Kidz Bop, the series of cover albums featuring pop songs performed by adorably talented youngsters, has just released their video for Lady Gaga's gay anthem "Born This Way" and -- surprise! -- some of the gay is gone. The original "Born This Way" is certainly not explicit, but it deals frankly with sexuality issues most kids won't encounter until 7th grade health class unless they have the kind of parents who are into Free to Be You and Me.
Idolator helped us identify the changes:
• "Don't be a drag, just be a queen" = gone.
• "No matter gay, straight or bi/lesbian transgendered life/I'm on the right track baby, I was born to survive" = gone.
• "Black, white or beige/Chola or Orient made" = gone [Ed's note: Hallelujah!]
• "Same D.N.A., but born this way" = gone.
• "A different lover is not a sin" becomes "A different viewpoint is not a sin."
Kidz Bop have had to do some editing of Lady Gaga's lyrics in the past, too: In their version of "Alejandro," "just smoke my cigarette and hush" becomes "just walk away from me and hush." Their take on "Paparazzi" changed "eyeliner and cigarettes" to "eyeliner and all the rest" and "s--- on the radio" is "that song on the radio."
The "Born This Way" alterations are extra striking because the track underwent a similar edit in Malaysia, where songs are not permitted to violate "good taste or decency or [are] offensive to public feeling." It may be early to explain what a drag queen is to a tween, but "No matter gay, straight or bi/lesbian transgendered life/I'm on the right track baby, I was born to survive" doesn't strike us as particularly controversial. That's also, coincidentally, the only lyric that was "garbled" in Malaysia.