The use and misuse of music in US presidential campaigns

Just like a boxer needs his entry music, US presidential candidates have long used songs as campaign anthems.
For bands and musicians, this can be an honor, though it is not always the case.
The White Stripes are now taking legal action against the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump because he used their super hit “Seven Nation Army” without permission. In a video posted on X that has since been deleted, Trump was seen boarding a plane with the iconic opening riff of the song playing in the background.
Jack White, the band’s singer and guitarist, published a picture of the lawsuit on Instagram.
Back in August, Canadian singer Celine Dion announced that she would not tolerate her song “My Heart Will Go On” being used for Trump’s election campaign either.
A long list of artists, including ABBA, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Earth, Wind and Fire, the Foo Fighters, Guns’N’Roses, Neil Young, Ozzy Osbourne, R.E.M., Sinead O’Connor’s and Tom Petty’s estates, Rihanna, the Rolling Stones and the Village People have already asked the Trump campaign not to use their music.
There is a very long tradition of using music in election campaigns. The first US president, George Washington, initiated the practice in the country.
George Washington was the first presidential candidate to use a specific song in his election campaign. “God Save Great Washington” is considered the personal anthem of the first President of the United States.
The melody of the British anthem “God Save The King” was given new words without further ado, the president’s name replacing the words “Our Gracious King” in the song itself.
Sammy Cahn wrote new lyrics to Frank Sinatra’s Oscar-winning 1959 hit “High Hopes” for the Kennedy election campaign in 1960. It became the official campaign tune.
The song chosen for Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign is one of the biggest misinterpretations of the meaning of a song in the history of campaign anthems.
“Born in the U.S.A.” is not as patriotic as one might think. In the song, Bruce Springsteen takes a critical stance on the Vietnam War and criticizes the US government for its treatment of war veterans.
It’s believed that the choice of the 1977 hit “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)” was a carefully calculated one. That song had been especially popular with young Americans at the time, and 15 years later, Fleetwood Mac fans were middle-aged voters — a generation with a particularly high voter turnout.
Protesting against the use of his song at campaign rallies, Tom Petty prohibited George W. Bush from using it in 2000. Twenty years later, President Donald J. Trump had the very same song played at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma — and the late musician’s family sent a cease-and-desist letter.
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder was regularly played during Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign. The message to his voters was “I am yours!” Many pop greats supported Obama, including Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Katy Perry. Rapper and producer will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas produced the track “Yes We Can” in his honor.
Vice-President Kamala Harris launched her 2024 presidential Democratic nomination with Beyonce’s “Freedom” as an anthem. The superstar had given permission to Harris to use her iconic song, whereas she blocked Donald Trump from doing so after a campaign video with the same hit was posted on social media.
This article was originally written in German.