The Destiny’s Child Lyrics That Landed Them in Court for Libel

When Destiny’s Child first recorded their empowering anthem, “Survivor,” in 2001, they likely had no idea how soon they’d put their song’s message to the test when their lyrics landed them in court for libel just one year later. Of course, history would show that Destiny’s Child managed to survive the dramatic legal battle.

But to do that, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams would have to go head-to-head with their former bandmates.

The Lyrics That Led To The Lawsuit Against Destiny’s Child

Even those vaguely familiar with early 2000s pop know the earworm hook of Destiny’s Child’s 2001 track “Survivor.” I’m a survivor, I’m not gon’ give up, I’m gon’ work harder, I’m a survivor, the women sing in three-part harmony. The track followed a rising trend of empowering female anthems around that same time á la No Doubt’s “Just a Girl,” Britney Spears’ “Stronger,” and, later, Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter.”

But trouble would arise for the trio when two former bandmates, LeToya Tuckett and LaTavia Roberson, took offense to Destiny’s Child’s lyrics in the song’s first verse. Now that you’re out of my life, I’m so much better, Beyoncé begins as Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams sing back-up. You thought I’d be stressed without you, but I’m chillin’, you thought I wouldn’t sell without you, sold nine million.

Almost one year after Destiny’s Child released “Survivor,” Tuckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against the R&B trio and their label, Sony Music, citing breaches of contract and defamation. According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, the lyrics about selling nine million records without you directly referred to the former members. This, they argued, violated a contract that stated no former or current band members would make “any public comment of a disparaging nature concerning one another” (via Billboard).

What the Remaining Trio Said the Song Was Really About

In a 2001 interview with MTV News, Beyoncé, Rowland, and Williams discussed their album, its title track, “Survivor,” and the inspiration behind the song and its iconic, beachy music video. According to Beyoncé, the idea for “Survivor” came from a discussion that likened the musical trio to the Survivor television series. “Which one is gonna get voted off?” Beyoncé explained. “It was a joke, but it was cute.”

“It inspired me to write a song,” she continued. “We can use that negative thing and turn it into a positive thing and do a whole Survivor video and laugh at them and make a fool out of them. That’s what we did. It’s a positive song, and it’s something that we can relate to and something that a lot of people can relate to — not only people that’s been through things in groups but surviving cancer, AIDS, racism, all the different things that happen in life.”

When former Destiny’s Child members Luckett and Roberson first filed their lawsuit about the Grammy Award-winning song, Destiny’s Child’s attorney, Tom Fulkerson, said, “It’s unfortunate that the plaintiffs have nothing better to do with their time than to dream up new lawsuits to file” (via Billboard). The plaintiffs settled their lawsuit against their ex-bandmates privately the night before the trial’s first day.

Photo by Rtcanova/Mediapunch/Shutterstock