When Lorde hit the US airwaves last year, “Royals” was everywhere. From top forty stations to remixes across the internet, the New Zealander’s popular song could not be escaped. Now, for the first time, the song has been banned from San Francisco radio stations.
With the San Francisco Giants facing the Kansas City Royals in baseball’s biggest match up, it is not hard to see why the song has been banned just ahead of the World Series, which starts this Tuesday. While the song may seem like it has nothing to do with the baseball team or baseball in general, that’s where most fans would be wrong. Lorde said she was inspired by a National Geographic photo of former Royals’ George Brett. Lorde also mentioned she was attracted to the word on the third baseman’s chest while he was signing baseballs. So, despite the lyrics in the song being about a teen who counts her dollars on the train, and having no official ties to the sport, the word itself is tied to the Kansas City team. “Royals” has even become the unofficial song of the Kansas City team, even if Lorde hadn’t intended it at the time.
Seeing as this is the third time the Giants have been in the series, it’s understandable why they would ban a song that mentions their rival for the next seven games. Baseball is known for strange traditions and even stranger fan practices, like the curse of the Goat in Chicago, or the “fear the beards” movement Boston saw during it’s World Series run last year. Someone should tell Lorde there is no crying in baseball, in the off chance she is upset about the ban.
Many fans in the bay area have asked local radio stations KFOG and KOIT to ban it for the entire 7 game match up. KFOG even went as far to posting on their Facebook page after receiving angry emails from baseball fans to ban the song “No offense, Lorde, but for the duration of the World Series, KFOG radio will be a ‘Royals’-free zone, we’re sure you understand.” Other stations had started as early as the weekend to ban the song in order to support the hometown team.
Though what’s baseball without a bit of friendly competition? A few stations in the Kansas City area, namely KZPT has stated via their Facebook they would be playing “Royals” every hour on the hour during the duration of the series. KZPT also happens to be the sister station of KOIT, which is based in the Bay area and has already banned “Royals” from it’s rotation.
The World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants kicks off this Tuesday, and in case San Francisco fans miss Lorde’s song, they can still download it. It will be a while before any station in San Francisco plays it.