Radio stations censor Johnny Mathis’ Christmas classic When A Child Is Born over ‘racist’ lyrics

Radio stations have censored the lyrics of When a Child is Born after listeners branded a verse in Johnny Mathis’ classic Christmas song as racist.

Listeners have taken offence to the word ‘yellow’ in a lyric that refers to a child as ‘black, white, yellow, no one knows’.

‘Yellow’ has been cut out on Heart FM and Magic Radio, The Sun has revealed, noting BBC said it ‘cannot rule out censoring’ the song.

News that radio stations will be censoring When a Child is Born comes just two weeks after Radio 2 announced it would censored version of The Pogues’s classic song Fairytale Of New York for the first time this holiday season.

Radio stations are censoring When a Child is Born after listeners branded a verse in Johnny Mathis’ classic Christmas song as racist. Mathis is pictured performing the song in 1976

Listeners have taken offence to the word ‘yellow’ in a lyric that refers to a child as ‘black, white, yellow, no one knows’. Johnny Mathis, who made When a Child is Born popular in the 70s, is pictured in June 2021

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When a Child is Born was written in the early 70s but was made popular by Mr Mathis in December 1976 when the song spent three weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart. 

It was also the number one Christmas song in Great Britain that year.

But now, the popular holiday hit will be censored on some radio stations, despite listeners arguing the song is ‘just a product of its time.’

‘The world has gone mad,’ one listener told The Sun. ‘Another Christmas classic ruined. Leave Christmas alone and leave Johnny Mathis alone.’

At least two radio stations have already started censoring the tune, with BBC telling the newspaper it will ‘continue to monitor audience response’. 

MailOnline has approached Heart FM, Magic Radio and BBC for comment.

‘Yellow’ has been cut out on Heart FM and Magic Radio. BBC said it ‘cannot rule out censoring’ the song. Pictured: Johnny Mathis performing in Florida in January 2022

Last week, Radio 2 revealed it will be playing a censored version of Fairytale Of New York this Christmas. The classic song, sung by The Pogues (pictured), was released in 1987

Last week, Radio 2 revealed it will be playing a censored version of Fairytale Of New York this Christmas.

Until now the radio station has aired the original version of the festive favourite, which features Kirsty MacColl, with the controversial lyrics ‘you cheap, lousy faggot’ – an offensive term for a gay man.

The song was first released in 1987. 

But Radio 2 said it was now ‘reflecting’ what it was ‘hearing back from many of our listeners’ who ‘find some of the lyrics jarring in 2022’.

Instead, the station will air a version with the lyrics: ‘You’re cheap and you’re haggard’.

MacColl is said to have used these different lyrics in later years when she performed the song. 

It was revealed in 2020 that Radio 1 would be using an edited version with different lyrics. 

At that point Radio 2 carried on airing the uncensored version. 

The BBC this year has said its stations would select the version of the song ‘most relevant for their audience’.