Popular music has always been an integral part of President-Elect Donald J. Trump’s rallies, since he campaigned for the first time.
But there is no disputing the fact that, in the 2024 electoral cycle, one song caught on in a viral way, and became the soundtrack of millions of people’s joy with the landslide victory by Trump: YMCA, by the 70’s disco hitmaker group Village People.
To many ultra-liberal artists, having a song featured on MAGA rallies was more than their TDS could take, so many demanded that he stop playing their songs at campaign events ‘without direct approval.’
In 2024, Céline Dion, Beyoncé, Woodkid, Jack White, Sinead O’Connor’s estate and several others have done so.
Euronews reported:
“The Village People originally asked Trump to stop using their 1978 hit song ‘Y.M.C.A.’ during his rallies, but doubled back once band member and ‘Y.M.C.A.’ singer and co-writer Victor Willis realized that the politician seemed to ‘genuinely like’ and was ‘having a lot of fun’ with the song.”
The 73-year-old singer-songwriter has come out publicly and defended Trump’s use of the song in a Facebook post.
Willis received thousands of complaints about the use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ at Trump’s campaign rallies.
“I simply didn’t have the heart to prevent his continued use of my song in the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their material. So I told my wife to inform BMI to not withdraw the Trump campaign political use license.”
As you would expect, Willis made a lot of money.
“’For example, Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect’s use. However, the song finally made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President Elect’s use’, Willis wrote in the post, adding that ‘the financial benefits have been great’.
‘Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song.”
The musician also made a point of denying that the disco tune was intended as a ‘gay anthem’, saying he didn’t know about ‘the Y being a hangout for gays’ when he wrote the lyrics.
“’When I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that’, he said of one of the song’s most famous lines.
[…] Willis also said that he doesn’t mind that the song is considered a gay anthem but that the false assumptions are ‘damaging to the song’. Starting in January, he said, his wife will sue any news organization that refers to ‘Y.M.C.A.’ as a gay anthem.”
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