Opinion
Johnny Marr, a singer and guitarist in the band The Smiths, is speaking out this week to demand that the former President Donald Trump stop playing his music during his campaign rallies.
Marr Sounds Off Against Trump
Earlier this week, video went viral showing The Smiths’ 1984 hit “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” being played at a Trump rally in Rapid City, South Dakota.
This didn’t sit well with Marr, who fired back by demanding that Trump stop using his music.
“Ahh…right…OK,” Marr wrote. “I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this s— shut right down right now.”
Marr’s comments are in contrast to those made by the former The Smiths frontman Morrissey, who has spoken out against woke leftwing cancel culture in recent years.
“People could make five flops and the label would stick by them, now the labels are quite bloodless, they will just get rid of you if you say anything that they don’t agree with, they’re not interested,” Morrissey said in 2022, according to Fox News. “Now they talk about ‘oh, we must have diversity, diversity, diversity.’ Diversity is people that you don’t know, and it’s just another word for conformity, it’s the new way of saying conformity.”
Related: Woke Maren Morris Announces She’s Leaving Country Music Because Of The ‘Trump Years’
Other Musicians Make Same Demand
Marr is the latest in a long line of musicians to demand that Trump stop using their music. Others who have done so include The Rolling Stones, Pharrell Williams, Linkin Park, Rihanna, Village People and Tom Petty’s estate. Back in 2019, Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon Osbourne issued a statement saying that they no longer wanted Trump to use the song “Crazy Train” at his rallies.
“Based on this morning’s unauthorized use of Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train,’ we are sending notice to the Trump campaign (or any other campaigns) that they are forbidden from using any of Ozzy Osbourne’s music in political ads or in any political campaigns,” they said in a statement posted to Sharon’s Instagram.
“Ozzy’s music cannot be used for any means without approvals,” they added.
Neil Young Sues Trump
The singer Neil Young went so far as to file a lawsuit against Trump for copyright infringement for using his music in 2020.
“This is NOT ok with me…,” Young wrote on social media in reaction to his songs “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk” being played at a Trump rally in Tampa, Florida. In his initial complaint, Young stated that he “cannot allow his music to be used as a ‘theme song’ for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate,” according to The New York Post.
Full Story: Liberal Rocker Neil Young Files Lawsuit Against President Trump For Alleged Copyright Infringement
Young had previously said that he had “nothing against” Trump using his music legally.
“He actually got a license to use it,” he said. “I mean, he said he did and I believe him … But if the artist who made it is saying you never spoke to them, if that means something to you, you probably will stop playing it. And it meant something to Donald and he stopped.”
Despite filing this lawsuit, Young went on to quietly and voluntarily dismiss the case in New York courts.
Trump typically ignores singers when they demand he stop using his music. It remains to be seen whether he will heed Marr’s demands, or continue using The Smiths’ songs during his rallies.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”
