Adele rejects Trump in latest tussle over political playlists

Most musicians don't think twice
about their songs being used to
pump up the crowd at a sports
event. But when it comes to
politics, some artists are very
sensitive about which leaders use
their music on the campaign trail.
British mega-star Adele is the
latest in a long string of musicians
to speak up about the use of her
music, after she demanded Donald
Trump stop using her work in his
bid for the Republican presidential
nomination. Trump had been
playing Adele's "Rolling In the
Deep" and "Skyfall" at campaign
rallies, to pump up the crowd
before his appearances.
Adele declared this week that
Trump does not represent her
values, and asked that he stop
using her songs.
And she's not the first musician to
intervene about the use of her
work. Aerosmith frontman Steven
Tyler previously sent Trump a
cease-and-desist letter, after
Trump's campaign played "Dream
On" at a rally. R.E.M. also
demanded Trump stop using their
music, in a strongly-worded
statement last September. A
Trump rally had used "It's the End
of the World as We Know It (And I
Feel Fine)," sparking the harsh
R.E.M. response.
And last June, Canadian rocker
Neil Young got into a public spat
with Trump, after he complained
about the use of his song "Rockin'
in the Free World." Young said he
didn't want Trump using the song,
and Trump replied by saying he
didn't "love" the song anyway.
Trump has arguably become the
most polarizing figure in American
politics these days, but he's not the
first politician to cause a stir with
his song selection. John McCain,
Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Nicolas
Sarkozy and George W. Bush have
all angered artists with their use of
certain songs over the years.
CTV political analyst Scott Reid says
music choice was once a
"superficial" consideration for
political campaigns, but now, it's
become more complex. Reid says
campaigns now have to properly
vet the songs they use, or risk
being called out in public by a
musician who holds views
opposite to their candidate's."There's two philosophies," Reid
told CTVNews.ca. "Go ahead and
use it, and run the risk that the
musician objects in public. Or seek
permission in advance, and risk
being told no."
Reid says he did not run into such
issues back in the 1990s, when he
was an adviser and
communications specialist for the
Liberals' Paul Martin. Martin would
often enter campaign rallies to the
tune of "Taking Care of Business,"
by BTO, because he had a strong
background in business, Reid said.
"You want something that has
energy, and if there's a message
embedded within that song that
seems appropriate, then that
makes sense," Reid said.
However, he stressed that it's also
important to pay attention to the
lyrics of a song, so a candidate
does not become associated with
something inappropriate.
For example, Reid pointed to a
musical gaffe involving former
Ontario PC leader Mike Harris.
Harris once arrived at a rally to the
Rolling Stones song "Start Me Up"
– a song with a lyric about
reaching sexual climax.
Reid said people noticed the
inappropriate lyric, and Harris'
team stopped using the song as a
result.
But, while social media has made it
easy for recording artists to call
out politicians, the phenomenon is
not new. One of the most well-
known cases of a performer
objecting to the use of his music
dates back to 1984, when Bruce
Springsteen asked Ronald Reagan
not to quote from "Born in the
U.S.A."
Springsteen has also asked former
GOP candidates Bob Dole and Pat
Buchanan to back off from using
the song.