Just days after Pauline Hanson and Holly Valance’s “Kiss Kiss (XX) My Arse” topped the iTunes best-selling chart, the controversial song has been removed from Apple Music.
The track, released on January 26th, was a reworked version of Valance’s early-2000s hit “Kiss Kiss”, reimagined with new lyrics taking aim at what Hanson described as “woke culture”, including references to gender identity and progressive politics. Valance co-wrote and performed the updated version, which quickly attracted attention amid Australia Day discourse.
Within hours of its release, “Kiss Kiss (XX) My Arse” surged to No. 1 on Apple Music’s iTunes best-sellers chart – a ranking based solely on paid downloads, not streaming numbers. That spike briefly placed the song ahead of recent mainstream releases, including Olivia Dean’s triple j Hottest 100-winning track “Man I Need”.
Despite its visibility on the downloads chart, the song failed to gain meaningful traction on streaming platforms, where the vast majority of music consumption now occurs. Prior to its removal, the song did not appear on Australia’s major streaming charts, nor has it met requirements to break into the country’s official rankings. At the time of publication, it has had just 50,000 streams on Spotify.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ has contacted Apple Music for comment.
Apple Music shows an error when you search for the song
Meanwhile, ARIA has confirmed that the song’s limited streaming performance has kept it out of contention for its official charts. In a statement provided to Rolling Stone AU/NZ, ARIA said: “Currently, the song has currently not been placed on survey and therefore isn’t eligible to chart.”
ARIA’s weekly charts are compiled using a combination of streaming data and sales, weighted to reflect overall consumption. As a result, a No. 1 showing on a download-only ranking does not automatically translate into broader chart success.
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In the same week as the song’s release, several artists distanced themselves from One Nation, including Hoodoo Gurus and Men at Work’s Colin Hay.
In a post shared on social media, Hoodoo Gurus said they were “disgusted” to learn one of their songs had been played by One Nation during an Australia Day rally, describing the group as “wannabe fascists”.
“Like most Australians, we have always been appalled by Pauline Hanson and the toxic nonsense she spouts,” they wrote. “We want nothing to do with you. In fact, we wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire.”
Similarly, Hay shared his disapproval of his band’s song – “Down Under” – being used by Australian anti-immigration protesters, particularly in the lead up to January 26th.
“Let me say that I most strenuously disapprove of any unauthorised, unlicensed use of ‘Down Under’, for any ‘March for Australia’ events,” Hay wrote. “‘Down Under’, a song I co-wrote, does not belong to those who attempt to sow xenophobia within the fabric of our great land, our great people. ‘Down Under’ is ultimately a song of celebration. It’s for pluralism and inclusion; unity, not division.”
At time of publication, neither Hanson nor Valance had publicly commented on the song’s removal from Apple Music.
