Sam Smith removes ‘man’ from ‘Stay With Me’ lyrics: ‘Really important to me’
The 10 year anniversary edition of Sam Smith’s debut album is out now. (Getty)
Pop superstar Sam Smith has officially changed the lyrics of their 2014 hit “Stay With Me” to reflect their non-binary identity.
“Stay With Me” became Smith’s big international breakthrough, earning two Grammy Awards and topping the charts in the UK.
The gospel-tinged single tells a story of a yearning for a one-night stand to stay the longer, and included the lyric: “Guess it’s true, I’m not good at a one-night stand, but I still need love ’cause I’m just a man.”
But Smith, who came out as non-binary in 2019, now uses they/them pronouns and has changed the lyrics to read: “…but I still need love, baby understand”.
Smith’s updated version of the song will appear on the re-release of their debut album In The Lonely Hour, marking its tenth anniversary.
In an email to fans, Smith wrote: “This song is truly special to me. So, for the anniversary I re-recorded the track which will be available on all platforms and physical. Including the updated lyric felt really important to me.”
The singer went on to explain how the song came to be, and how they feel about it now, considering it’s one of their biggest songs.
“When me, [songwriters] Jimmy [Napes] and Tourist wrote this, none of us would’ve expected it to become what it has in the world,” Smith reflected.
“I will never forget Will [Phillips, aka Tourist] playing those three chords on the piano. I stopped everything I was doing and said: ‘What is that?’ Those chords and this song still stir me in the same way to this day.
“I’ve never once got sick of singing it. The meaning of this song changes for me whenever I sing it. The words ‘stay with me’ can mean a million different things and follow me throughout my life like an old friend.
“It’s beautiful to know that sometimes we can change the past.”
Smith has gone on to record several worldwide smashes, including the Oscar-winning James Bond film tune “Writing’s On The Wall”, and “Unholy” with trans singer Kim Petras.
“Unholy” made them the first out non-binary and trans musicians respectively to top the US Billboard Hot 100.
When Smith released “Man I Am” for the Barbie soundtrack, some social media users missed the fact that the song was tongue-in-cheek.
Last month, the star announced they would be launching an LGBTQ+ charity, The Pink House, to mark Pride month.
In The Lonely Hour (10th Anniversary Edition) will be released on 2 August.
