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---
title: San Francisco: Radio Station Bans &#x27;Royals&#x27; Ahead of World Series
description: A San Francisco radio station vowed to ban Lorde&#x27;s breakout single &quot;Royals&quot; until the end of the 2014 World Series matchup with Kansas City
canonical: https://time.com/3524375/world-series-royals-lorde/
author: Dan Kedmey
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2014-10-20T12:59:03.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:13:53.885Z
og:title: San Francisco Radio Station Bans Lorde&#x27;s &#x27;Royals&#x27; Ahead of World Series
og:description: Lorde&#x27;s breakout single
og:url: https://time.com/3524375/world-series-royals-lorde/
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og:image:width: 2560
og:image:height: 1440
og:image:alt: Lorde
og:type: article
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:title: San Francisco Radio Station Bans Lorde&#x27;s &#x27;Royals&#x27; Ahead of World Series
twitter:description: Lorde&#x27;s breakout single
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18b4eeeb80335ce4/6987619d2dce0100499db05f/484635163.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=1200&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18b4eeeb80335ce4/6987619d2dce0100499db05f/484635163.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# San Francisco Radio Station Bans Lorde's 'Royals' for World Series

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![Dan Kedmey](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fcb9e8a614ad0c9/6986a6b3d0b6f22eb2306735/dan-kedmey-time.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)


![Dan Kedmey](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fcb9e8a614ad0c9/6986a6b3d0b6f22eb2306735/dan-kedmey-time.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Dan Kedmey


Oct 20, 2014 12:59 PM UTC

![Lorde](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18b4eeeb80335ce4/6987619d2dce0100499db05f/484635163.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Lorde performs onstage during day 2 of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2014 in Indio, Calif.

Lorde performs onstage during day 2 of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2014 in Indio, Calif. Kevin Winter—Getty Images

![Dan Kedmey](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fcb9e8a614ad0c9/6986a6b3d0b6f22eb2306735/dan-kedmey-time.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)


![Dan Kedmey](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fcb9e8a614ad0c9/6986a6b3d0b6f22eb2306735/dan-kedmey-time.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Dan Kedmey


Oct 20, 2014 12:59 PM UTC

A San Francisco radio station has vowed not to air Lorde’s breakout single “Royals” until the end of the 2014 World Series matchup between the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants.

KFOG Radio [tweeted](https://twitter.com/KFOGRadio/status/522970746373820416) out its ban on Friday after listeners objected to the station playing a song that could be interpreted as an endorsement for the rival team.

> [](https://twitter.com/KFOGRadio/status/522970746373820416)

The connection between the song and the team is, in fact, not so far off base. Lorde has said in a previous interview that the lyrics for ‘Royals’ came to her in a moment of inspiration after she was struck by an image of a baseball player wearing the Royals jersey in _National Geographic,_ Yahoo News [reports](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/big-league-stew/lorde-hit-song-royals-inspired-kansas-city-baseball-022130607--mlb.html).

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