Music

Country radio stations are banning this song for being too gay

by Mark Teo

NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE.

Among casual music fans, liking “everything but rap and country” is a common refrain. But let’s unpack that sentiment: Rap haters often—and unfairly—criticize the genre for being sex-obsessed, mindless, and violent. Accordingly, some have argued that disliking rap is shorthand for racist sentiment, in the same way that the word “thug” has become racist shorthand for other, more historically charged terms. But what, then, of country, the whitest genre around?

The reasons people hate country come from different places. Some, perhaps, take issue with the bold-faced simplicity of its lyrics, despite the fact that its most common topics—girls, cold beer, trucks—are universally awesome. Others take issue with the hokiness of new country’s production, likening it to that of top-30 pop. Others, still, dislike it for social reasons: It’s associated with the U.S. South, Good Ole Boys, and rural America, places that stereotypically love America and hate minorities. Such assessments aren’t completely fair, of course, until they are.

Several country stations have fullfilled their stereotypes by pulling Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” from their rotation for having homosexual content—this, despite the fact that the song’s about a straight romance. According to the Washington Post, the hit song, which moved 25,000 units in its first week, is receiving complaints from country-radio listeners. Callers have been complaining that the song promotes “the gay agenda,” and according to the Post, it’s been banned on stations in Texas and Idaho, among others.

So, what’s so provocative about “Girl Crush”? Not much, really. The song is written from the perspective of a woman, who’s jealous of her (very male) ex’s new girlfriend. Here’s a sample of the song’s lyrics.

I gotta girl crush, hate to admit it but
I gotta heart rush, ain’t slowin’ down
I got it real bad, want everything she has
That smile and the midnight laugh she’s givin’ you now

I wanna taste her lips, yeah, ‘cause they taste like you
I wanna drown myself in a bottle of her perfume
I want her long blonde hair, I want her magic touch
Yeah, ‘cause maybe then, you’d want me just as much
I gotta girl crush, I gotta girl crush

This isn’t to say that country is flat-out homophobic. Radio personality Bobby Bones, for his part, was outraged that people felt so sensitive about the love song—and that it shouldn’t matter that the track’s content gay or straight. Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, for their part, have taken to Instagram in support of the song. But many listeners remain unfazed.

One anonymous Texas radio host explained the reaction he’s experienced. “It is a jealousy song, lyrically crafted by an obvious wordsmith and something of a genius. I think LBT knew this would be the reaction of many,” he writes. “What they couldn’t have predicted, and neither did I, was that people would still complain about the song’s ‘obvious’ lesbian meaning. What? Did you listen to the song all the way through? Do you not like songs about women being jealous of a mistress? This is the foundation of female country music subjects most of the time.”

Yeesh. Listen to “Girl Crush” below.