We don't blame them. The Spice Girls were one of the most iconic bands of the nineties, nobody can deny it.
However, it was a different time, which is typically reflected in song lyrics. And with the announcement of a sell-out reunion tour, The Spice Girls have decided to change certain lyrics in an iconic song.
‘Spice Up Your Life’ is a tune synonymous with the band, but there is a certain line in it that is deemed racist. And thankfully, the girls agree, and have decided to alter the lyric.
The lyric “yellow man in Timbuktu” will be replaced by “happy people in Timbuktu.”
“The original lyric was meant to be a bit of fun and never intended to be offensive. The reality is it’s not acceptable to say that now," a source told The Sun.
"Some of the girls feel uncomfortable getting up on stage and performing that lyric, especially when they have such a diverse and multicultural fanbase.”
In a 2007 interview with Music Week, song collaborator Richard Stannard explained the inspiration behind the track:
“We were talking about Bollywood films, the colours and how the Spice Girls could present themselves. It was a matter of how do we get everything in to one song?”
The original song lyrics are as follows:
"Yellow man in Timbuktu,
Colour for both me and you,
Kung fu fighting, dancing queen,
Tribal spaceman, and all that’s in between."
Her
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