In 2020, Village People first accredited of Donald Trump enjoying their music at his rallies, then modified their minds, after which adjustments their minds once more. Today, Victor Willis of the disco group thanked the forty seventh American President for his marketing campaign’s use of “Y.M.C.A.” in a brand new Facebook put up.
In October, Willis instructed Billboard that Trump was “legally entitled” to make use of the tune “as a result of he took the time to use for a political use license, which was granted by my efficiency rights group, BMI.” He clarified that he supported Kamala Harris, however that he “[doesn’t] dislike Trump.”
In his Facebook put up right this moment, he expanded on why he let Trump use “Y.M.C.A.,” and asserted that the tune “will not be actually a homosexual anthem.” Here’s what he wrote:
WHY I ALLOWED PRESIDENT ELECT TRUMP’S CONTINUED USE OF Y.M.C.A. AND WHY THE SONG IS NOT REALLY A GAY ANTHEM
To Village People followers and the media:
I’m the singer and author of the lyrics to the hit Y.M.C.A. In truth, as was adjudicated and dominated in a U.S. District Court, I wrote 100% of the lyrics, and my writing companion, Jacques Morali wrote the music.
Since 2020, I’ve obtained over a thousand complaints about President Elect Trump’s use of Y.M.C.A. With that many complaints, I made a decision to ask the President Elect to cease utilizing Y.M.C.A. as a result of his use had develop into a nuisance to me.
However, the use continued as a result of the Trump marketing campaign knew that they had obtained a political use license from BMI and absent that license being terminated, that they had each proper to proceed utilizing Y.M.C.A. And they did.
In truth, I began noticing quite a few artists withdrawing the President Elect’s use of their materials. But by the point I stated to my spouse someday, hey, “Trump” appears to genuinely like Y.M.C.A. and he’s having loads of enjoyable with it.
As such, I merely didn’t have the center to stop his continued use of my tune within the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their materials. So I instructed my spouse to tell BMI to not withdraw the Trump marketing campaign political use license. My French companions have been considering authorized motion out of France. So I had my spouse contact our French companions and requested them to remain out of the Trump marketing campaign’s use of Y.M.C.A. as a result of it’s a U.S. matter, and I’ll make the choice on his use. Our French companions shortly backed off of their objection to his use.
Y.M.C.A. has benefited enormously from use by the President Elect. For instance, Y.M.C.A. was caught at #2 on the Billboard chart previous to the President Elect’s use. However, the tune lastly made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for 2 weeks) because of the President Elect’s use.
The monetary advantages have been nice in addition to Y.M.C.A. is estimated to gross a number of million {dollars} for the reason that President Elect’s continued use of the tune. Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for selecting to make use of my tune.
There’s been loads of discuss, particularly of late, that Y.M.C.A. is by some means a homosexual anthem. As I’ve stated quite a few instances previously, that may be a false assumption primarily based on the truth that my writing companion was homosexual, and a few (not all) of Village People have been homosexual, and that the primary Village People album was completely about homosexual life.
This assumption can be primarily based on the truth that the YMCA was apparently getting used as some kind of homosexual hangout and since one of many writers was homosexual and among the Village People are homosexual, the tune should be a message to homosexual individuals. To that I say as soon as once more, get your minds out of the gutter. It will not be.
Sadly, when the President Elect began utilizing the tune, individuals trying to model the tune as a homosexual anthem reached a fever pitch as many used it to say, oh, Trump don’t know the tune is a homosexual anthem? This was achieved in a way to aim to disgrace the President Elect’s use of the tune.
As I said on quite a few events, I knew nothing concerning the Y being a hang around for gays once I wrote the lyrics to Y.M.C.A. and Jacques Morali (who was homosexual) by no means as soon as said such to me. In truth, Jacques by no means as soon as instructed me how one can write my lyrics in any other case I might have stated to him, you don’t want me, why don’t you merely write the lyrics.
I subsequently wrote Y.M.C.A. concerning the issues I knew concerning the Y within the city areas of San Francisco comparable to swimming, basketball, monitor, and low-cost meals and low-cost rooms. And once I say, “hang around with all of the boys” that’s merely Seventies black slang for black guys hanging-out collectively for sports activities, playing or no matter. There’s nothing homosexual about that.
So, to the extent that Y.M.C.A. is taken into account a homosexual anthem primarily based on the truth that gays as soon as used sure YMCA’s for elicit exercise, the idea that the tune alludes to that’s fully misguided.
Therefore, since I wrote the lyrics and should know what the lyrics I wrote is basically about, come January 2025, my spouse will begin suing each information group that falsely refers to Y.M.C.A., both of their headlines or alluded to within the base of the story, that Y.M.C.A. is by some means a homosexual anthem as a result of such notion relies solely on the tune’s lyrics alluding to elicit exercise for which it doesn’t. However, I don’t thoughts that gays consider the tune as their anthem.
But you’d be hard-pressed to search out Y.M.C.A. on the play checklist at any homosexual membership, parade or different homosexual exercise in a method that will recommend it’s by some means an anthem to the neighborhood apart from alluding to illicit exercise, which is defamatory, and damaging to the tune. But it stops in 2025.
However, you understand the place you-will discover Y.M.C.A.? On the play checklist of virtually each marriage ceremony, bar mitzvah, sporting group, and the tune is utilized in commercials and movement photos and merchandise worldwide.
The true anthem is Y.M.C.A.’s enchantment to individuals of all strips together with President Elect Trump. But the tune will not be actually a homosexual anthem apart from sure individuals falsely suggesting that it’s. And this should cease as a result of it’s damaging to the tune.
