• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
  • Culture

Little Big Town Responds to Controversy About New Song 'Girl Crush'

Members of the band Little Big Town, Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Phillip Sweet perform at the Capital One Orange Bowl, Dec. 31, 2014 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Ron Elkman /Sports Imagery/Getty Images
ByMICHAEL ROTHMAN
March 27, 2015, 4:00 PM

— -- An Idaho radio station morning show reportedly has pulled Little Big Town’s new song, "Girl Crush," because of complaints over the provocative lyrics, but the singer says the song is being misunderstood.

Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town said the song is more about "a girl saying [to her ex], 'Why do you love her and not me' and not about a lesbian relationship."

"The lyric of 'Girl Crush' is written in kind of a sexy way. So some people might turn it off when they get to the 'I want to taste your lips' and all that. But once they get to the hook they go, 'Oh,'" Fairchild said this week on the Bobby Bones show on The Big 98. "You've got to lean in a little bit, but the fans are really loving this one."

Fairchild, who sings lead on the song, acknowledged to ABC News that the song is provocative, but the band never thought twice about recording it.

"[The songwriter] Liz [Rose] said, 'Hey, I gotta play this song we just wrote. You guys'll never cut it, but I gotta play it for you,'" Fairchild told ABC News. "I couldn't get finished with the song, listening to it, before I could say, 'Can we please have this song?'"

However, Alana Lynn, a morning host at 104.3 FM in Boise, Idaho, told The Washington Post she stopped playing the song during her morning time slot because of complaints from parents.

The Boise station did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Along with the lyrics mentioned above, the song boasts lines like, “I want her long blond hair, I want her magic touch ... cause maybe then, you’d want me just as much. ... I got a girl crush."

The move to cut the song's play time had Bones, who hosts a syndicated radio show, up in arms when he spoke to the band this week.

“It shouldn’t even matter if it’s a lesbian song, is the first thing,” Bones said. "['Girl Crush'] is one of the Top 10 sellers for weeks and weeks and weeks -- and people on the radio are still afraid to play it."

The song is also a bona fide hit, close to the top of the iTunes charts.

Fairchild told The Washington Post that it's "shocking to me" that people focus on one lyric -- about one girl wanting to kiss another.

"The close-mindedness of that, when that’s just not what the song was about,” Fairchild said. “But what if it were? It’s just a greater issue of listening to a song for what it is.”

Up Next in Culture—

Demi Lovato brings out JoJo and Jutes during surprise-filled Madison Square Garden concert

April 25, 2026

How Prince Jackson tried to honor his father's legacy through biopic 'Michael'

April 24, 2026

Meet the cast of 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County'

April 24, 2026

'Jeopardy!' champion Jamie Ding reveals his secret to buzzing in quickly

April 24, 2026

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2026 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2026 ABC News