10 musicians who told Donald Trump to stop playing their songs at his rallies
10 artists who instructed Donald Trump to stop playing their music at his campaign rallies
Not all musicians are happy with former President Donald Trump playing their music at his campaign rallies. Despite being the Republican frontrunner, many artists have sent cease-and-desist notices to stop using their music to boost his presidential run. The very recent demand was from 'The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr. Let us take a look at 10 such musicians who have instructed Trump not to use their music.
1. Johnny Marr of The Smiths
Johnny Marr, guitarist of The Smiths, on January 23, 2024, responded to Trump's campaign using the band's song 'Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want' at a rally in South Dakota' in 2023. Expressing his disapproval, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Ahh…right…OK. I never in a million years would've thought this could come to pass. Consider this s**t shut right down right now." The former president's team used the same song at a campaign stop in Laconia, New Hampshire, a day before the primary.
2. Tom Petty
Late singer and guitarist Tom Petty's family condemned using his song 'I Won't Back Down' at Trump's 2020 reelection bid rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His daughters Adria and Annakim, widow Dana, and ex-wife Jane Petty together wrote on X (formerly Twitter) stating that they have "issued an official cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign." Highlighting the then POTUS was "in no way authorized to use" the song, the family added, "Tom petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate."
3. Rihanna
In 2018, Rihanna opposed the use of her songs during Trump's rallies. Responding to The Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker's X (formerly Twitter) post about her song 'Don't Stop the Music' being played in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she posted, "Not for much longer…me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up Philip!" Soon after, her team sent out a cease-and-desist to the ex-POTUS' campaign.
4. Adele
16-time Grammy Award winner Adele stopped Trump from using her music during his first presidential run in 2016. Upon learning that he was playing her hit tracks 'Rolling in the Deep' and 'Skyfall', her spokesperson announced that Adele never gave Trump the authority to play her songs. The singer later went ahead and endorsed Hillary Clinton.
5. Brian May of Queen
British rock band Queen expressed their disapproval of Trump playing their song 'We Are the Champions' at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Sony/ATV Music Publishing, who holds the band's copyrights, also released a statement asking the campaign to cease using songs to endorse Trump. Also, Queens guitarist Brian May stated that the ex-president had not sought permission to use the track as the campaign's theme song.
6. Phil Collins
Trump's campaign reportedly played the English singer Phil Collins's 'In the Air Tonight' at an Iowa rally in October 2020. This led Collins and his team to issue a cease-and-desist order, as per Billboard. Moreover, his attorney, David A Steinberg, noted that the campaign played the song as a satire of COVID-19, and Collins feared it would damage his reputation and popularity.
7. Brendon Urie
The former lead vocalist of Panic! at the Disco, Brendon Urie, in 2020 slammed Trump's campaign for playing the track 'High Hopes' in his rallies. According to USA Today, the song was played when the then-president walked on stage at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Urie wrote, "Dear Trump Campaign, F*** you. You're not invited. Stop playing my song. No thanks, Brendon Urie, Panic! At The Disco & company."
8. Neil Young
Neil Young was among the first artists to ask Trump to stop playing his songs. During his official presidential announcement campaign in 2015, Trump used the song 'Rockin' in the Free World'. However, according to a statement obtained by Rolling Stone from Young's representative, Trump was not authorized to use the hit track at the event. Moreover, Young was known to be a strong supporter of Democrat Bernie Sanders.
9. Steven Tyler
The lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, requested Trump to stop utilizing the band's music during campaign events. His team sent a formal cease-and-desist notice after the former president played their hit track 'Livin' on the Edge' at a rally in August 2018. Tyler also clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that he does not want his music to be used without permission for political purposes.
10. Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams, angered by Trump playing his song 'Happy' hours after the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, sent a cease-and-desist notice to the White House through his lawyer, addressing the use of the hit song and any of his other tunes. "There was nothing 'happy' about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday, and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose," read the letter. It also said that Williams "has not and will not" permit Trump to use his songs.
