A Wisconsin school district has banned a first grade class from singing Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s duet “Rainbowland.” Their reasoning is because the song conflicted with the school policy and was “controversial,” though no additional details were provided as to why.
On March 21, Melissa Tempel, a teacher at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, tweeted that her students were “so excited” to sing the song for a spring concert but administrators had put a stop to the performance. Understandably upset that her first graders were disappointed, especially for a seemingly inane reasons, Tempel also tweeted, “When will it end?”
What’s so controversial about the song, exactly? The 2017 single discusses living together in happiness and harmony while making the world a better place. Cyrus and Parton sing “’Cause I know if we try, we could really make a difference in this world” and “Living in a Rainbowland … Where we’re free to be exactly who we are / Let’s all dig down deep inside / Brush the judgment and fear aside.”
After “Rainbowland” was “deemed controversial in accordance with the policy,” according to the district, the principal asked Tempel to select a different song. She chose “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit The Frog. But apparently a muppets song is too controversial as well. Tempel said on Twitter that administrators later vetoed “Rainbow Connection,” which led her to suspect that the real issue here was with rainbows. Fortunately, the class was able to sing “Rainbow Connection” after “parents sent emails to admin,” Tempel said.
“The Rainbowland story is about much more than a banned song. The result of the political pushback on LGBTQ+ inclusivity and rights in schools is unfolding and it’s tragic,” she tweeted.
In a 2017 interview, Parton explained the heart of “Rainbowland” to Taste of Country.
“It’s really about if we could love one another a little better or be a little kinder, be a little sweeter, we could live in rainbow land,” Parton said. “It’s really just about dreaming and hoping that we could all do better. It’s a good song for the times right now.”
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