The 'Unholy' hitmaker details why they decided to change the lyrics on their hit song when they performed at a ceremony where President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law.
- Jan 21, 2023
AceShowbiz - Sam Smith is getting candid about their performance at White House last December. In a new interview, the "Unholy" hitmaker revealed NSFW reasons behind their decision to change the lyrics of their song "Stay With Me".
In the Thursday, January 19 episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", the 30-year-old crooner detailed the real reason why they decided to change the lyrics on their hit song when they performed at a ceremony where President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law.
"You sang 'Stay With Me', which I love, but you changed some of the lyrics?" host Jimmy Fallon asked. "Yeah, I did," confirmed Sam, who wore a long black dress that they paired with dangling earrings and a necklace.
"What lyrics did you change?" Jimmy wondered, to which Sam explained, "It's a lonely song about one night stands, so I decided…," before he could finish their sentence, the studio audience erupted into laughter.
"Is it?" Jimmy asked in disbelief. In response, Sam stressed, "Yeah, it is," before adding that the real meaning of the song "is pretty depressing." A shocked Jimmy then confessed, "I always sing it happy." Sam then replied, "But I changed it to, like, be a love song. And it was really beautiful. And there's certain lyrics I'm going to keep forever."
Elsewhere during the TV interview, Sam gushed about meeting President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as Jimmy showed a photo of the non-binary singer posing with the politicians.
"He's fabulous. They're all great. Kamala loved my handbag, which I was very happy with," Sam recalled. "They were all very sweet and kind to me and everyone, my band, loved them. It was a beautiful day."
Sam gave the performance at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the U.S. presidential residence on December 13, 2022. In a statement posted on Instagram, they said that being present for the special moment had been a "landmark moment for freedom of love" and "hopefully just the beginning of the important work ahead."
"I felt inspired to change the lyrics of Stay With Me from, 'this ain't love, it's clear to see' to 'this is love, it's clear to see' to mark the historic occasion," Sam added. The "I'm Not the Only One" singer went on elaborating, "Watching President Biden sign the Respect for Marriage Act was a landmark moment for freedom of love and hopefully just the beginning of the important work ahead to continue to expand the protections of the LGBTQ+, non-binary and transgender communities; and build towards a world where love is celebrated regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or sexuality."
