Aaron Grech September 8th, 2020 - 10:25 PM
The Trump administration has caught the attention of yet another musician, as Eric Burdon of The Animals responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s use of The Animal’s smash hit “House of The Rising Sun.” According to Billboard, this song was played as Trump arrived at an airport in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Burdon stated that nobody asked for his permission to play the song, but noted that the song’s lyrical message “of sin and misery in a brothel” fit the president’s character “perfectly.” While “House of The Rising Sun” is a traditional folk song about a person’s life going wrong in New Orleans, the track was made famous by The Animals.
“Even though nobody asked my permission, I wasn’t surprised to learn that #Trump #864511320 used #HouseoftheRisingSun for his rally the other day…A tale of sin and misery set in a brothel suits him so perfectly! Far more appropriate for this time in our history might be #WeGottaGetOutofThisPlace.
This is my answer #vote #saveourdemocracy #bidenharris2020”
Several other prominent artists such as Panic! At The Disco, Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose, The Village People’s Victor Willis, heavy metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne and the estates of Tom Petty and Prince have called on the administration to stop playing their song’s during Trump’s rally. Rock icon Neil Young has been one of the most vocal critics of the Trump administration during this time and has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the president. Multiple artists from across the industry have banded together with the Artist’s Rights Alliance to demand that politicians seek their consent before playing their songs at campaign rallies.
