Over the previous 9 or so years the identical unusual and uncomfortable second has been skilled by some of our high recording artists. Presumably, that is felt and marks an expertise reserved simply for them as a result of of their abilities, and evidently it could hit as a mix of emotions: sheer dread and stark indignance or the unhappiness that comes with profound loss blended with the malice that rides with betrayal or a theft. That is the second when a handful of essentially the most gifted musicians of the previous 50-plus years realized that Donald Trump, or his marketing campaign crew, has plucked one of their songs — typically, one of the musician’s most interesting hours — and used it, with out permission, to propel his presidential marketing campaign.
R.E.M., Weapons N’ Roses, Neil Younger — these are just a few of the artists who doubtless felt the disbelief that comes with studying that their deeply private work, these soul-searching lyrics, perfectly-crafted music and their bursts of expression, have been co-opted to push an agenda to which they’ve deep opposition. All three artists together with many others, have grabbed headlines for denouncing the unauthorized use of their work by Trump within the 2016 and 2020 races; R.E.M. threatened authorized motion in opposition to “45” whereas Weapons N’ Roses riffed on their infringed-upon hit Wings cowl by creating Trump-related T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase, “Live N’ Let Die with COVID 45.”
Because the nation is now entrenched within the former president’s third race for the White Home, and given the myriad tweets and statements denouncing the use of many songs, the ignored stop and desist notices, and the air of unbridled rage surrounding the matter, one would assume Trump and his crew would start to train warning on the choice of tunes performed to excite or in any other case affect the feelings of his present and would-be supporters. However then, why ought to Trump and his workers hassle? Till just lately, not one artist has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Trump and caught it out in court docket for utilizing these songs with out permission. It is because, as lawyer James L. Walker beforehand informed The Hollywood Reporter, the trouble and the worth tag of suing Trump is a significant deterrent; most anybody doesn’t have the time or bandwidth to pull Trump to court docket — which, with the previous president, has grow to be the frequent reasoning to simply stroll away and permit his questionable enterprise practices to proceed.
Nonetheless, this may occasionally all change subsequent week when Trump, his marketing campaign and a number of other of its boosters will face Isaac Hayes III in an Atlanta courtroom. Hayes is the primary to undergo with a go well with associated to Crew Trump’s frequent and unapologetic tendency towards infringing on copyright. To mark the event, THR has compiled all of the songs that Trump has used within the 2024 marketing campaign, solely to get bitten by the wrath of the artist or rights-holder within the public sphere.
The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
“Oh….Don’t even think about using my music you fascists,” White posted on Instagram on Thursday after a Trump communications staffer posted a video displaying the candidate strolling onto a aircraft as he headed to Michigan, White’s dwelling state. “Lawsuit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your five thousand others).” They by no means study, do they? The entire scenario echoes the same use of “Seven Nation Army” in a 2016 Trump marketing campaign advert. Again then, White and his report label launched a merch sequence with “Icky Trump” swapped in for the band’s then-most-recent album, Icky Thump.
Sinéad O’Connor – “Nothing Compares 2 U”
A joint assertion denouncing Trump’s use of O’Connor’s large hit got here from the late singer’s property and report label after his marketing campaign performed the tune — written by Prince for his band, The Household, and later rearranged in a canopy by the Irish singer-songwriter — at rallies in North Carolina and Maryland in March. “It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she, herself, referred to as a ‘biblical devil,’” the assertion learn. “As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately.” Ouch.
The Smiths – “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”
The Smiths’ tender ballad, written in waltz-time, being piped into the large venues the place Trump held a January rally in New Hampshire and it quickly emerged, in 2023 in South Dakota, was jarring for followers of the beloved Nineteen Eighties Manchester band. Nevertheless it was simply an excessive amount of for Johnny Marr, who wrote the music to which frontman Morrissey croons out lyrics that pull off being each bitingly ironic and deeply honest. “Ahh…right…OK. I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this shit shut right down right now,” Marr wrote on X (previously Twitter) following the use of the tune, initially a b-side to an early hit single. Morrissey, whose political slide to the far proper noticed him praising the right-wing, populist U.Okay. Independence get together and Reform U.Okay. get together chief Nigel Farage, by no means publicly commented on the basic monitor’s use by Trump.
Celine Dion – “My Heart Will Go On”
At a rally in Montana earlier in August, a video confirmed Trump taking part in Dion’s iconic Titanic theme tune as the gang swayed and tears have been jerked. Dion, it appears, couldn’t consider it, and recent off her show-stopping efficiency on the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony, she took trip of her busy schedule to make sure that he heard about Queen Céline’s disapproval. The singer’s administration and Sony Music Canada fired off a joint assertion indicating that “in no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” they wrote, ending off with the jab, “And really…that song?” As they are saying, for those who come for the queen, greatest not miss.
Sam & Dave – “Hold On I’m Comin’”
Right here’s the 1966 basic monitor that might finish Crew Trump’s reckless perspective towards copyright. “Hold On, I’m Comin’” was co-written by legendary singer Isaac Hayes within the Nineteen Sixties. Now, Hayes’ property, led by his son, Isaac Hayes III, is suing the Trump camp for use of the Sam & Dave hit throughout its rallies. The songwriter’s son stated that by his rely, it’s been used at the least 135 occasions over the previous a number of years with out Trump’s crew ever asking permission or paying the property to license the soul basic. Hayes informed THR that he was outraged when, at a 2022 Nationwide Rifle Affiliation rally that occurred within the wake of the Uvalde college taking pictures, the place 19 kids and two adults have been murdered, Trump closed his speech to that specific monitor whereas dancing. “I expect a full takedown of the song and the amount that was requested,” Hayes informed THR this month. “And never, never use that song again.”
Foo Fighters – “My Hero”
When bringing former unbiased candidate and bear cub corpse jokester Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at an Arizona rally, Trump had Foo Fighters’ favourite “My Hero” taking part in by way of the stadium. Dave Grohl and firm had a curt reply when this information came to visit the transom: “No”. A bit of a spat got here after this when a rep for the Trump marketing campaign asserted that the rights to the tune had been cleared for the GOP candidate; he even tweeted on the band, utilizing Foo Fighters songs: “It’s Times Like These facts matter, don’t be a Pretender,” Steven Cheung wrote. The band bought the final snort, nonetheless, when it introduced that any elevated royalties from the tune following its use on the Arizona occasion can be donated to Kamala Harris’ marketing campaign.
ABBA – “Money, Money, Money”
Simply this week, the Swedish superstars of ABBA doubtless felt that specific sting distinctive to the second one sees Trump’s marketing campaign when it has co-opted an excellent work. However for the beloved ABBA, it was a number of hits that have been used with out permission — the really Trump-appropriate “Money, Money, Money”; “The Winner Takes it All”; and their largest tune, “Dancing Queen.” The group has launched an official assertion and cease-and-desist demand; the band additionally requested Crew Trump that every one footage containing their hits be faraway from any platforms the place they seem.
Beyonce – “Freedom”
This highly effective monitor, now synonymous with the 2020 protests that rattled the nation and helped to raise its consciousness round its points with racism that got here after the police homicide of George Floyd, in addition to the marketing campaign of Trump’s Democratic rival Harris was scooped up and used with out permission by a higher-up in Trump’s camp, then instantly shot down and referred to as out by anybody who noticed what the GOP spokesman was making an attempt to do however failing at spectacularly. Subsequent got here these phrases: stop and desist and the surprise, each of what this staffer was considering and when another person within the GOP chief’s marketing campaign goes to tug one thing ridiculous like that once more.
