To say Kanye West is a lightning rod would be making the understatement of the year. And like Madonna over the decades, West just keeps finding new ways to re-invent himself — and be controversial.
He’s done it again with his new album, “Jesus Is King.” West vowed not to “sleep until this album is out,” and after 16 months, he released it on Friday.
On the album is a song titled, “Closed on Sundays.” It’s an ode to Chick-fil-A’s famous policy of being closed on the weekend day, the Sabbath, the day of the Lord.
“Closed on Sunday, you’re my Chick-fil-A,” West sings in the song. “Hold the selfies, put the ’Gram away, Get your family, y’all hold hands and pray.”
When you got daughters, always keep ’em safe
Watch out for vipers, don’t let them indoctrinate
Closed on Sunday, you my Chick-fil-A
You’re my number one, with the lemonade
Raise our sons, train them in the faith
Through temptations, make sure they’re wide awake
Follow Jesus, listen and obey
No more livin’ for the culture, we nobody’s slave
The song has, of course, caused controversy. Some on Twitter blasted the tune.
“I *hated* ‘closed on Sunday she my chic fil a’ the second I heard it and I’m gonna have to read it so many times before I mercifully die” wrote one Twitterer in a typical tweet.
I *hated* “closed on Sunday she my chic fil a” the second I heard it and I’m gonna have to read it so many times before I mercifully die
— Feitelberg (@FeitsBarstool) October 25, 2019
“LMAOO this dude Kanye has a song on this album that’s says “closed on Sunday, youre my chick fil a. Number one, with a lemonade,” said another.
LMAOO this dude Kanye has a song on this album that’s says “closed on Sunday, youre my chick fil a. Number one, with a lemonade.” pic.twitter.com/Oe36kjgGuK
— Isaac Gutierrez (@ByIsaacG) October 25, 2019
The song even drew a response from — you guessed it — Burger King.
open on sunday
— Burger Town (@BurgerKing) October 25, 2019
But lots of others praised the song, with one Twitter user comparing it to a Mozart symphony.
cultural impact:
███
███
███
███
███
███
███
███
███ _______
kanye west mozart’s
saying last symphony
“closed on sunday
ur my chick fil a”— Derrek Sena (@derreksena) October 25, 2019
Chick-fil-A loved the song. “We are always grateful to see excitement for the brand,” a Chick-fil-A Inc. spokesman told Fox News.
On the fast-food restaurant’s website, they explain the closed-Sunday policy. “At the end of a busy week, hours after the sun sets on Saturday evening, we turn out the lights and close our doors,” they say in a video. “For one day, our restaurants are still. Closing on Sunday is a practice established by our Founder Truett Cathy that we still hold true to today.”
“[W]e hope you can be with your family and friends. That’s the thought behind each Sunday story—delivering recipes, activities and inspiration that might bring you a little closer together.”
In his book, “Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People,” Cathy wrote: “Closing our business on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, is our way of honoring God and showing our loyalty to Him.”
That, as expected, has brought much hate from liberals.
On a website about song meanings, the authors write:
“… [O]utside of there being no actual basis to make such an assertion, having such a narrow-minded approach to ‘Closed on Sunday’ totally takes away from the actual meaning of ‘Closed on Sunday.’ And that is Kanye is calling on the audience to devote themselves to the goal of being more upright and spiritually-focused individuals. And in touting his own conversion into such, he is also presenting himself as a living example of someone who is not afraid to state what he believes in to the entire world. He does this despite knowing that many will not accept it.”
Listen to the song below: