Queen fans are crying foul over the omission of “Fat Bottomed Girls” from their “Greatest Hits” album on Yoto, a children’s audio platform.
Earlier this month, the British rock band’s “Greatest Hits” compilation was released on the kids’ platform, but the classic hit was missing. “Fat Bottomed Girls” was originally released on the album titled “Jazz” in 1978.
“I was just a skinny lad // Left alone with a big fat Fanny // She was such a naughty nanny // Heap big woman, you made a bad boy out of me // Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round,” the song’s lyrics include.
While some fans, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), accused the left of canceling the song, a rep for lead guitarist Brian May told TMZ that he and the group agreed to leave the song off. The rep did not provide further detail and said the band would make no further comments regarding the decision.
The song “Flat Bottomed Girls” was written by Mr. May and sung by the group’s flamboyant lead singer, the late Freddie Mercury, who was gay and died of AIDS in 1991. In 1981, Queen released its “Greatest Hits” album featuring 17 hit songs from 1974 and 1980.
“This timeless collection contains 16 classic tracks to rock out to, and with over 25 million sales to date, it’s one of the biggest-selling albums of all time!” Yoto’s website reads.
It includes “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and “Killer Queen,” all of which contain lyrics that most would consider inappropriate for kids.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a song about a young man who admits he killed someone.
“Mama, [I] just killed a man // Put a gun against his head // pulled my trigger // now he’s dead,” the lyrics read.
“Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet // machine guns ready to go // Are you ready? // Out of the doorway bullets rip // To the sound of the beat, yeah // Another one bites the dust.”
It is not clear how the children’s streaming service and the band determined which songs would be suitable for the platform.
Yoto did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.
Yoto’s audio player is a “screen-free” device that allows kids to purchase music, books, jokes, and other audio entertainment. The company describes the device as a tool to “help parents inspire creativity and imagination through audio.”
“Get ready to rock with one of the greatest bands of all time and a collection of their legendary hits,” a blurb about the album reads. “It’s the ideal introduction to the music of Queen for young music lovers and the perfect soundtrack to kitchen dance parties, road trip singalongs, bedtime air guitar sessions….and much much more.”
The album is marked suitable for ages 6-14 years, but Yoto added a disclaimer regarding the album’s content.
“Please note that the lyrics in some of these songs contain adult themes, including occasional references to violence and drugs. These are the original and unedited recordings. Whilst no swear words are used, parental discretion is advised when playing this content to or around younger children,” the disclaimer read.
The remaining band members of Queen collaborated with Adam Lambert and are currently performing “The Rhapsody Tour.”
