Trump and Music: Not Always an Easy Marriage

With the official nomination by the Republican Convention of Donald Trump as a candidate in the US presidential elections next November, the former president’s electoral campaign can get into full swing, even if unofficially it had already begun.

On the Democrats’ side, the situation is officially uncertain because the outgoing president is still “in the balance” over whether to be re-elected to the White House for a new term.

Political rallies and candidate campaign events are often accompanied by songs or musical pieces from both pop and classical music. For example, Trump’s recent acceptance of the nomination at the end of the convention after his injury was followed by the notes of the aria “No one sleeps” of Turandot by Puccini.

In the rallies of the past months and also in those of the two previous campaigns (2016 victorious and 2020 defeated by Biden) the American Republican political tycoon has used many popular songs. It has not always gone well, the authors have not always appreciated being part of the candidate’s soundtrack, most of the time against them.

The last dislike was expressed last March by the heirs of Sinead O’Connor who, interpreting the wishes and ideas of the late Irish singer, warned Trump against using “Nothing Compares 2U”. The song is also signed by Prince whose heirs had already denied the use of “ in 2019Purple Rain”.

But there are many mistrusts and dislikes in the indirect involvement, through one’s music, in Trump’s presidential race. In three (with this) presidential campaigns they said no among others: Adele ( “Rolling in The Deep” And “Skyfall” in 2016), the heirs by George Harrison (for the use of “Here Comes the Sun” which introduced the arrival of Ivanka Trump), Bruce Springsteen (of which was used “Born in the USA”) who instead firmly supports the Democrats (in 2016 Hillary Clinton). English too Johnny Marrguitarist of the Smithsdenied this year the authorization to use its “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want“.

Protests are also coming from Great Britain. Mick Jagger And Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones who oppose Trump’s use of the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want“. The band sent him cease-and-desist letters for using the song in 2016, and after Trump used it again in June 2020, the band joined with Broadcast Music, Inc. to threaten legal action if the song was used again.

Again from the European side of the Atlantic came the protest of Phil Collins whose legal team sent a cease-and-desist order to the Trump campaign after the unauthorized use of “In the Air Tonight” in a 2020 rally.

The heirs of Leonard Cohen they stated that they had expressly refused permission to use his hit “Hallelujah” and that they would realistically only consider the song’s approval “You Want It Darker“.

Neil Young has stated several times that he does not approve of the use of his “Rockin’ in the Free World” at Trump rallies, which has been the case since 2015. The singer-songwriter unfortunately admitted that he had no legal grounds to object to the use of the song, so in 2020 he wrote a scornful open letter directed at Trump, stating: “Every time ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ or one of my songs is played at your rallies, I hope you hear my voice. Remember, it’s the voice of a tax-paying American citizen who doesn’t support you. That’s me.”

Also REM have opposed Trump’s use of their music on several occasions. In 2015, the singer Michael Stipe protested about the use of “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” at Trump rallies, saying, “Don’t use our music or my voice for your idiotic farce of a campaign.” “In 2019, the bassist Mike Mills spoke about Trump’s promotion of a video containing the unauthorized use of the song “Everybody Hurts“, urging Twitter to take it down, which it eventually did. In 2020, Mills threatened legal action over the use of “Everybody Hurts” and “Losing My Religion” at Trump’s rallies.

These are the artists “against” but others instead support and/or have supported the former president’s campaign with their ideas and music. Even if some have divided their opinion between Trump the businessman and Trump the politician.

Trump’s name first appeared in hip hop lyrics during the 1980s, when he became an icon of the ultra-rich. Among the first mentions of the future President in rap lyrics is the song “Johnny Ryall” by BeastieBoysfeatured on the 1989 album “Paul’s Boutique,” ​​which pits Trump against his homeless alter-ego, Donald Trump.

ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight analyzed lyrics about Donald Trump between 1989 and 2014 and found that 19 percent of the lyrics were negative, while 60 percent were positive. However, in the 2010s, there was a significant shift in musicians’ attitudes toward Trump, who became more critical. This shift occurred in parallel with Trump’s transformation from a business magnate to a politician, known primarily for his controversial statements. As a result, public opinion and musicians’ attitudes toward Trump shifted toward a more negative view.

In 2004, the entrepreneur Trump supported Emminem at a mock national presidential convention to promote the satellite radio station Shade 45. But Eminem didn’t return the favor and instead in 2017, he performed a rap freestyle titled “The Storm” at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards, criticizing President Trump.

On the occasion of the recent attack against Donald Trump, the rapper 50 Cent he posted a clip of his song “Many Men (Wish Death)” along with a photo of Trump standing with his fist in the air and his face splattered with blood. “I know that feeling,” the rapper wrote. “We all in trouble now!” The rapper’s song’s lyrics include a line: “Many men wish death upon me. Blood in my eye“ (“Many men wish me dead. I have blood in my eyes.”) The post has since been deleted. A subsequent post on X saw him post a doctored version of the cover art for his 2003 debut album “Get Rich Or Die Tryin,” with Trump’s face superimposed on his. “They shot Trump and now they’re trending,” he wrote.

Kid Rock is instead a well-known Trump supporter and has become a figurehead for the far-right movement. Pamela Anderson’s ex-husband posted a video on Instagram, shouting: “If you piss off Trump, piss off me.”

Close to the former president of the United States, candidate for re-election, is the right wing of the country movement that has always embodied traditional values, those closest to Trumpian ideology.