The discovery that Queen’s iconic song “Fat Bottomed Girls” was left off of a greatest hits package geared for younger audiences has sparked a contentious discussion.
The Universal Music compilation, which can be listened to on Yoto, a children’s audio platform, has sparked conversations about cultural sensitivity and striking a balance between maintaining creative integrity and appealing to younger audiences.
A new generation of listeners will be safeguarded from lyrics that extol the virtues of “heap big women” and declare an obsession with “fat bottomed girls,” who “make the rockin’ world go round,” as a result of “Fat Bottomed Girls” being left out of the compilation. Over the years, the song—written by Brian May and published in 1978—has grown in popularity and has been a staple of Queen’s repertoire.
Other classic singles like “We Will Rock You” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” are included in the compilation, but they are accompanied with an online content notice that acknowledges adult themes, sometimes involving references to drugs and violence.
This begs the question of whether sensitive topics in music can be properly addressed by age-appropriate content labeling. A disclaimer for songs with mature themes can be found on the Yoto website. It advises parents to use caution while playing such material for or near younger children. The goal is to introduce young listeners to Queen’s music and establish family-friendly musical activities, like “kitchen dance parties, road-trip singalongs, bedtime air guitar sessions… and much much more.”
The choice to leave “Fat Bottomed Girls” off of the kid-friendly compilation seems to be a part of Universal Music’s effort to expose classic songs to younger listeners while abiding by modern standards and appropriateness considerations. The action has, however, prompted a “woke row,” in which commentators debate whether eliminating specific songs from creative compilations is an excessive reaction to shifting social views or a necessary step in the right direction.
According to Sarah Boorman of Universal Music, the collaboration between Yoto and Universal Music Group (UMG) seeks to give kids access to a wide range of music that will inspire a lifetime love of music in all its forms. The initial stage in this project is the release of Queen’s Greatest Hits 1 album on Yoto; other releases are scheduled for the upcoming months.
The “Fat Bottomed Girls” debate brings to light the difficult balancing act that must be struck between protecting cultural treasures from the past, catering to sensitive audiences, and developing material for younger audiences.
It’s unclear how the challenging job of selecting music for different age groups will change in the present day as long as conversations about it don’t end.
The homosexics will be upset…