Lorde's "Royals" Banned From San Francisco Radio During World Series

Two DJs teamed up to keep the New Zealand singer's hit song off the airwaves while the Giants battle the Kansas City Royals.

Two San Francisco radio stations have banned Lorde's hit song "Royals" from the airwaves while their Giants battle the Kansas City Royals in the World Series.

The Guardian reported:

KOIT's decision followed a torrent of complaints from their listeners. Critics claimed that by playing Royals KOIT was backing the wrong team to take home baseball's biggest prize, according to Fox 4 News. "Our listeners told us to do it, so we did it," declared programme director Brian Figula. "As of 4pm today we've removed Lorde's Royals from the our playlist until the end of the World Series. Go Giants, beat the Royals!"

Thanks 4 your comments! #Lorde #Royals will be removed from the @965KOIT playlist until the end of the World Series #GoGiants...

No offense, Lorde, but for the duration of the World Series, KFOG Radio will be a "Royals"-free zone. We're sure... http://t.co/7uvseCjb03

The Grammy-winning song was inspired, in part, by the Royals. The New Zealand singer said in an interview that she was inspired to pen the tune after seeing a 1970s-era photo of Kansas City Royals player George Brett signing baseballs.

"I had this image from the National Geographic of this dude just signing baseballs," Lorde told us when we sat down with her recently. "He was a baseball player and his shirt said, 'Royals.'" Lorde was so taken by the image and the word that she penned the song around that idea. "It was just that word. It's really cool."

In response, a Kansas City radio station said it would play the song every hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

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