First it was Neil Young. Then it was Steven Tyler. Now, another musician is telling Donald Trump to stop playing their music at his campaign events.
Trump has played Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and “Skyfall” at his rallies, and now the pop singer wants him to stop.
“Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning,” Adele’s spokesman told the BBC.
It’s common for musicians to make negative comments about the use of their music at campaign events held by Republicans, and Trump is no exception.
In October, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith had sent the Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter after “Dream On” was played at one of Trump’s rallies, AP reports.
Tyler didn’t denounce Trump’s politics explicitly, but Young did. When asking Trump not to use Young’s music, his management also stated that he was a supporter of Bernie Sanders, Rolling Stone reports. Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe was even harsher, telling Trump to not “use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign,” in a message tweeted by bassist Mike Mills.
The tradition of musicians objecting to politicians using their music goes back decades. In 1984, during Ronald Reagan’s reelection run, Bruce Springsteen objected to his use of “Born in the U.S.A.,” according to Rolling Stone. Bobby McFerrin told George H.W. Bush not to use “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” in 1988, and a number of musicians later told George W. Bush the same.
