Can’t read my, can’t read my, no, he can’t read my poker face. And apparently he can’t understand the lyrics to it, either.
‘He’, in this instance, refers to every radio station that innocently played Lady Gaga’s hit track with no idea there was an explicit lyric that went straight over their heads.
The song quickly became a hit with fans after it was released in 2008, so naturally it made its way to radio station playlists, too.
Listeners happily sang along with Gaga, but there was one station that caught on to one X-rated lyric and realized it was not suitable for the airwaves.
That radio station was KIIS FM, and the ‘Just Dance’ hitmaker went on to applaud them for being the only ones to spot the lyric.
She addressed the song while speaking on stage the KIIS FM’s 2009 Wango Tango, telling the crowd: “KIIS FM is the smartest radio station in the whole world, and I’ll tell you why.
“Because [Poker Face] got played all over the world in thousands and tens of thousands of radio stations but KIIS FM is the only one that said I had to censor my lyric because they thought I might be saying something bad.”
Lady Gaga performing at 102.7’s KIIS-FM’s Wango Tango in 2009 (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
She went on to reveal that of all the places that played the song, ‘KIIS FM is the only one that was right’.
Now, if you’ve been running through the song in your head and trying to figure out the explicit lyric, allow me to explain.
You’re probably familiar with the bridge, where Gaga appears to just repeat ‘p-p-p-poker face’ four times… it turns out she’s actually saying something different.
The song actually says ‘p-p-p-poker face, f-f-f**k her face (mum-mum-mum-mah)’.
So, it’s safe to say it’s not suitable for the radio.
Fans have been left shocked at the revelation, with the clip of Gaga speaking about the song quickly going viral.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“Well I was today years old when I learned this and I’m 29,” wrote one surprised Gaga fan.
“I can’t unhear it now,” said another, while a third added: “My past whole teen existence is shooketh.”
Other fans insisted they’d known all along, though, with one writing: “I KNEW IT!!!!!” wrote one TikToker.
“And people always told me I was crazy when I said that was the lyric. WELL GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT,” fumed another.
Here’s hoping radio stations have sorted their censored versions by now!