Trump Uses and Abuses Musicians' Songs At His Rallies: Cease and Desist

 

“I’ve been covering this beat for probably 20 years, and this is probably as stark a division I’ve seen as far as artists not wanting a politician to use their songs. The choice is so stark for a lot of voters, and it is for musicians too.”

– Billboard contributor Gil Kaufman

Donald Trump's campaign rallies have been filled with classic songs whose authors and their heirs loudly reject him and his politics – including notables like Neil Young, John Fogerty, Phil Collins, Panic! At The Disco, and the estates of Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and Prince.

Andrew Dalton, AP entertainment writer said …

“Campaigns have been turning popular songs into theme songs for more than a century, and American artists have been objecting at least since 1984, when Bruce Springsteen denied the use of 'Born in the U.S.A.' to the Ronald Reagan reelection campaign.

“But this year, the issue has reached an unprecedented saturation point, indicative of a wide cultural divide between the president and his supporters, and overwhelmingly left-leaning musicians, who virtually never make the same demands of Democratic candidates.”

(Andrew Dalton. “Stop the music! Chorus of artists tell Trump to turn it down.” ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/stop-music-chorus-artists-trump-turn-73856326?cid=clicksource_4380645_15_comic_strip_sq_hed. October 27, 2020.)

To object, Neil Young has filed a lawsuit over the repeated use of his songs by Trump.

“Imagine what it feels like to hear ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ after this President speaks, like it is his theme song,” Young wrote on his website in July. “I did not write it for that.”

Rolling Stone reports that countless artists have condemned politicians for using their music without their permission, but often there is little an artist can actually do to stop them. Campaigns can procure special licenses with publishing giants BMI and ASCAP, which authorizes the public performance of millions of songs at campaign events.

Artists, however, can work with BMI and ASCAP to remove their songs from beneath this umbrella, as the Rolling Stones did recently after Trump played the Rolling Stones' “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” at the Tulsa rally.

(Jon Blistein. “Neil Young Files Lawsuit Against Trump Campaign Over Song Usage.” Rolling Stone. August 04, 2020.)

Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards signed an open letter to both the Republican and Democratic parties asking them to specifically "pledge that all candidates you support will seek consent from featured recording artists and songwriters before using their music in campaign and political settings."

Other artists have been more befuddled than angry about the playing of songs whose themes are the exact opposite of the messages Trump is sending.

John Fogerty said he was baffled by Trump’s use of “Fortunate Son,” his 1969 hit with Creedence Clearwater Revival, whose condemnation of privileged children of rich men who did not serve in Vietnam sounds like a tailor-made slam of Trump.

Announcing a cease-and-desist order, Fogerty said in an interview on Facebook …

“I find it confusing that the president has chosen to use my song for his political rallies, when in fact it seems like he is probably the fortunate son. He is using my words and my voice to portray a message that I do not endorse.”

(Andrew Dalton. “Stop the music! Chorus of artists tell Trump to turn it down.” ABC News. October 27, 2020.)

Tom Petty’s widow and daughters, who had been fighting in court over his estate, united in their demand in June that Trump stop using his song, “I Won't Back Down." In as statement, they affirmed Petty and his family “firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind,” calling the Trump campaign a “campaign of hate” and issuing a cease-and-desist notice.

Leonard Cohen's estate attorneys vehemently objected to the prominent use of “Hallelujah" during the final-night fireworks at the Republican National Convention in August, saying in a statement it was an attempt to “politicize and exploit” a song they had specifically told the RNC not to use.

There is a long history of such objections to Trump using artists' music for his campaign. For example, back in 2016, the estate of the late Beatles singer George Harrison stated: “The unauthorized use of ‘Here Comes the Sun’ at the RNC is offensive & against the wishes of the George Harrison estate,” joking that they may have approved the use of Harrison's “Beware of Darkness.”

(Andrew Solender. “All The Artists Who Have Told Trump To Stop Using Their Songs At His Rallies.” Forbes. Updated July 04, 2020.)

Not only musical artists but also their fans have joined the drive to affirm their distaste for Trump and any benefit from these songs. Protest songs are making a comeback thanks to the president.

In February 2017, Rolling Stone featured an article citing “a new wave of protest songs” against Trump. The protest songs include the Carole King classic “One Small Voice,” Billy Bragg's "The Times They Are A-Changing Back," Loudon Wainwright III's "I Had a Dream," Fiona Apple's “Tiny Hands,” and MILCK with GW Sirens and Capital Blend's "Quiet."

( Jon Lolan, Hank Shteamer, and Suzy Exposito. “13 Great Anti-Trump Protest Songs.” Rolling Stone. February 21, 2017.)

Why Trump continues to use songs whose composers object to the exploitation is puzzling. And, more perplexing to many artists is why he uses lyrics that do not relate to his policies or his beliefs. Chris Willman, features editor at Variety, reported …

“If 'The Princess Bride’s' Inigo Montoya were to ever attend a Donald Trump rally or watch his campaign’s videos, it’s clear what he’d say: “You keep using that song. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

(Chris Willman. “Trump’s Bizarre Music Picks: How Linkin Park’s ‘In the End’ and Other Campaign Songs Send a Strangely Defeatist Message.” Variety. July 19, 2020.)

In 2020, Trump continually uses the Village People's “YMCA” at his re-election rallies. Victor Willis of the group – who also holds 50 percent of the copyright to the song – says Trump is welcome to continue using “YMCA. Willis just wants to see the commander in chief do the iconic dance. Willis told Bloomberg news …

“’YMCA’ is everybody’s anthem and go-to song for fun. As for the president’s use, I have not granted permission for use at his rallies because permission is not required … If I were a Trump hater maybe I’d sue him simply out of spite. I am not, and I’m not going to have my lawyers sue the president. But he should at least do the ‘YMCA’ dance while he’s at it.”

(Steven Nelson. “‘YMCA’ writer OK with Trump using song — but he wants to see him dance.” The New York Post. September 11, 2020.)

“YMCA”? Village People? Trump dancing? The horror. Yet, the bizarre gyrations at Trump's political rallies during the COVID-19 pandemic are somehow apropos. These health-defiant events feature large crowds comprised of unmasked attendees refusing to social distance.

“Young man, there's a place you can go
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time”

If the Trump crowd's idea of a “good time” is attending these superspreading events to support a leader whose flimflam, hokey, reality-show presidency divides the nation, then these Trump rallies are indeed “a place they can go” to revel in conscienceless idolatry.

Tomi Ahonen, “The Bigly Bus Boy Of Nebraska,” @tomiahonen gave his own “YMCA” lyrics a shot. The amusing but revealing words project Tomi's view of Trump's association with the song:

“Trump man

There's a need to feel down

I said, Trump man

Find yourself on the ground

I said, Trump man

Cause you're soon out of town

There's a need to be unhappy

“It's fun to take all that Dexamethasone

It's fun to take all that Dexamethasone”