‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ has been dropped from Queen’s new Greatest Hits collection.
The 1978 song, written by guitarist Brian May, celebrates a young man’s appreciation for fuller-figured women but appears to be the latest victim of cancel culture.
The track – which features lyrics such as ‘fat bottomed girls, you make the rockin’ world go round’ – featured on Queen’s original 1981 greatest hits album alongside tracks such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘We Will Rock You’.
However, it did not feature when Universal Records announced they would be releasing a version of the album on Yoto – a new audio platform aimed at younger listeners – in a move that has left industry figures baffled.
An insider told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: “It is the talk of the music industry, nobody can work out why such a good-natured, fun song can’t be acceptable in today’s society.
“It is woke gone mad. Why not appreciate people of all shapes and sizes like society is saying we should, rather than get rid of it. It’s outrageous.”
The track, taken from Queen’s album ‘Jazz’, and its promotional material have long sparked debate over whether the song is suitable although Brian explained that he penned the record with frontman Freddie Mercury in his thoughts.
The 76-year-old rocker told Mojo magazine in 2008: “I wrote it with Fred in mind, as you do, especially if you’ve got a great singer who likes fat bottomed girls… or boys.”
The original sleeve for the song featured a scantily-clad female riding a bicycle (it was released as a single with ‘Bicycle Race’) although this was amended as some stores refused to stock it.
The updated version featured the same image with knickers drawn over the woman cycling.