Sean Kingston, Beautiful Girls | Controversial Songs

In the 2^nd edition of Controversial Songs (2024), we explore the controversy behind the “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston.

Bring on the controversy! Controversial Songs is a column that provides background information and insight into songs that raised eyebrows, stirred the pot, or were banned. The more censorship censor$hit, the better! The records that grace Controversial Songs are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  In the 2^nd edition of Controversial Songs (2024), we explore the controversy behind the “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston.

“Damn all these beautiful girls, they only wanna do you dirt / They’ll have me suicidal, suicidal when they say it’s over.”  Damn right! Sean Kingston has a point in the sole Billboard Hot 100 no. 1 hit of his career, “Beautiful Girls”. The same scenario applies to a smoking-hot guy who potentially does the same. But, “Beautiful Girls” was NOT exempt from controversy and censorship (censor$hit as I say 🤭). The main offending word was suicidal, particularly coming from a 16-year-old.  Because “Beautiful Girls” doesn’t feel dark or hellish – it’s more lighthearted – the reference to suicide feels unserious.  However, suicide is something that should never be taken lightly, and in reality, the moment we assume it is unserious, the unthinkable happens. The use of suicidal in the chorus, the centerpiece of the song, caused it to be banned or amended. “Suicidal” was changed to “in denial.” (“You’ll have me in denial, in denial / When you say it’s over”). Not quite the same effect.

Less ‘offensive’ is the baby swear, DAMN. Damn is innocuous in my mind (and definitely in this blog 🤭), but it was also censored in some instances.  Also, we know the KIDZ Bop Kids aren’t allowed to swear, so, “Damn all these beautiful girls” was substituted with “Hey, all these beautiful girls.” Otherwise, the highlight from Kingston’s self-titled album is inoffensive. The J.R. Rotem-produced gem samples a beloved, 1960s soul classic: “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King.  The repurposing is elite. Of course, Kingston sounds fabulous from a vocal perspective.  He is authentic as he sings from the guy’s perspective where rejection and broken relationships make this ‘suicidal’ state of mind because of wrecked emotions.  Love can be awesome or a trainwreck that potentially ruins your life.  A teenager singing about suicidal thoughts understandably made “Beautiful Girls” a bit controversial.

Appears in 🔻:

• 50 Awesome Boy or Girl Songs (2020)
• 11 Remarkably Beautiful Songs (2021)

Sean Kingston // Sean Kingston // Epic // 2007

Sean Kingston, Beautiful Girls: Controversial Songs No. 2 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Epic; Tazz Vaughn via Pexels; Elena Arboleda Salas, nikolaytaman90, Tumisu from Pixabay; christian buehner on Unsplash]