" Karma is the guyon the Chiefscoming straight home to me ! "
In general, singers and bands perform their songs the way they originally wrote them. Sometimes, however, they make a change, whether it’s permanent or a spur-of-the-moment decision onstage. These alternations can reflect everything from personal drama to current events.
Here are 15 times singers changed their lyrics live on stage:
1.During Coachella 2024,Reneé Rappbrought outKesha to perform her 2010 single “Tik Tok.“Keshachanged a lyric that mentioned P. Diddy, who’s facing multiplecivil lawsuitson accusations of rape, sex trafficking, and sexual abuse.
2.DuringDick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ EveWithRyan Seacrestat the end of 2023, Green Day singerBillie Joe Armstrongalteredthe lyrics of “American Idiot” to call outDonald Trumpand his supporters.
Watch their performance below:
3.During the 2024 Grammys, Miley Cyrusaddedsome lines to “Flowers,” seemingly referencing her former relationship with her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth.
4.During a 2022 performance at the White House, Sam Smithmadea slight alteration to “Stay With Me” to celebrate the Respect for Marriage Act — which codified same-sex and interracial marriages — being signed into US federal law.
In anInstagrampost following the event , they said , " I felt breathe in to change the lyrics . Watching President Biden signalise the obedience for Marriage Act was a landmark moment for freedom of love . "
Watch their White House performance below:
5.During a 2023 The Eras Tour stop in Buenos Aires,Taylor Swiftchanged the lyrics to “Karma” to shout out her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was in the audience.
6.WhenTaylor Swiftplayed Nashville in 2023, her high school best friend, Abigail Anderson Berard, was in attendance. At the time, Taylor was going through a breakup, and Abigail was going through a divorce. For that night’s second surprise song, Taylorplayed"Fifteen” — which she wrote about their high school experience — with a slight addition.
7.Ending her 96-hourWitnessWorld Wide YouTube livestream with a concert in 2017,Katy Perrychanged a lyric in “Swish Swish,” which is speculated to be about Taylor Swift.
Here’s her performance:
8.Joe Jonaschanged the lyrics to the Jonas Brothers' song “Much Better” onstage twice —onceduring a Tulsa tour stop after the song’s release in 2009, thenagainduring their Las Vegas residency in 2022. The first time, he seemingly shaded his ex, Taylor Swift, but the second time, he alluded to making peace with her.
9.Kelly Clarkson divorced Brandon Blackstock in 2022. When she performed “Piece By Piece” during her Las Vegas residency the following year, shechangedup the lyrics to make it about herself and her own strength rather than a relationship.
10.On a 2023 episode ofThe Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly Clarkson covered “ABCDEFU” by Gayle. She made some lyric changes that appeared toreferenceher ex-husband.
Here’s a clip of Kelly’s performance:
11.While performing “Bossy” at Broccoli City Festival, Keke Palmerswitchedsome lyrics to celebrate her new motherhood and her post-partum body changes.
12.During a 2023 performance, Pinkmadea slight alteration to “Don’t Let Me Get Me” that changed a Britney Spears reference from negative to positive.
13.Performing at the One Love Manchester benefit concert in 2017,Robbie Williamschanged the “Strong” lyrics to celebrate the community’s resilience.
14.WhenSqueezeperformed onThe Andrew Marr Showin 2016, then-UK Prime Minister David Cameron was also a guest on the show. So, they changed the “Cradle to the Grave” lyrics to call him out.
Here’s their performance:
15.And finally, during a 2019 performance in Carcassonne, France, Liam Gallagherchangedthe “Shockwave” lyrics to seemingly shade his brother/former bandmate Noel Gallagher, as well as Bono. The brothers have been in a feud since Oasis broke up in 2009, and Noel and Bono are close friends who toured together in 2017.
ABC / Viayoutube.com
