American Idol

American Idol may be able to tell their contestants what they can and can't sing, but they can't censor Pink!

Pink's pre-taped performance of her song "Who Knew" is scheduled to air tonight on Idol (after being bumped from the Idol Gives Back charity episode), but TMZ has learned that the pop star was originally set to sing her current racy hit, "U + Ur Hand."

Reportedly, when the American Idol powers-that-be realized the song made references to self-love, they asked Pink to alter the lyrics to make them more appropriate for the "family-friendly" show.

Well-placed sources tell TMZ that Pink wasn't willing to compromise her artistic integrity and agreed to sing her last single, "Who Knew," instead.

If Idol really wanted to protect audiences, there's only one person they should have censored - Sanjaya Malakar.

Calls to reps for P!nk and "Idol" were not immediately returned.