Just as Donald Trump
employs flags and hats and tweets to promote his vitriolic and
self-professed patriotic “Make America Great Again” agenda, he
also plays rock music at his rallies to promote himself as a figure
in tune with the musical culture.
This jingoism is
particularly offensive when artists by the dozens have protested to
Trump's use of their music and his unsolicited association with their
names. To blocking him from using their songs to using their names
while speaking out about his divisive messages, these musicians have
opposed Trump. In his egotistical manner, it seems Trump seldom
listens.
This opposition has been
going on long before Trump took office. And, once he was elected, it
continued. Consider that barely anybody wanted to perform at his
inauguration, and the ones who did were pretty much “ho-hums” –
country artists Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood, rock groups 3 Doors
Down and The Piano Guys. In fact, many artists publicly declared they
would not perform if asked while others received considerable
backlash for agreeing to appear.
In this post, I will
report about the views and actions of rock artists who denounce
Donald Trump. These are only a few of the musicians who do so. Many
more exist, and artists from other genres of music – hip hop, R&B,
jazz, etc. – oppose Trump.
I do not condone name
calling or some of the raw language used by these artists; however,
to omit the facts would distort the actual response of these rockers.
So, for your curious minds, here are the remarks and actions of some
rock musicians who have been in conflict with Donald Trump.
Elton John
Although Trump has a
fascination with Elton John, Elton is a noted Trump detractor who
publicly denounced his songs being used by Trump. This came to light
when the then-presidential hopeful would frequently use “Rocket
Man” and “Tiny Dancer” as warm-up music for his campaign
rallies. John said: “I’m British. I’ve met Donald Trump, he was
very nice to me, it’s nothing personal, his political views are his
own, mine are very different, I’m not a Republican in a million
years.” John said, before laying down a truly exquisite burn. “Why
not ask Ted fucking Nugent?”
R.E.M.
“Go fuck yourselves, you
sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men,” Michael Stipe
said in a statement tweeted by the band’s bassist Mike Mills after
'It's The End Of The World…' was used at a Tea Party rally. “Do
not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a
campaign.” Mills added, “the Orange Clown will do anything for
attention. I hate giving it to him."
Neil Young
“Donald Trump was not
authorized to use 'Rockin in the Free World' in his presidential
candidacy announcement," read a statement from Neil Young after
Trump did exactly that. Even though Young acknowledged he has no
legal means to stop him. “I asked him then, in a widely shared,
public letter to cease and desist,” Young writes. “However, he
chose not to listen to my request, just as he chooses not to listen
to the many American voices who ask him to stop his constant lies, to
stop his petty, nasty name calling and bullying, to stop pushing his
dangerous, vilifying and hateful rhetoric.”
David Crosby
Neil Young's CSNY bandmate
Crosby summed up the above gaffes pretty succinctly: “Donald Trump
has picked a fight with the wrong guy ...bad idea.” The founding
member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash told CNN’s Chris
Cuomo he believes Trump has sunk to “a brand new level of low”
because he has “no morals,” “no restraint” and “no
intelligence.”
Cher
At an event in support of
Hillary Clinton in Massachusetts, Cher voiced her concerns for
minorities about Trump's campaign for the presidency. "He
doesn't mean we want to 'Make America Great Again,'" she said.
"He means: 'We want to make America straight and white'. He just
says the weirdest shit... I just think he's a fucking idiot."
In an interview with
Billboard, Cher said, "I don't like anything about Donald
Trump. It's a joke at a time when you really need serious people."
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones refused
to allow their music to be part of Trump's campaign. After watching
the Republican candidate walk out to "Start Me Up" after
his Indiana primary victory and continuously using "You Can't
Always Get What You Want" and "Brown Sugar," the band
had enough. "The Rolling Stones have never given permission to
the Trump campaign to use their songs," a rep for the
band told Billboard.
The Stones had to release
statements not once, but twice, demanding Trump immediately “cease
all use” of their songs, eventually clarifying that they “do not
endorse” the nominee after he kept using their tunage “without
the band’s permission.”
Mick Jagger eventually
conceded that there was no effective way to get Trump to stop using
their music, equating the usage to something a theater or restaurant
does as background noise: “They can play what they want … you
can’t stop them.”
Bono
U2 front man Bono compared
Trump to a casino owner. “Look, America is like the best idea the
world ever came up with. But Donald Trump is potentially the worst
idea that ever happened to America, potentially... America is an
idea, and that idea is bound up in justice and equality for all -
equality and justice for all, you know? I don't think he's a
Republican. I think he’s hijacked the party, and I think he’s
trying to hijack the idea of America. And I think it’s bigger than
all of us... People of conscience should not let this man turn your
country into a casino.”
Bruce Springsteen
The Boss said: "The
republic is under siege by a moron, basically. The whole thing is
tragic. Without overstating it, it's a tragedy for our democracy."
He told Gayle King of “CBS This Morning”: "The stewardship
of the nation is – has been thrown away to somebody who doesn't
have a clue as to what that means. … And unfortunately, we have
somebody who I feel doesn't have a grasp of the deep meaning of what
it means to be an American."
Tom Morello
In an introduction to folk
singer Ryan Harvey's song, 'Old Man Trump', the Rage Against The
Machine guitarist said, "I'm standing up against Old Man Trump.
When it comes to race relations, he's like an old-school
segregationist. When it comes to foreign policy, he's like an
old-school napalmist. When it comes to women's issues, he's like a
frat house rapist. So let's not elect that guy."
Roger Waters
“He is pig-ignorant and
he always was and he always will be,” said the ex-Floyd campaigner.
During Waters's shows (2017), giant images of Donald Trump, which
depict the US president with lipstick, breasts and wearing a Ku Klux
Klan hood, were beamed up on a giant screen: a selection of the
most offensive Donald Trump quotes about, for example, Mexico and
women were then screened followed by the words “F**k Trump.”
Katy Perry
During the first
presidential debate, Perry voiced her support of Hillary Clinton on
Twitter, quoting the Democratic nominee's best comments to Trump –
like "You live in your own reality" – and later appearing
in a video encouraging people to vote, naked or not. Perry said
(November 2018) Trump’s response to the wildfires spreading across
California was “absolutely heartless.” She continued: “There
aren’t even politics involved. Just good American families losing
their homes as you tweet, evacuating into shelters.”
Madonna
Madonna showed her
appreciation for Donald Trump by getting a piñata in his likeness
for her 11-year-old son's birthday. She also defended her friend
Rosie O'Donnell after Trump doubled down on his ongoing feud with
her. "Mess with my girl Rosie," she tweeted, "and
you're messing with me!!! Cruelty never made anyone a winner."
Madonna now lives in Portugal, telling Vogue Italia she moved
her family because they "needed a change." She said, "I
wanted to get out of America for a minute—as you know, this is not
America's finest hour,
Adele
Adele's camp sent a
cease-and-desist letter to keep her No. 1 hit "Rolling in the
Deep" and other singles from being used at Trump's political
rallies. In a statement to Billboard, Adele's camp said: "Adele
has not given permission for her music to be used for any political
campaigning."
Queen
Queen condemned the
repeated usage of their beloved jam “We Are the Champions” during
Trump’s stage appearance at the Republican National Convention and
beyond. “I can confirm that permission to use the track was neither
sought nor given,” Brian May, one of the band’s three surviving
members, explained. Trump continued to use “We Are the
Champions” in the months leading up to the election. “We are
frustrated by the repeated unauthorized use of the song after a
previous request to desist,” they collectively said, “which has
obviously been ignored by Mr. Trump and his campaign.”
George Harrison’s
Estate
The estate of George
Harrison immediately denounced the “unauthorized” use of
the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” — which was written by
Harrison for Abbey Road — as walk-on music for both Trump
and his daughter Ivanka. “It’s offensive and against the wishes
of the George Harrison estate,” Harrison’s official Twitter
wrote. “If it had been ‘Beware of Darkness,’ then we may have
approved it!” Burn!”
Aerosmith
Twice in 2015, Steven
Tyler’s reps presented Trump with a cease and desist
letter for his frequent use of “Dream On” at rallies and campaign
stops, a song that often resulted in Trump trying to air-drum the
instrumental parts. Following a few months of back-and-forth,
Trump eventually relented and stopped using the power
ballad, confirming his decision in one of his signature Twitter
musings: “Even though I have the legal right to use Steven Tyler’s
song, he asked me not to. Have better one to take its place!”
Fellow Aerosmith members
Steve Perry and Joey Kramer are vocal Republicans, with Kramer, in
particular, being a major Trump supporter. Did this encourage Trump
to continue?
Later, Trump used the 1993
“Livin’ on the Edge” at his recent presidential rallies around
the country. “What makes this violation even more egregious is that
Mr. Trump’s use of our client’s music was previously shut down,
not once, but two times, during his campaign for presidency in 2015,”
the heated letter from his attorney Tyler's read, in part. “Mr.
Tyler’s voice is easily recognizable and central to his identity,
and any use thereof wrongfully misappropriates his rights of
publicity.” Tyler’s attorney also asserts that the original cease
and desist letters were ignored by Trump, ever so rudely.
Prince’s Estate
Prince’s estate issued a
statement on October 13 warning both Trump and the White House never
to use “Purple Rain” after the president played it at one of his
pre-midterm election rallies. “The Prince Estate has never given
permission to President Trump or The White House to use Prince’s
songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately,”
Prince’s half-brother and of one his heirs, Omarr Baker, wrote.
“The Prince Estate will never
give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs.”
Don
Henley
The former Eagles star
made his feelings about the election clear during an appearance on
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. While performing "Too Much
Pride," a cut from his recent solo album “Cass County,”
Henley inserted "Donald" into a lyric that says: "You
don’t have to be right all the time / You can’t go on with all
these axes to grind." Later in the song, he added "Mr.
Trump" to the lyric "Empires rise, and empires fall / You
stick around here long enough you’ll see it all / Now it looks like
it’s gone nationwide / Too much pride."
Carlos Santana
Santana announced a plan
to stop Trump's candidacy (2016), saying he wanted to convene “a
grand summit of peace and love.” He'd start by inviting "the
pope, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and others who have won Nobel
Peace Prizes – seven men and seven women – and invite them
together, like in a Star Trek movie. We can go to the Sydney Opera
House or a resort in Honolulu.”
Carlos Santana said
(2017): “I use the remote control to tune (Trump) right out of my
house. So he has no power or no attention span from me. I just turn
him off immediately. We should learn that we’re at that point as
humans to make the table bigger and not the wall taller.”
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
denounced Trump’s unauthorized use of “Crazy Train” in a
Twitter video the president posted mocking the 2020 Democratic
primary candidates.
In
a statement to Rolling Stone, the Osbournes said, “Based on
this morning’s unauthorized use of Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy
Train,’ we are sending notice to the Trump campaign (or any other
campaigns) that they are forbidden from using any of Ozzy Osbourne’s
music in political ads or in any political campaigns. Ozzy’s music
cannot be used for any means without approvals.”
The Osbournes also offered
some alternative songs Trump could use, naming the smattering of
musicians that have voiced their support for him. “In the meantime,
we have a suggestion for Mr. Trump: perhaps he should reach out to
some of his musician friends. Maybe Kayne West (‘Gold Digger’),
Kid Rock (‘I Am the Bullgod’) or Ted Nugent (‘Stranglehold’)
will allow use of their music.”
Sources
John Blistein. Ozzy and
Sharon Osbourne Slam Trump Over Unauthorized Use of ‘Crazy Train.’
Rolling Stone. June 27, 2019.
“Classic Rock vs. Donald
Trump …” Ultimate Classic Rock. January 20, 2017.
Lauren Craddock. “29
Artists Who Have Spoken Out Against Donald Trump (So Far)”
Billboard. July 18, 2016.
Devon Ivie and Dee
Lockett. “A Brief History of Musicians Saying ‘Hell No’ to
Donald Trump’s Using Their Songs.” Vulture. November 7, 2018.
Omar Sanchez. “12 Music
Stars Who Slammed Trump for Using Their Songs at Campaign Rallies.”
The Wrap. November 5, 2018.
“The Musicians Who Hate
Donald Trump The Most.” NME. New Musical Express. November 8, 2016.
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