According to the Washington Post, a number of radio stations around the United States have been forced to take “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town out of rotation following complaints that the song is “promoting the gay agenda” – despite the fact the uproar is based on a misinterpretation of the lyrics
According to the Washington Post, a number of radio stations around the United States have been forced to take “Girl Crush” by Grammy nominated Little Big Town out of rotation following complaints that the song is “promoting the gay agenda” – despite the fact the uproar is based on a misinterpretation of the lyrics.
“Girl Crush” is actually a song about a woman envious of her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend:
“I want to taste her lips, yeah cause they taste like you / I want to drown myself in a bottle of her perfume / I want her long blond hair, I want her magic touch / Yeah cause maybe then, you’d want me just as much / I got a girl crush.”
However, Billboard reports that despite headlines declaring that multiple stations are pulling the song, most broadcasters polled said they had received no complaints.
While country music is seen as more progressive now — in November of last year, Billy Gilman came out as gay — there’s a deep chasm between what’s popular on country radio and what fans are actually buying: “Girl Crush” is No. 4 on iTunes, but lags at No. 33 in radio rankings. Further proof is Kacey Musgraves and “Follow Your Arrow,” a song referencing same-sex kissing that racked up awards and sales but struggled to find a radio audience.
Little Big Town vocalist Karen Fairchild is surprised about a controversy which is based around assumptions made by listeners:
“That’s just shocking to me, the close-mindedness of that, when that’s just not what the song was about. But what if it were? It’s just a greater issue of listening to a song for what it is.”
The band’s label recently shot a short commercial to clear up some of the confusion. During the ad, the band introduces the song, while Fairchild explains “it’s about a girl saying, you know, ‘Why do you love her and not me?’"
Watch the video for "Girl Crush," AFTER THE JUMP…
