You probably haven’t thought about Semisonic for ooh, over 20 years, have you (if ever)? But all of a sudden the agreeably melodic post-grunge group - best known in the UK for their 1999 hit Secret Smile - are in the headlines again.
The reason? They’ve become the latest group whose music has been purloined by Donald Trump. Their late '90s hit Closing Time has been used to accompany footage of United States Customs and Border Protection officials handcuffing and searching detainees, which has been posted by the White House’s official Twitter account. Semisonic have confirmed that they did not “authorise or condone” the use of the track.
“We did not authorise or condone The White House’s use of our song in any way. And no, they didn’t ask,” the band told Consequence in a statement. “The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.”
Why use Semisonic’s innocent ditty? Because of the lyrics "you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here," which have been taken out of context and repurposed by White House officials.
Still, it puts Semisonic in good company. They join a long list of more famous artists that have already spoken out about Trump’s unauthorised use of their music. The roster includes - deep breath - Abba, Adele, Aerosmith, a-ha, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen (of course), Celine Dion, Elton John, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, the estate of Isaac Hayes, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Ozzy Osbourne, Pharrell Williams, Phil Collins, Prince, Queen, the Rolling Stones, the estate of Tom Petty, The White Stripes and the Village People.
The odd one out among that little lot is, of course, the Village People. Or at least their frontman Victor Willis, who changed his mind and played one of Trump’s inauguration balls in January. In a Facebook post, he and the group defended their decision, saying that they hoped Y.M.C.A would "help bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost."
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