FEATURE:
Trump Card
IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé (whose song, Freedom, was used in a Donald Trump campaign video and was removed after it was contested by her and the label)/PHOTO CREDIT: Rafael Pavarotti for British Vogue
The Backlash Against the Former President from Artists Angry He Is Using Their Music Without Permission
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IT is not a new thing…
IN THIS PHOTO: Donald Trump is standing as the Republican candidate for U.S. President in this year’s Election
where politicians use artists’ songs without their permission. We see it in this country. Boris Johnson was criticised for using songs from artists that did not want to be aligned with him. Rishi Sunak too. Rather than approaching artists to see if their music can be used, instead it seems politicians are playing whatever they like at rallies, speeches and events. It does create this issue for artists. They do not want to be aligned with a particular politician and party! Also, it is exploiting their music and using it without permission. Rather than suing an individual or network that uses a song, this is a politician. It is more complex and harder to get a result. They can take to social media to blast them and call them out. Even so, politicians can dig in deeper. They are only interested in whipping up fervour and controversy. This is especially true when it comes to Donald Trump. The Republican candidate for the presidency of the U.S.A., we are at a time when he and his Democrat rival Kamala Harris are campaigning. She has won support from a range of artists. The campaign advert for Harris uses Beyoncé’s song, Freedom. From 2016’s Lemonade, this song has a deeper meaning and significance. Trying to make history as the first woman to be elected President – and also the first woman of colour -, it is great that she has support from a Megan Thee Stallion, Sheila E., John Legend, Maren Morris and so many others. There is this strong and varied group of artists with a lot of pull and sway who have thrown their support behind Kamala Harris. It is a very positive movement and moment where we hopefully will see history made! And Trump defeated. Hopefully a loss will mean him retreating more into the shadows.
One of the biggest issues with Donald Trump – among many! – is how he uses music without permission. Artists that really detest him. One case is Bruce Springsteen. A political football, as ana article from Rolling Stone recently noted – and I will quote from soon -, The Boss is angry that Donald Trump has been using his music. He is not the only artist. As Rolling Stone explore, he has a history of unauthorised use of music through the years. Playing whatever songs he wants. The artists he does play lashing back and demanding he stop using their music:
“Sure, it’s not uncommon for politicians to use popular songs at events and campaign rallies — but lots of artists have drawn the line when it comes to Donald Trump. Since the former president began campaigning ahead of the 2016 election, some musicians have not been happy to hear that the Trump team has played their music, often without authorization. From Canadian singer Céline Dion to the family of soul icon Isaac Hayes, they’ve done everything from issuing public statements to sending cease-and-desist letters to Trump through lawyers.
Here’s a list of the artists who have told Trump to back off and stop using their songs.
Beyoncé (2024)
While most complaints have focused on music played at Trump rallies, Beyoncé and her team issued a cease-and-desist letter after a Trump campaign spokesperson used her song “Freedom” in a short video shared online. The clip paired the Lemonade track with a 13-second clip of Trump getting off an airplane — a pretty pointed choice as “Freedom” has become an unofficial anthem of sorts for the Kamala Harris campaign. While Beyoncé did give the Harris campaign permission to use the song, a source close to the musician told Rolling Stone they “absolutely did not give permission” to Trump campaign, and that Bey’s label had threatened to issue a cease and desist. —J.B.
Céline Dion (2024)
Céline Dion was not happy when Donald Trump used her Titanic classic “My Heart Will Go On” at a recent campaign rally. “And really, THAT song?” she wrote on social media when she learned he’d been playing the hit. The Canadian star’s team issued a statement on Aug. 10 slamming the former president for “unauthorized usage” of the track from the Nineties film. “Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” the statement from Dion’s team said.
The family of James Horner, the song’s composer who died in 2015, also said in a statement that “the Horner family does not endorse or support the Trump/Vance campaign or its use of the song at its events. The campaign does not reflect the beliefs and values of James Horner or his family. It is important to the family that his music not be used by those seeking to profit inappropriately from his work after his death.” —T.M.
Isaac Hayes’ Family (2024)
The family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes wants to stop Trump from playing the hit “Hold On, I’m Comin’” at rallies and events, including at an NRA convention. Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, shared that they planned to file a lawsuit after learning that the Trump team has used the song about 135 times without licensing the song or asking for permission. “I was pissed,” Hayes told The Hollywood Reporter. “There’s just been a mass shooting. So why are we using it at the NRA convention? I wanted to take legal action because Trump has made statements against women, and here is a man who has been convicted of sexual abuse. I’m a brother to seven sisters, and I don’t want anybody to think of ‘Hold On’ and think of Donald Trump.” —J.L.
Sinéad O’Connor’s Estate (2024)
Sinead O’Connor’s estate quickly shut Trump down when he started using the late singer’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U” at his rallies in Maryland and North Carolina. “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,’” O’Connor’s estate representatives shared in a statement to Variety. “As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately.” —J.L.
Johnny Marr (2024)
While the Smiths might seem wildly out of place at a Trump rally, the camp certainly tried it. In early 2024, multiple political reporters took to Twitter to share how the hopelessly desperate “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” was making its rounds with MAGA folks. Founding guitarist and the song’s writer, Johnny Marr, immediately responded when he quote-tweeted a video saying, “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.” —M.G.”.
As I mentioned Bruce Springsteen is an artist that has been quoted by both Donald Trump and Tim Walz (the Democrat nominee for Vice President). Whereas Walz is someone who is a genuine fan of Springsteen (and, in turn, The Boss would be pleased to have his support), Donald Trump seems to pick up on a song title that fits a general message of theme and uses it. No care for the artist or what they are feeling. This Rolling Stone article charts the history of U.S. politicians employing The Boss’s music. Why Donald Trump’s involvement is particularly jarring for someone who genuinely hates him:
“Just over 40 years ago, Ronald Reagan became the first American president to name-drop Bruce Springsteen. “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts,” he told a crowd at a New Jersey campaign stop in September of 1984. “It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire — New Jersey’s own, Bruce Springsteen.”
Springsteen was, of course, at a pop-cultural peak in that moment, fresh from the release of the world-conquering blockbuster Born in the U.S.A., with a flag on the cover and an easy-to-misconstrue title track. In the decades since, he’s made his left-leaning political views quite clear, campaigning for Democratic candidates and even partnering with Barack Obama for a podcast series and book. And even in the far-flung political era of 2024, where Beyoncé’s “Freedom” scores Kamala Harris‘ campaign, Springsteen’s name and music keep popping up — Donald Trump has him on his mind, Tim Walz is a vocal fan, and “Born in the U.S.A.” played at the Democratic National Convention.
Steven Hyden‘s excellent new book, There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. and the End of the Heartland, traces the pop-cultural and political impact of that album. He recently sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss Springsteen’s continuing political relevance and more. (To hear more from Hyden on his book, check out the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast — his segment begins around the 42-minute mark of the Katy Perry episode above. Go here for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.)
The first big Springsteen moment of this campaign was when Donald Trump started musing onstage, pretty much out of nowhere, about the fact that Bruce doesn’t like him. What did you make of that, especially in the context of your book?
Trump’s relationship with classic rock is really interesting. He’s obviously a big fan of Sixties and Seventies rock music, as a lot of people his age are, and it’s an awkward situation because it’s not reciprocated from any of these people — Springsteen among them. These are his heroes, in some respects, at least musically speaking, and yet they view him unanimously as being bad for the country.
There’s so many musicians who don’t like Trump, but he keeps zeroing in on Springsteen. The fact that Bruce doesn’t like him — called him a moron, specifically, when I talked to him for Rolling Stone in 2016 — really bothers him. And I think that’s connected to the way Bruce carries some sort of American weight that other rock stars don’t.
Yeah, I think there is something with Bruce where that felt true 40 years ago, and it’s probably even more true now. He’s not seen totally as a political figure, but he feels more like a political figure than any other rock star. But he also has the populist thing going with him. There’s probably a part of Trump that feels like these are the people that I’m speaking to — Bruce should respond to me as well because he’s the middle-American-type guy, speaking up for average Americans. Now, of course, Trump isn’t actually doing that, but I think that there is some delusional thing in his mind, thinking that he and Springsteen in some ways are on the same side. So there probably is a little extra sting there, to not get that acceptance from Bruce”.
It is quite damaging for artists when a politician like Donald Trump uses their music. Fans of those artists might think they have given permission and they support him. That can be devastating. Although most fans know the truth, there are some who will jump to conclusions. At a particularly charged time in U.S. history, a lot rests on the result of the Election! If a recent poll suggested Kamala Harris is edging Donald Trump, artists and music an have a lot of influence. On the positive side, many artists have come out in support of Harris and that reaches millions of voters. There is this negative. Music being played by Donald Trump. How damaging that can be and what impact that can have on the vote. Also, it calls into questions a decades-running issue around political figures using music without permission. There does need to be a framework where we should have clearance and a process. Not simply a politician can play any song they like without authorisation. It is not fair on artists and it does create this uncomfortable conflict. Donald Trump is especially reckless and prolific. Using it as his own trump card. A song that gives him an advantage. Pulling this trick out of the bag. People thinking the artist whose song is playing has endorsed him. It creates this atmosphere and mood that fires up his supporters. Even the backlash and publicity from him stealing songs works in his advantage. In the sense that more supporters will come his way. It needs to stop. Although M.I.A. recently showed support for Donald Trump, not many credible or reputable artists ever will. He has to use these dirty tricks to get their attention. Playing their music against their wishes. Politicians who know artists will turn them down. They are then left with precious few options. Whilst the use of music at events and rallies does not have a massive impact on voting habits, we do all hope that Donald Trump’s use of music against artists’ wills does not create…
ANY lasting damage.