Trump ignores artist protests to stop playing their songs at rallies as Biden gets the nod from The Boss and Taylor Swift
It doesn’t matter how many cease and desist letters Donald Trump gets, he’s still playing unauthorised songs by the world’s biggest stars. Here’s how he gets away with it.
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The irony deficiency is real when politicians pick their election playlists.
No music curator could have predicted the Village People’s high-camp anthem YMCA would become the smash hit of the US President’s campaign rallies, with Disco Donald busting out meme-worthy moves.
Why has the 1978 global hit now the signature song at Trump rallies? It appears to have been co-opted by his followers because they can easily substitute his MAGA motto into its chorus.
WHAT ELSE IS ON THE TRUMP 2020 ELECTION PLAYLIST?
His team are going for upbeat vibes or trading in nostalgia rather than matching message with their musical choices.
One of the recent additions to his election soundtrack has been Laura Branigan’s 1982 remake of the Italian hit Gloria, a love song which features the lyrics “If everybody wants you, why isn’t anybody callin’?”
Michael Jackson’s Beat It has been getting a regular spin with some pundits suggesting it is aimed at his media critics.
Creedence Clearwater Revivals’ Fortunate Son has been one of the faves for his big entrance – an ear-splittingly tone deaf selection as the song was an attack against the class divide during the Vietnam War which allowed the privileged to dodge the draft. Trump received five draft deferments during the war.
— John Fogerty (@John_Fogerty) October 16, 2020
Among the other regular tracks keeping his followers grooving between speeches, and commentators scratching their heads searching for symbolism, are Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, R.E.M.’s Everybody Hurts, Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way and Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On.
Queen’s We Are The Champions and the Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What – and Sympathy for the Devil (like seriously, WTF?) – keep on getting a spin despite both bands vehemently opposing Trump’s use of the works and threats of legal action.
HOW CAN TRUMP’S DJ KEEP PLAYING UNAUTHORISED SONGS?
Because he can. And will.
Politicians have to seek permission to use a song in a campaign ad as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden did with Taylor Swift’s Only The Young last week. Although the now politically-charged Swift probably offered it up to help court the votes of her fanbase.
But rallies are a different copyright matter. If the gathering is in a conventional venue like a stadium or arena, most of those already have a public performance license to play pretty much any song you can name.
And the campaign can obtain a broad broadcasting license to cover playing songs at their events elsewhere, like airport tarmacs or a farmer’s field.
But a raft of artists have issued cease and desist letters and initiated legal action to stop Trump using their songs at his events.
The Rolling Stones, Neil Young (Rockin’ In The Free World) and the estates of Tom Petty (I Won’t Back Down), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah) and Prince (Purple Rain) are pursuing legal avenues but not a lot of artists can afford the time or lawyer’s fees to stop Trump.
Others including Rihanna, Adele, R.E.M. and Phil Collins have publicly objected via social media about their hits landing on the rally playlist.
WHAT ARE BIDEN’S ELECTION BOPS?
Musicians tend to hail from the left side of the fence so the Biden/Harris socially-distanced, masked rallies haven’t drawn as much protest for their use of songs as campaign soundtracks.
Stevie Wonder even premiered his first new tunes in 15 years – Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate and Where Is Our Love Song – when he performed at a drive-in rally in Detroit last weekend.
Wonder’s Higher Ground has been a fave on the Biden playlist, with Bruce Springsteen another staunch supporter of the Democrat campaign, lending his We Take Care Of His Own to the rally soundtrack.
Other tracks in high rotation include Biden advocate Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory and David Bowie’s Heroes, while Lizzo, Cher and John Legend have also made personal appearances at his events.
Biden has also strategically used songs by a wide cross-section of Latin artists in his campaign ads to attract those voters, including Bad Bunny’s break-up song Pero Ya No (Not Anymore) as the music bed to an ad showing Trump throwing paper towels at Hurricane Maria survivors in Puerto Rico.
And of course there was that cringey moment when he played Despacito on his phone and dad-danced before his speech at a Hispanic Heritage Month event in Miami in September, inspiring the hashtag #DespacitoJoe
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