British songstress Adele’s facing resistance here in the States.
Some American radio types have misinterpreted her hit song “Chasing Pavements” as a gay anthem and have now refused to give it radio time:
The record – which has proved a huge success in Adele’s native UK – has been dubbed a gay anthem by Americans, who think the title is referring to gay men who cruise around looking for sex.
Adele has now blamed the reference for damaging her chances of making it big Stateside.
She said: “Some weirdo on the internet wrote that Chasing Pavements was about being gay, which isn’t true at all.
“Because of that some radio stations in the States wouldn’t play it. The guy wrote it on the Urban Dictionary website, which I’ve used for years and ‘chasing pavements’ was never on there as a slang term before.”
Adele doesn’t seem that upset by the hubbub – she says she doesn’t like planes and not that enthusiastic about flying over here. So there!
We’ve previously posted “Chasing Pavements,” but included above anyway.
Marco
“some radio stations”? like which ones?
ChristopherM
Like all those rotten Clear Channel stations are going to play a song by an unapologetically bigger girl with actual talent.
cmh
well yeah that totally makes sense in light of katy perry’s I kissed a girl going bust.
Darth Paul
I’m no fan of Adele, but this is a painfully common sort of thing. There’s some sort of petty conspiracy in the US when it comes to UK artists. Any promising one seems to be stonewalled.
Estelle was dropped by itunes for some BS record label reason.
MIA was denied a visa in 2006 and was previously censored by MTV for her passing reference to the PLO in Sunshowers.
Amy Winehouse was denied a visa that prevented her from performing at the Grammys.
Now this.
eschewv
Apparently they’ve mistaken “Chasing Pavements” for “Dirty Back Road.”
Mark
If UK artists and their record labels actually put effort into breaking the states then there would be more UK stars, Darth Paul.
M.I.A. is top 5 here by the way. And her dad has some is viewed as a terrorist here in the US, so it’s not just because she’s part English.
Leona seems to be doing fine. :p
key
I’m sure they never even heard this beautiful song before they decided to “ban” it.
Alan down in Florida
“well yeah that totally makes sense in light of katy perry’s I kissed a girl going bust”
CMH – please explain to me how being the #1 record in America for three weeks qualifies “I Kissed A Girl” as “going bust”?
Matt
I’m very skeptical that anyone who has read definitions on Urban Dictionary would ever consider it a reliable source of information.
Besides, “making it big” in the US doesn’t require talent, just that you know how to appeal to the tween/teen female demographic. Case in point, Ashlee Simpson.
Franco
Sorry if this sounds insensitive, but Americans are freakin’ crazy.
Richael
I’m with the last guy, americans are fucking insane. i have heard this song none stop for months on the radio(in ireland) and never once associated it with being a ‘gay anthem’.
‘…or should i just keep on chaseing pavements…’
how does that have anything to do with being gay…would someone please like to explain this to me…preferably an ignorant yank…?
i dont see why anyone would want to make it in america anyway…there is a whole world DESPITE what some americans think…
Wayne
Please visit my Blog about Choices……….Choice is Good® http://www.choiceisgoodtshirts.com
Mr C
Where is Tallskin at now????????
she British.
Braydeb
I was thinking the story was about Track Palin.
Darth Paul
@ Mark- Leona is also a whore of the corporate media to the max. She’s only big in the US because of that Pop Idol-y crapshow she was on. Also, I hate her.
Richael’s right in that good int’l artists don’t need the US pop charts to do well. If anything, our mainstream market has become so insipid and dull that no decent artist should ever want to appeal to us as a unit. Even good American artists (Scissor Sisters, for example) have to push for success overseas due to how backward the industry is here.
Rob Moore
I have two comments.
First, Adele has a superb voice and style. This song is the kind of song that torch singers use to put out there.
Second, as someone who spent a great deal of time in the 80s and early 90s cruising around for sex and one who associated with many others of similar inclination, I never once heard the phrase ‘chasing pavement’. It really doesn’t make sense to me.
Leo
Some people are just too stupid…