However, in the UK it is a derogatory term for people with disabilities. Social media users who drew attention to this were determined, and the singers had to release versions with corrected lyrics. Paramore, Orville Peck, Lana Del Rey, Future, Lil Wayne, The Black Eyed Peas and even Dire Straits have faced the same need over the years, but this topic sounds especially relevant in the wake of the “new ethics”. Previously, if musicians, for example, on television were asked to lower the degree of vocabulary, they could, on the contrary, shout out “bad words” even louder. Now, under pressure from social media users who consider themselves offended, even the biggest stars are forced to rewrite their own works.

If we talk about attempts to remove an entire song from the public field, then the most striking example is “Delilah”, perhaps the most famous song from the repertoire of Tom Jones, in Russia for sure. The Welsh Rugby Union decided earlier this year to remove the 1968 hit from its official playlists and it will no longer be played in Wales’ national stadiums by choirs hired to entertain the crowd at matches. Back in 2015, especially stung by the lyrics of this song, the fans forced the union to remove it for one season, now it has been excluded forever. The text tells how a jealous husband stabbed Delilah to death after discovering that she was flirting with another man. Rugby officials unexpectedly discovered that the song was fueling an increase in domestic violence. But actually, about half of the American blues is about this, take at least “Hey, Joe”, which became popular in the version of Jimi Hendrix. “Who can stop us from singing Delilah? – 83-year-old Tom Jones addressed his countrymen at a concert in Cardiff in July this year. – They can ban the choir from singing, but not all of us! And I will continue to sing it!”

Queen’s song about “fat-assed girls who make the world go round” was removed from the “Greatest Hits” version, which was aimed at children. The new version of the collection is hosted on the Yoto platform, which provides content for a “smart speaker” that gives children access to music without ads and inappropriate content. Even removing the “dangerous” song from the compilation, Yoto’s device makers issued a warning: “The lyrics of some of these songs contain adult themes, including occasional references to violence and drugs. These are original and unedited recordings. Although there are no swear words, parents are advised to exercise caution when reproducing this material to young children or in their environment.

Phil Simes, spokesman for Queen, said that the release of the album in this version was agreed with the group. And now Queen fans are arguing whether there was self-censorship, or whether Queen showed touching concern for the fledgling minds of children. Some recalled how The Rolling Stones made concessions to the Chinese authorities and agreed to remove their hits “Brown Sugar” and “Honky Tonk Women” from the program of performances in this country. Now the whole world has become China in a sense.