Donald Trump has been using Adele’s songs at his rallies, but the British artist has made clear since 2011 she prefers to stay out of politics. Skyfall is part of Trump’s pre-rally playlist and the Republican even played Adele’s hit Rolling in the Deep at his Monday event in Waterloo, Iowa.
“Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning,” the Grammy-Award winner’s spokesperson told the Independent on Monday.
Adele has remarked she’s not linked to any political campaigning and her team is taking actions to ensure the Republican candidate stops using her music.
Trump seems to be a fan of the acclaimed British singer, as he even attended her concert in New York before he came on stage to Rolling in the Deep during a rally that took place in Lexington, South Carolina.
But this is not the first time Trump uses music for his campaign without an artist’s permission. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler’s lawyers sent the billionaire a cease-and-desist letter, in which they wrote he did “not have our client’s permission” to use the band’s theme because it gave “the false impression” that Tyler was in a way supportive of Trump’s presidential bid. The candidate ultimately stopped using Dream On for his political rallies.
Another band that has been affected by the Republican’s music choices is REM. After one of the group’s songs were used at a Trump rally without any permission, lead singer Michael Stipe asked the candidate to stop using his voice for his campaign, describing him as a “power-hungry little” man.
Neil Young accused the anti-Muslim presidential candidate of using his song Rockin’ In The Free World without authorization as the Republican launched his campaign in June 2015. As a Canadian, Young pointed out he supported Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the most outspoken liberals in Congress.
In 2008, Foo Fighters’ My Hero was played during John McCain’s presidential run without permission. Frontman Dave Grohl, an Obama supporter, claimed McCain had several times shown no respect for intellectual property and creativity by using themes against the artists’ will.
That same year, Jackson Browne issued a lawsuit against McCain for playing his theme Running on Empty during his presidential campaign.
Former U.S. President George HW Bush was also accused of using a song without permission as his presidential campaign theme. In 1988, Bobby McFerrin asked him to stop using Don’t Worry, Be Happy and even spent a while avoiding to perform the song. He was a Michael Dukakis supporter.
Source: BBC