For most singers, switching up lyrics is a trick of the trade. But Keith Urban’s recent musical revision has taken on a new light following his split from wife Nicole Kidman.
A resurfaced concert clip of the Grammy-winning country singer performing his 2016 hit “The Fighter,” a track inspired by his relationship with Kidman, shows that Urban tweaked one of the song’s lyrics, seemingly removing the tribute to Kidman.
In the clip, shared by Urban’s utility player and country singer Maggie Baugh in a Sept. 27 Instagram post, Urban altered the song’s original lyric “When they’re tryna get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter” to “When they’re tryna get to you, Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player.”
“The Fighter,” taken from Urban’s ninth album “Ripcord,” was released as a collaboration with fellow country superstar Carrie Underwood. The song peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and was later certified triple platinum.
Urban, who was married to Kidman for nearly 20 years, opened up to Billboard in a 2017 interview about how Kidman inspired the love song.
“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,” Urban, 57, told the outlet. “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.”
Keith Urban’s lyric change criticized amid Nicole Kidman divorce
Urban’s lyrical switcheroo is not striking the right chord.
Following news of Urban and Kidman’s divorce filing, fans took to social media to criticize the alternate lyric, suggesting it was dismissive of Urban’s relationship with the Oscar-winning actress.
“Nicole deserves better,” Instagram user @loosaratops wrote, while @catherinegeorge commented, “Show some class Keith for goodness sake!”
“It is so trashy to do this to a song inspired by his wife,” @smjake wrote. “It’s the ultimate ick.”
“Wow, that song was made for Nicole. For him to do that tells us what he’s really all about,” @femmigirlz commented. “That’s just disgusting.”
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman break up: Couple separates after 19 years of marriage
Why did Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman divorce?
Kidman filed for divorce from Urban on Tuesday, Sept. 30, according to records from Tennessee’s Davidson County Circuit Court reviewed by USA TODAY. The filing came one day after news of the couple’s separation became public.
Kidman’s complaint, signed Monday, Sept. 29, and obtained by USA TODAY Network’s The Nashville Tennessean, confirmed the two are living in separate Nashville homes amid their split. The grounds for the divorce are “irreconcilable differences,” Kidman, 58, wrote.
Kidman also asked the court to name her the “primary residential parent of the minor children.” Urban and Kidman are parents to two daughters, 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 14-year-old Faith Margaret.
Keith Urban, right, and Nicole Kidman walk the red carpet during the 57th annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 8, 2023.
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman split: Actress files for divorce from country star
USA TODAY reached out to both Kidman and Urban’s representatives for comment.
Kidman and Urban first met in Los Angeles in 2005 and married just over a year later near Sydney, Australia. They celebrated their 19th anniversary on June 25, 2025.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Keith Urban changes song tribute to Nicole Kidman in resurfaced clip
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