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I’m old enough to recall grooving along to Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls as a 10-year-old, on a version of the band’s ‘Greatest Hits’ that my mum and dad had on tape.

Far from disturbing me as a kid, I found the song to be empowering as a young girl who saw so much negative content surrounding women’s bodies through the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Hence my confusion surrounding the recent announcement that this absolute banger of a track has been struck from Queen’s newest ‘Greatest Hits’, due to the release platform being ‘aimed at young listeners’.

The song was a part of the original 1981 greatest hits album that also included classics such as Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You. For die-hard fans of the music, the missing Fat Bottomed Girls track leaves a void that doesn’t make sense.

The revamped collection of top Queen tracks, presented on a new music platform called Yoto, aims to introduce young music enthusiasts to the world of classic rock and other genres.

👑 Rock royalty! Queen’s Greatest Hits is now available on Yoto 🎸 https://t.co/12VGQoQNiX pic.twitter.com/r7UxdtN9Hn

— Yoto (@yotoplay) August 10, 2023

While the platform showcases the new collection as a perfect way to introduce children to Queen’s music, it does include a disclaimer for the remaining songs.

Acknowledging that certain tracks contain adult themes, including references to violence and drugs, the platform advises parental discretion when playing the content around younger children. The tracks featured have not been censored in any way, besides the note that gives adults a heads-up regarding the topics referred to in the songs.

Why then no Fat Bottomed Girls making the ‘rockin’ world go ’round’?

I’m not alone in my confusion, as the posts from social media users start to stream in critiquing the seemingly ridiculous ‘wokery’.

Seeing the humorous side, one user suggested that perhaps the music label in charge of the strange omission was lacking ‘junk in the trunk’ and therefore bias against the track celebrating substantial derrieres.

Some UMG Exec has no booty and too much clout.#Queen #FatBottomedGirls pic.twitter.com/qgpDP3DcqL

— Ben Dukes (@BenDukes) August 21, 2023

Other bootilicious Twitter/X users also expressed their anger at the daftness surrounding the label’s choice. Especially considering the body-positive message of the song, that lives on as an anthem celebrating the big gals.

Don’t speak for this fat bottomed girl because I’m not offended! This is so stupid, that song is an ode to big women,was never meant derogatory! Political correctness gone totally wrong. #FatBottomedGirlshttps://t.co/DdhBeKs2o0

— Susanne 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿❤️ (@SusanneLupica) August 20, 2023

Universal Music Group (UMG)  is set to release more collections on the Yoto platform, including releases from Bob Marley & The Wailers, as well as partner labels such as Motown Records and Disney Music Group, in the coming months.

Let’s see what else is struck from the record as the platform drops more music; surely there’s nothing in these classic tracks that aren’t covered in a more gruesome way in contemporary tunes played on the radio?

And yes, fat-bottomed girls do make the rockin’ world go-’round, and they always will, no matter who gets their oversized bloomers in a woke twist.

[source:nme]