Rolling Stones removed their hit Brown Sugar from their tour setlist due to ‘beef’ over the song (Picture: Getty Images)
Cancel culture is an increasingly contentious subject – the likes of Piers Morgan and Eamonn Holmes will tell you it’ll be the death of democracy and free speech, while Gen-Z and millennials remain ready, armed with pitchforks at the mere whiff of an offensive sentiment in hopes of ousting outdated views.
However, there’s a new wave of cancel culture that is slowly gripping the music industry and that is musicians essentially cancelling themselves – well, their music.
Last week, Elvis Costello begged radio stations not to play one of his biggest hits, Oliver’s Army, due to the racial slur it features. The 1979 track, which was written about the army and imperialism, includes the lyrics: ‘Only takes one itchy trigger/ One more widow, one less white n*****.’
However, he is now retiring the track and has called on radio stations to also remove it from their playlists.
Costello, 67, told The Telegraph: ‘If I wrote that song today, maybe I’d think twice about it. That’s what my grandfather was called in the British army – it’s historically a fact – but people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn’t intend.’
Clearly the rise of cancel culture, particularly pertaining to racial issues, has given the musician food for thought and spurred on his personal reflection.
He’s not alone as the Rolling Stones made an unexpected move last year when they announced the retirement of their hit single Brown Sugar due to lyrics depicting slavery. Keith Richards seemed more reluctant than Costello to self-cancel out of reflection and described the controversy as ‘beef’, appearing more keen to avoid a headache rather than understanding the root of the criticism.
Regardless, it seems as though the strategy for maturer artists in cleaning up their catalogues is to banish the controversial tracks entirely.
But how does this change the legacy of their biggest hits and will it even make much of an impact?
Dr Matt Grimes, Course Leader in Music Industries at Birmingham City, told Metro.co.uk: ‘I can see other artists following in the footsteps of Elvis Costello and “self-censoring” or “self-cancelling”.
‘There is a conflict between music reflecting a particular time, place and space, and where politics and culture are now. However, history and art are also there to be challenged and rewritten – recent developments around the Colston Statue in Bristol being a prime example.
‘Fan opinions over Elvis Costello’s comments will no doubt be split, however musicians and songwriters do have a responsibility to consider their back catalogue and whether any material can be readdressed and recontextualised, which is effectively what Costello is now doing.’
Elvis Costello said he’d ‘think twice’ about Oliver’s Army if he wrote it today (Picture: ABC via Getty Images)
Dr Grimes believes the so-called censorship of songs that were born out of a completely different era fuels the debate about music being a ‘platform for politics of all persuasion’.
‘There is also a conflict there alongside free speech and artistic expression,’ he said. ‘A good example is Morrissey, who has both a cult-like following from some sections of the public and is seen as divisive, abrasive and outspoken by others.’
Even if a musician chooses not to include particular songs on their tour setlist, Dr Grimes argues that the streaming industry is so powerful, record label contracts so complex and the songs already so ingrained in history, that shifting the narrative won’t be an easy feat.
‘It is likely that both the original version of any songs reimagined or re-recorded for a 21st century audience will remain on streaming services, and on physical formats available to buy through retail outlets online and on the high street,’ he explained.
‘Some songs, after all, produce income and secure “pensions” for their creators through mechanical and radio airplay so it’s unlikely that all artists who choose to “cancel” specific songs will give up all financial benefits from the original.
‘There is currently no framework around limiting airplay of music on radio which could be deemed as out-of-date and inappropriate.’
As for the impact on music culture, Dr Grimes said: ‘[With] censoring or removing specific songs from their live and recorded catalogue, there are all manner of considerations around contractual deals with labels and publishers around albums and rights around the use of songs.
‘So there would be a great deal of negotiation involved. We won’t see songs disappear immediately, likely more over a longer period of time.’