Musicians have a falling out over disrespectful song title
I have a longtime friend, “Chris,” who I’ve known since our teenage years. We’ve collaborated on music for decades, even though we now live in different cities. Every few years, we reconnect to make music together.
Over the past 20 years, Chris has adopted increasingly fundamentalist religious beliefs. I’ve found it difficult to navigate, and over time, I gradually pulled away.
Recently, Chris reached out to let me know that his mother had passed away. Wanting to offer support, I reconnected with him, and we began working on music together again. It was going surprisingly well. At one point, he expressed interest in recording one of my songs. When I mentioned I had a demo, he asked to hear it.
I sent it to him, forgetting that the file was labeled “Pagan Christmas.” A week later, I received a response:
“I like the chord progression but was a bit put off by the title. People I care about also found the title offensive. I’ll do my best to purge it from my memory in the hope that you can present it later with a more inclusive and marketable moniker. I cannot contribute to anything that could be perceived as having anti-Christian bias.”
Now I’m torn. Part of me wants to shrug it off, but another part of me is frustrated and angry. I never intended the title to be offensive — it was creative, not critical. I’m struggling with how to move forward, both with this song and with our friendship. Any advice?
— Songwriter in Limbo
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