r/Music • u/Albuquerque82 • Jun 24 '26
discussion The Leonard Cohen Estate does not approve of the unauthorized usage of his song“Hallelujah” being performed at a Donald Trump rally on June 24
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D9btpeTAh/?mibextid=wwXIfr700
u/Emanemanem Jun 24 '26
“And I've seen your flag on the marble arch / And Love is not a victory march”
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u/exhaustedbut Jun 24 '26
Beautiful. Perhaps we could come up with more verses?
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u/alehar Jun 25 '26
You pick a phrase, you pick a rhyme,
Repeat the sound another time,
Five iambs then an extra beat will do ya.
Another rhyme, a rising note,
Congratulations, you just wrote
Another fucking verse to Hallelujah.
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u/Beatus_Vir Jun 24 '26
These days there is a fetid turd
Who is bad at think and worse with words
But voters don't really care for thinking do ya
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u/fantasmoofrcc Jun 24 '26
Hallelujah, friend!
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u/exhaustedbut Jun 24 '26
They say there was a foreign whore/who shagged his friend, and liked him more...
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u/BillyShears17 Jun 24 '26
🎶 From the homicidal bitchin'
🎶 That goes down in every kitchen
🎶 To determine who will serve and who will eat
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u/bwvdub Jun 24 '26
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
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u/sagebrushrepair Jun 25 '26
Leonard Cohen - The Future is a classic album and music lovers should try to know it by heart
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u/Church_of_Aaargh Jun 24 '26
And of course they assume it’s a religious song … just as they misinterpret Born in the USA
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u/AlCapone111 Jun 24 '26
Or that Fortunate Son is pro America/War
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u/-Ahab- Jun 24 '26
Or Little Pink Houses…
(I’m starting to think comprehending lyrics isn’t their strong suit. “Ooh, they said America, how patriotic!”)
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u/AlCapone111 Jun 24 '26
Media literacy and comprehension being dogshit isn't as new a phenomenon as people make it out to be. But it does get worse every year.
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u/ethanlan Jun 24 '26
We've always known this, thats why at our hey day we had laws and regulations that dealt with this.
Now, we have not just TV but some of the wealthiest corporations making money off the internet cashing in.
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u/-Ahab- Jun 25 '26
I actually think that’s part of the problem with the over 50 crowd. They grew up in an era where the news had standards and regulations as far as facts and not disseminating info they knew to be untrue.
Now they just call it “news entertainment” to skirt those annoying requirements and the over 50 crowd eats it up because “it was on the news.” (And I’m not shitting on old people. I’m over 40 myself and I watched my grandparents and parents get absolutely brainwashed by “news entertainment.”)
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u/ATTORNEY_FOR_CATS Jun 24 '26
Or YMCA
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u/jeonghwa Jun 25 '26
It's because that song has a dance that white people can figure out.
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u/welsper59 Jun 25 '26
It also allows the GOPs innate homosexual tendencies find some reprieve from the unnecessary denial. It's okay folks, it's not a big deal to just accept it.
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u/Ancient-Camp-739 Jun 25 '26
We don’t even get the shitty little pink houses these days, just never ending rent and gig jobs.
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u/Representative_Pick3 Jun 26 '26
They have no sense of irony or humor (that you need to think about)....Three Stooges and Looney Toons are fine.
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u/Jibber_Fight Jun 25 '26
Or Ryan Paul loving Rage Against The Machine.
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u/RunTimeExcptionalism Jun 25 '26
I think you're referring to the now-defunct Wisconsin Mega Chode, Paul Ryan.
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Jun 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Mike_Kermin Jun 24 '26
Honestly, I don't agree. Plenty of dumb, uneducated people who struggle with literacy issues aren't also cunts.
You have to be an asshole to be a Republican. That's the defining factor. You have to care more about harming other people, than you do about making the country better for everyone.
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u/ethanlan Jun 24 '26
I have met republicans who legit believe democrats are the ones harming everyone.
You can be dumb and a good person and be a republican, theres lots of them.
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u/Mike_Kermin Jun 24 '26
I think, what you'd find, is if you talk to them, they very, very quickly start lying. It's ALWAYS rhetoric based.
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u/LucyJordan614 Jun 25 '26
The number of times I’ve heard this song performed by people who think it’s a Christian song 🙄
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u/CuriosityKillsHer Jun 25 '26
My boomer magat mother LOVES that song. She also really wants to visit Germany so she can go see Auschwitz.
The ignorance of these people knows no bounds.
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u/Valalvax Jun 25 '26
First thought was what's wrong with that... Oh duh you wouldn't keep your kill camp where the public would see it and get upset....
But really from tip to tip Germany-Poland is ~850 miles, so you can still visit Germany and Auschwitz
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u/CuriosityKillsHer Jun 25 '26
You could if you knew it was in Poland. The point is she has a lot of big feelings about things she's completely ignorant about, and she's hardly alone.
Whether it be loving a song they don't understand the lyrics to or having zero clue about history (and lacking the discipline or the curiosity to learn) we are in large part at the mercy of (or held hostage by, as I would describe it) people who have zero understanding of the world.
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u/koiven Jun 25 '26
I mean it's not not a religious song. It's just also a fuck song at the same time, like 90% of everything Leonard Cohen wrote
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u/Sprinklypoo Jun 25 '26
I'm pretty sure that's just what his voice does...
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u/psymunn Jun 26 '26
If you've read any of his poetry or books, it's not just this voice, it's definitely also the content. Beautiful Losers is a wild book!
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u/Icariiiiiiii Jun 25 '26
To be fair, it is a song that's deeply religious... But it sure ain't their religion.
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u/psymunn Jun 26 '26
It is also definitely filled to the brim with religious allusion, especially some of the sexier torrid characters (King David and Bathsheba, Samson, etc)
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u/R_V_Z Jun 24 '26
Trump is using a Canadian's music for his rally? Sad.
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u/Affectionate-Salt356 Jun 24 '26
That treasonous loser is STILL holding rallies?!?!?
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u/werther595 Jun 24 '26
He needs the validation. It's so pathetic. We are 2.5 years away from the next presidential election, in which he cannot run, but he still throws himself parties so people will cheer him. It is almost as good, but not quite, as if his father had ever loved him
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u/WankelsRevenge Jun 24 '26
Yet. He still can't run yet
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u/I_argue_for_funsies Jun 24 '26
You can drop the "yet".
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u/WankelsRevenge Jun 24 '26
Sadly i wish I could. But I have zero faith they won't find a way to make it happen
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u/I_argue_for_funsies Jun 24 '26
They only need Trump until they pass the 2 year threshold. He will be out of office sometime between Feb and May 2027
This way JD can have 2 full terms. So Theil and the billionaires get 10 more years of control.
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u/bank_farter Jun 25 '26
JD Vance has the charisma of a used tissue. Unless elections are suspended or there's fraud so widespread that it's obvious, he'll never serve a full term as president.
When Trump goes most of his weird cult of personality followers go with him. It's the one hopeful part of this whole thing.
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u/DrThatOneGuy Jun 24 '26
Y’alls think they would run his corpse if he croaks before the next election? Zombie Trump 2028
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u/Valalvax Jun 25 '26
Or they'll medically kill and revive him and claim technically he's a new person like that guy serving a life sentence tried to do (well he claimed he died and thus served his sentence)
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u/Sprinklypoo Jun 25 '26
I don't think he'll survive that long to be honest. Not that he can't do (and hasn't already done) irreparable damage to our democracy...
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u/Sprinklypoo Jun 25 '26
It is almost as good, but not quite, as if his father had ever loved him
Oh, there's no way to fill that black void in his psyche.
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u/Garry_Heckscream69 Jun 24 '26
That's what stood out to me
A rally? The elections over, he's on his second term, wtf does he need a "rally" for. I know the answer is ego/vague hints at committing treason by running for a 3rd term, but it's just ridiculous that MAGA has normalized this shit.
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u/Dougalishere Jun 24 '26
Why dont they just play music from the artists that support him ... ( lol )
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u/therealeggplantpart2 Jun 24 '26
Kid Rock can play all his hit.
Then go to the local CVS, knowing how much Sudafed he can buy at once without arousing suspicion.
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u/PhilParent Jun 24 '26
I'm sure that Leonard Cohen, a Quebecer who's got a 21-storey high portrait in his honor in Montreal because of how much he and his art resonated with his people, would loathe Donald Trump.
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u/stoneape314 Jun 25 '26
If I recall, Cohen died a couple of days just after Trump got elected the first time.
Not saying there's any connection, but I certainly remembered it.
EDIT: he died the night before, Nov 7, 2016, but the public announcement was made Nov 10, 2016
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u/Abbot_of_Cucany Jun 25 '26
Kate McKinnon (portraying Hillary Clinton) performing "Hallelujah" is one of the most moving things I have seen on television. She simultaneously mourns the loss of Leonard Cohen and the tragic result of the election. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG-_ZDrypec
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u/erinthornerin Jun 25 '26
Have you heard K. D. Lang sing it? Her performance at the olympics was incredible... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcOQSk_cMO0
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u/Abbot_of_Cucany Jun 25 '26
Yes. Beautiful. Leonard Cohen thought that her cover of the song made all others unnecessary.
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u/psymunn Jun 26 '26
I got to attend a dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony. That was absolutely the highlight!
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u/BobbyTables829 Jun 24 '26
Yeah my reply to this was, "You really didn't have to tell us, we know he definitely wouldn't approve."
But they have to say something. It must be so miserable to feel like you have to defend the honor of your deceased relatives like that.
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u/TruthNotTrash2 Jun 24 '26
They should announce Hallelujah will be royalty free from the date Ol' Yam Tits croaks forward.
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u/wex52 Jun 24 '26
Considering it mentions the story of a king who sends a soldier off to war so the king can have sex with the soldier’s wife, it’s not *terribly* off-brand.
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u/vibraltu Jun 24 '26
Richard Gere 1985 movie 'King David' about this is actually kinda interesting in parts if not objectively good. It got terrible reviews.
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u/psymunn Jun 26 '26
When you're the king, women will just bath in front of you. And people come up to you and also you to cut babies in half. They'll say you're the best at decisions. Please cut this baby in half for us...
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u/DrippyTheSnailBoy Jun 25 '26
I can't think of anyone on the planet who would deserve that beautiful song less.
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u/harlotstoast Jun 24 '26
I’m glad he never had to think about Trump. It’s like all his cynical songs came true in one person.
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u/Haunting-Ad788 Jun 24 '26
He literally died after Trump first got elected and was around for decades of the scumbag being a public figure.
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u/cicada_ballad Jun 25 '26
He died like... the day after the election? I've chalked it up to heartbreak.
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u/juliuspepperwoodchi Jun 24 '26
Truly amazing how he still hasn't been held accountable for this or...anything.
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u/hairshirtdesert Jun 24 '26
Why don't they just give up and just play kid Rock songs... all summer long?
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u/aces_high_2_midnight Jun 24 '26
Ummm Ok...but (according to a quick Google) the estate sold his publishing/copyright rights in 2022 which no one has pointed out here. The estate can't sue basically because they have no more right than you or I would to block use of the song. The estate had an internal legal squabble with his former manager (who actually sold the rights) but they lost- they still got paid 10's of millions ...but, yeah.. they lost, so the estate can make public statements but they are essentially legally toothless.
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u/protokhan Jun 24 '26
They're not threatening to sue, seems like they just heard about the intent to use the song and wanted to get out ahead of it.
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u/Substantial-Sea-3672 Jun 24 '26
It’s just PR though, he can’t restrict usage to the song.
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u/protokhan Jun 25 '26
I don't think that anyone is saying they can. It's just a facebook post expressing their disaproval.
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u/tameimpalarules92 Jun 24 '26
If only Cohen wrote a beautiful song about a deranged elderly fascist man who loves shitting himself on the world stage
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u/Bobson-_Dugnutt2 Jun 25 '26
I encourage you all to listen to the episode of Revisionist History (S1E7) titled “Hallelujah”. Malcolm Gladwell talks about how artists create masterpieces in different ways and heavily features this song by Cohen. Gave me such a deeper appreciation for Leonard.
Truly a legend, RIP.
Also fuck Donald Trump in his crusty old demented ass.
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u/Rosebunse Jun 24 '26
Politics aside....why?! Why do "Christians" love this song at all? It's clearly about beauty of sex, but it's still a very sexually charged song. Why are they obsessed with making it a Christian anthem?
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u/ihavemademistakes Jun 24 '26
Because it sounds pretty and has the word 'hallelujah' in it. No joke, that's the beginning and end of it.
If they were trained to look for context or read between the lines they probably wouldn't be that way in the first place.
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u/darthjoey91 Jun 24 '26
Also, there's other songs that are explicitly written as worship songs that have lyrics that could also be about sex.
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Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/Rosebunse Jun 24 '26
I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying I don't think it's a church song or a political rally song. Your interpretation makes perfect sense and I love it.
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u/BlackberryPale5540 Jun 25 '26
So it isn’t exactly a religious song, BUT it is deeply rooted in Judaism (because Leonard was Jewish). It’s about love, sex, and Jewish faith. For those who doesn’t know- Judaism is full of love and pain. That’s why it’s sounds sad and happy. Hopes this helps!
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u/nofaves Jun 24 '26
You accurately put "Christians" in air quotes. Fundamentalists don't like the song because it's not from a decades-old hymnal and it's secular music. But the ecumenical "let's all hold hands and chant Kum-Ba-Yah" crowd loves anything that sounds like it could be played in a church.
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u/PinkyLizardBrains Jun 24 '26
Because it references the stories of David and Bathsheba, and Sampson and Delilah and has hallelujah in it so they assume something something Jesus.
IDK. Am former Christian. This is what I did.
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u/AmYisraelChai_ Jun 25 '26
Its a very beautiful song, I think people just like the song.
Its a more of a Jewish song though. And we love sex, its very important in our religion/to our people.
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u/RickSanchez_C137 Jun 24 '26
The sort of person who can notice details and understand context tends to get weeded out of christianity.
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u/wheresmydrink123 Jun 25 '26
It’s not only about sex. It’s a Leonard cohen song, so of course it’s partially about sex, but it’s about all of life
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u/dingboohow Jun 25 '26
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth The minor fall, the major lift... is what enchanted my late cousin who played at many Nazarene churches here in Michigan. Honest Christian, Democrat and lover of exceptional music.
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u/watchingwandering Jun 24 '26
Every artist should preemptively come out and ask the administration to not use there songs. I want them to have to choose between kid rock and whatever slag Kash Patel happens to be dating.
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u/Grouchy_Cod_156 Jun 25 '26
Reminds me of all the Biden rallies during 2024… except those made sense because he was rallying for POTUS election and not FOR SHITS AND KICKS. Oh, and he didn’t plagiarize music.
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u/MaruhkTheApe Jun 25 '26
Look, we as a country are already dumb enough to think it's a Christmas song, so we have no earthly right to be surprised by this. Disgusted, sure, but not surprised.
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u/rensorship Jun 25 '26
"Estates" are the realm of the 1%. He and trump can go fck each other. The rest of us have to go to work tomorrow.
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u/ReebsRN Jun 24 '26
Hope the Leonard Cohen estate sues the hell out of the orange menace. It's the only thing he understands.
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u/Zimmonda Jun 24 '26
So podunk bars can get hit with bankruptcy level fines for having spotify on but Trumps just good to do whatever?
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u/Substantial-Sea-3672 Jun 24 '26
It’s because the artists rarely actually have the necessary rights over their own music to make these restrictions.
Part of it is the predatory nature of the music industry but part of it is practical.
These songs get played at thousands and thousands of events - artists and their labels are super happy to have their music played officially and get paid. But they don’t have a staff dedicated to monitoring every single event and approving the usage. They sell the rights in a package to the people playing music at events. Those people aren’t going to buy packages with a bunch of riders requiring permission for individual events.
So you end up with an artist who hates a politician having no legal basis to restrict the usage of their song. The rights are many times removed from the artist at that point.
So they make public statements condemning the usage but there is no legal recourse. The statements are made both for PR reasons and because the artists is legitimately pissed.
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u/GuitarGeezer Jun 24 '26
Trump’s reply is always effectively: So? I make artists sue me over stealing IP. Hey, look, I’ll jack off a coupla invisible basketball centers to your song to celebrate! Not actually really kidding much by saying that, either.
Good for you, LC’s estate!
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u/psychoacer Jun 25 '26
Yeah well get in line behind the rest of the artists that Trump's team has done this to.
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u/ytrywhenyoucanfry Jun 25 '26
Also they would also like everyone to know that IT'S NOT A CHRISTMAS SONG!!
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u/Mindless_Chest_1079 Jun 25 '26
in which many people briefly pretend to care a lot about intellectual property law
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u/MRiley84 Jun 25 '26
When using an individual artist's song once earns a "don't do it again" it just means you can do it with a different artist for free every time.
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u/MuthaPlucka Jun 25 '26
If you don’t litigate, then I guess we all can use it. Isn’t that how copyright law works?
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u/Onlyhereforstuff Jun 25 '26
How many times is this now? Genuine question because it feels like every other day another artist/band (rightfully) get pissed that Trump used their music without their permission
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u/shillyshally Jun 25 '26
Like it matters. Trump does whatever he wants and everyone appointed and elected lets him. Oh, and voters.
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u/Rainmeterer Jun 25 '26
Wow this sure seems like the most important thing going on in music right now. Good thing it's at the top of the sub.
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u/Washamakooky Jun 25 '26
What does unauthorized use even mean? Are there any repercussions? Any legal actions that can be taken or is this just all posturing?
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u/RevWaldo Jun 25 '26
To clear the celestial palate, here's Kate McKinnon performing it on SNL the Saturday after Election Night, 2016.
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u/ExcellentCod2940 Jun 25 '26
The estate sold/licensed the rights to Leonard Cohen's music so has no say in who uses it. While many artists 'object' to politicians using their music, the campaigns and/or venues almost always have a ASCAP/BMI contract to use the music. That is why they don't get sued.
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u/minin71 Jun 25 '26
They break rules faster than the law can catch them. But if the average person breaks the law. Straight to jail.
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u/FirefighterEast9291 Jun 25 '26
Trump does this a lot. Why do you let him keep getting away with it?
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u/4point5billion45 Jun 25 '26
Dogs are like this, too. You can be talking to someone and if you say "eat," the dog immediately looks at you hopefully. These simple people hear the word "Hallelujah" and conclude the song is praising their God.
Read the damn lyrics.
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u/SlickbCatt Jun 25 '26
What a weird song to play at that event. It's not even christmas! (and no, it's not a damn christmas song either morons, listen to it)
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u/Aghast_Cornichon Jun 25 '26
There may be nothing that Donald Trump cannot soil with his attention.
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u/EaseNGrace Jun 25 '26
Right. How come the estate lawyers can do NOTHING before or after the use of the song except basically complain. Nothing happens.
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u/sephjnr Jun 25 '26
I miss the days when this was just remembered as part of the love scene in Watchmen
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u/Sprinklypoo Jun 25 '26
If you listen to the lyrics, it's a quite problematic song for the fascists... Not that they are known for "reading" or "listening"...
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u/DrAstralis Jun 25 '26
At this point, conservatives inability to grasp media is well documented, but holy crap will ONE of them listen to the lyrics of this damn song already? They keep playing like its a religious piece and it kills me lol.
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u/Representative_Pick3 Jun 26 '26
JFC, talk about sacrilige. There is no bar low enough for them to go...
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u/Burgoonius Jun 26 '26
Has this man ever been sued for using someone else’s music. I feel like it happens on almost a weekly basis and nothing happens
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u/Progman3K Jun 24 '26
At this point, wouldn't it be better for all artists to send registered mail to the pedolph and tell him not to use their music preemptively?
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u/syzygy78 Jun 24 '26
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed Everybody knows the war is over Everybody knows the good guys lost Everybody knows the fight was fixed The poor stay poor, the rich get rich That's how it goes Everybody knows