Johnny marr

Johnny Marr Warns Donald Trump To Stop Using The Smiths Songs In Rallies

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Johnny Marr revealed that he intended to stop his presidential campaign from utilizing The Smiths’ music at Donald Trump rallies in South Dakota in 2023 after an X user posted a video of the band performing “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” at one of the events.

The user said that he had recently heard music by The Smiths at a few Trump rallies.

“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 Smiths Guitarist Is Against Right-Wing Politics

In 1984, Marr and Morrissey co-wrote the song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.” Although Morrissey had previously publicly backed Brexit and the far-right political group For Britain, his bandmate was against letting right-wing politicians exploit the band’s music for public campaigns.

The guitarist tweeted after UK Prime Minister David Cameron expressed a fondness for The Smiths’ “This Charming Man” on BBC’s Desert Island Discs:

“Stop saying that you like The Smiths; no, you don’t. I forbid you to like it.”

He later explained in his memoir:

“Anyone who was a fan would know we were against everything he and the Conservative party stood for.”

Other Artists Also Tried Stopping Trump

It may not be simple to prevent Trump from utilizing The Smiths’ music, though, as author John Niven noted that other artists had encountered difficulties in such circumstances following Marr’s post:

“Good luck. The [Rolling] Stones, Neil Young, Tom Petty have all been trying to get Trump to stop using their music for years.”

Neil Young once acknowledged that he lacked the legal authority to prevent the former president from using “Rockin’ In The Free World,” choosing instead to send the former president an open letter condemning his policies.

Meanwhile, after his song “Feel It In The Air Tonight” was played during a Trump rally in Iowa in 2020, Phil Collins issued a cease-and-desist letter. The presidential candidate’s usage of “I Won’t Back Down” in his campaign was also met with opposition from Tom Petty’s estate in the same year.

The estates of David Bowie and Prince, Adele, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Queen, Pharrell Williams, and others have expressed concern about Donald Trump’s usage of their music at public events.

 

 

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