The news that longtime couple Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are splitting up after nearly two decades of marriage has become tabloid fodder since the breakup was announced Monday, September 29.
But Urban gave the rumor mill more to chew on at a recent concert, where he changed the lyrics of a song in a suggestive way.
The song is “Fighter,” Urban’s 2016 chart-topping hit, which was inspired by a conversation he had with Kidman.
At a recent show, Urban revised one of the song’s lines, making it a dedication to his new, young guitarist, Maggie Baugh.
The original lyrics are, “When they’re tryna get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter.” Urban changed them to, “When they’re tryna get to you, Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player.”
The change might have gone unnoticed, except that Baugh posted the clip to her Instagram with the caption, “did he just say that?” along with the eyes emoji.
Fans weren’t happy about it, especially since “Fighter” is a testament to Urban’s marriage with Kidman.
As the guitarist explained to Billboard in 2016, “It’s all from a conversation my wife and I had early on in our relationship, that when things get tough, I need to hold her tighter and just try to take care of her.
“The song is about wanting to heal somebody, wanting to take care of somebody, wanting to protect somebody. It’s really like a vow in so many ways.”
Urban’s recent choice of songs on the tour has also been getting notice. On September 12, a few weeks before his split with Kidman made headlines, he covered Loverboy’s 1981 hit “Turn Me Loose” at a show in Calgary, Alberta. It’s the first time he’s performed the song, which was a number six hit for the group on Billboard’s Top Rock Tracks chart.
Granted, the “Working for the Weekend” hitmakers are from Calgary, and Urban was likely covering the tune to please the hometown fans. But he may have had his impending divorce on his mind.
In happier news, Urban reported this past summer that he’s working with PRS Guitars on a new signature guitar based on Clarence, the beloved 40th Anniversary Fender Telecaster he’s owned since 1989.
Urban clearly has affection for his guitars. As he told Rick Beato, after he lost many guitars in the 2010 Nashville flood, he felt like he was cheating on them when he bought an Eric Clapton signature Stratocaster off eBay. With a recording date on the calendar, he had little choice but to buy at least one new electric guitar.
I felt like I was cheating on my guitars that were on life support in the hospital, and I’m looking at dating sites.”
— Keith Urban
Still, it didn’t feel right. Kind of like “cheating.”
“It shows up. I start the record with this Clapton Strat, and then I’m looking on eBay and I find some nice guitars,” he told Beato. “I felt like I was cheating on my guitars that were on life support in the hospital, and I’m looking at dating sites.
“That’s what it felt like. I’m, like, ‘You never know. I might have to start a new relationship.’ It felt so awful getting anything new while all my babies were floating around in a river. So I got one or two guitars, and that was it. I couldn’t get a bunch of new stuff. I just couldn’t do it.”
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