During his blistering 13-month campaign to win the Republican nomination for president, Donald Trump was scolded by several musicians who claimed the White House hopeful did not have permission to play their songs at his various campaign rallies.
Breitbart News has compiled a list, seen below, of nine individual musicians or bands that have all complained about Trump’s use of their songs over the past year.
1. Neil Young
Last June, rock legend Neil Young requested that then-newly-announced Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump not play his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” at campaign events. Young, an outspoken liberal, did, however, grant socialist Democrat Bernie Sanders permission to play his songs at his various campaign stops.
2. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler
In October, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler threatened to sue Trump if the billionaire real estate mogul didn’t stop playing the rock band’s song “Dream On” on the campaign trail.
3. The Rolling Stones
Nine months later — when Trump was officially named the Republican party’s presidential nominee and celebrated by playing the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” during the RNC convention — the Stones took to Twitter to protest Trump using their song.
“The Rolling Stones have continuously asked Trump to refrain from using their music. In May, Trump walked out for his Indiana primary victory speech to “Start Me Up,” the band said in a now-deleted tweet.
4. Adele
For month, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had used Adele‘s “Rolling in the Deep” as walk-on music at various political rallies — as evidenced in the video below, from a January rally.
Though Adele might be a fiscal conservative (she railed against having to pay a 50 percent tax), the pop icon has barred all politicians from using her songs at their respective political events.
“Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning,” a spokesperson for the superstar said in a statement, according to Billboard.
5. R.E.M.
Rock band R.E.M. wasn’t pleased when it discovered that the Trump campaign played its song “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” during a September 9 rally.
The band’s bassist Mike Mills took to Twitter and posted a profanity-laced tweet, asking “power-hungry little men” to “not use our music.”
R.E.M. also wrote a lengthy response to the matter on Facebook.
“While we do not authorize or condone the use of our music at this political event, and do ask that these candidates cease and desist from doing so, let us remember that there are things of greater importance at stake here,” the band said at the time.
“The media and the American voter should focus on the bigger picture, and not allow grandstanding politicians to distract us from the pressing issues of the day and of the current presidential campaign.”
6. The widow of Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti
The widow of legendary Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti wrote a letter asking the Trump campaign to stop playing, “Nessun Dorma,” one of her late husband’s most famous songs, at its events.
“We learned today that the aria ‘Nessun dorma’ performed by Luciano Pavarotti is being used [on] the Donald Trump campaign soundtrack,” Nicoletta Mantovani wrote in a letter, NBC News reported.
“We remind you that the values of brotherhood and solidarity that Luciano Pavarotti upheld throughout his artistic career are incompatible with the world vision of the candidate Donald Trump,” the letter said.
7. Estate of Beatle George Harrison
The estate of late Beatles member George Harrison took to Twitter on Thursday and blasted the Republican National Convention for using his music.
“The unauthorized use of #HereComestheSun at the #RNCinCLE is offensive & against the wishes of the George Harrison estate,” the Harrison family tweeted.
The song, written by Harrison and released in 1969, could be heard playing at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday night as Ivanka Trump took the stage to deliver a speech and introduce her father.
8. Paul Rodgers
Rocker Paul Rodgers complained about the RNC’s use of his song “All Right Now,” originally performed by his band, Free.
“Permission to use ‘All Right Now’ was never sought for or granted by me. My lawyer is dealing with this matter. – Paul,” the British singer tweeted earlier this week.
9. Queen
British rock band Queen complained about the use of the band’s 1977 hit “We Are the Champions” during a Trump convention appearance.
“An unauthorised use at the Republican Convention against our wishes – Queen,” the band tweeted on Tuesday.
Queen lead guitarist Brian May added to the mix, writing on his website: “My personal reaction to Donald Trump using our music? We’d never give permission. We are taking advice on what steps we can take to ensure this use does not continue.”
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @jeromeehudson
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