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Lorde’s ‘Royals’ banned in S.F.; K.C. station to play it every hour

Lorde is getting the royal treatment by a radio station in Kansas City on Oct. 21.
(Jack Plunkett / Invision)
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In a move that is sure to tip the World Series scales in favor of the San Francisco Giants, two Bay Area radio stations have banned the song “Royals” until their beloved team is finished playing the Kansas City squad that has the same name as the 2013 hit by Lorde in the World Series.

KFOG Radio tweeted last week: “No offense, Lorde, but for the duration of the World Series, KFOG Radio will be a ‘Royals’-free zone.”

And 96.5 KOIT added via Twitter: “#Lorde #Royals will be removed from the @965KOIT playlist until the end of the World Series #GoGiants...”

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Ah, but wait just a minute! A Kansas City Top 40 station, 99.7 The Point, is retaliating by promising to play “Royals” every hour, on the hour from 7 a.m. Tuesday until Game 1 is played that night at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Royals (the team, not the song).

Looks like the score (of the silly radio war, not the yet-to-begin baseball series) is now tied.

“I respect the work of Mr. Brian Figula, 96.5 KOIT program director, and his team of broadcast professionals at our sister stations in San Francisco, but we won’t let their anti-Royals spirit ruin this moment,” said Tony Lorino, program director of 99.7 The Point. “A few angry San Franciscans who don’t have a song called ‘Giants’ won’t rain on our parade.”

(He’s correct that there are no hit songs bearing the name of San Francisco’s team. But “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which just so happens to be the tune played as a sing-along during the sixth inning of Royals home games, was written and performed by die-hard Giants fan Steve Perry with the band Journey).

It’s true that Lorde has said that she was inspired to write the song after reading about George Brett and the 1976 Royals in an old National Geographic magazine. And that Brett responded by sending the 17-year-old New Zealander an autographed jersey, which is now one of her most prized possessions.

But has anyone in either city actually listened to the lyrics of the song? They actually sound kind of anti-Royals (upper class folks, not the team):

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“We don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair / And we’ll never be royals. / It don’t run in our blood / That kind of luxe just ain’t for us. / We crave a different kind of buzz.”

Plus, is it really much of a statement to ban a year-old song? ESPN surveyed the playlists of KFOG and KOIT for a recent day and found the stations played the tune just once each.

But might as well let those guys have their fun and support their teams any way they like.

Twitter: @chewkiii

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