Music
Miley Cyrus foundation responds to ‘Rainbowland’ ban
The song may have been banned by a school in Wisconsin, but Miley Cyrus and her foundation are turning the other cheek.
Miley Cyrus and her foundation have responded with kindness following news that her ‘Rainbowland’ duet with Dolly Parton was banned from an elementary school in Wisconsin.
How Miley Cyrus’ ‘Happy Hippie Foundation’ responded
Cyrus non-profit Happy Hippie Foundation, which supports the LGBTQ community and homeless youth, tweeted a series of posts in response to the news.
“To the inspiring first grade students at Heyer Elementary, keep being YOU. We believe in our Happy Hippie heart that you’ll be the ones to brush the judgment and fear aside and make all of us more understanding and accepting,” read a tweet.
In a follow-up post, the foundation stated that they had made a donation to the organization ‘Pride and Less Prejudice’, which provides LGBTQ-inclusive books for children from pre-K all the way through to grade three.
Why ‘Rainbowland’ was banned
The response comes after ‘Rainbowland’ was pulled from the spring concert at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
According to the school district, the song was suggested to the music teacher, who then asked the principal for approval. The principal checked with a central office administrator where they reviewed the song alongside the district’s ‘Board Policy 2240 - Controversial Issues in the Classroom.’
In the end, ‘Rainbowland’ was rejected as it “could be deemed controversial.”
Waukesha Superintendent James Sebert later emailed a statement to the Wisconsin Public Radio, stating: “The question was around whether the song was appropriate for the age and maturity level of the first-grade students.”
The song is an electro pop song performed by Cyrus and Parton on Cyrus’ album, ‘Younger Now’ in 2017.
“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 about the song.
“It’s really just about dreaming and hoping that we could all do better. It’s a good song for the time right now.”
The song includes lyrics like: “Living in Rainbowland/ Where you and I go hand in hand/ Oh, I’d be lying if I said this was fine/ All the hurt and the hate going on here/ We are rainbows, me and you/ Every color, every hue/ Let’s shine on through/ Together, we can start living in a Rainbowland,” they sing on the song.
‘Rainbowland’ was replaced with the Muppets’ ‘Rainbow Connection’, which was initially banned and later accepted following pushback from parents and Waukesha’s Alliance for Education.
Language teacher Melissa Tempel told WPR that while she wasn’t offered a reason for the ban, the only common thread between the two songs is the use of the word ‘rainbow’.