Celine Dion criticizes Donald Trump campaign's use of classic 'Titanic'

This article was originally published in English

A strange choice.

Perhaps an oddly fitting choice.

Still, it is an unauthorized choice.

Celine Dion's team has released a statement on behalf of the Canadian icon, saying Donald Trump had no right to use her song “My Heart Will Go On” at a presidential campaign rally in Montana.

The use of his Oscar-winning song in the film Titanic (1997) has “in no way” been authorized and Celine Dion “does not endorse this or any similar use.”

The statement reads: “Today, Celine Dion's management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and image of Celine Dion singing 'My Heart Will Go On' at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana. This use is in no way authorized and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.”

The statement concludes: “…And really, THIS song?”

Once again, Trump and his campaign team seem to have little to no self-awareness when it comes to… well, culture.

Following the unauthorized use of French artist Woodkid's LGBTQ+ anthem last week – the irony of which was not lost on many – Trump has now used a song that was played in a movie about a sinking ship…

While it may be premature to call Trump's presidential campaign a sinking ship, its lack of awareness can be described as an epic tragedy.

The singer made headlines last month when she closed the Paris Olympics opening ceremonywhile she suffered from stiff person syndromeShe sang Edith Piaf's “Hymne à l'amour” at the opening ceremony – her first concert since revealing she has “a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, particularly the brain and spinal cord,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Trump, “plunderer” of music catalogs

Céline Dion is far from being the first artist to oppose the (abusive) use of her songs by Donald Trump for electoral purposes.

From Creedence Clearwater Revival to Tom Petty, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones and Adele, all have criticized Trump for using their songs without permission.

Other examples include Bruce Springsteen objecting in 2016 to Trump’s performance of “Born in the USA” as a patriotic anthem, when it was actually a scathing indictment of the treatment of Vietnam veterans (oh the irony, again); Rihanna asking Trump to stop playing “Don’t Stop the Music” after it was played at a rally in 2018; and REM being outraged that their songs “Losing My Religion,” “Everybody Hurts,” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” were used at rallies.

In 2020, Leonard Cohen’s estate issued a statement criticizing Trump’s unauthorized use of Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” at the Republican National Convention, after he had expressly refused permission to use it. The estate added, rather brilliantly, that they would realistically only have considered approving Cohen’s song “You Want It Darker.”

Earlier this year, Sinéad O'Connor's estate asked Mr Trump to stop using her 1990 hit song, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” at his political rallies: “Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinéad O'Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness and decency toward her fellow human beings. So it is with outrage that we learned that Donald Trump has used her iconic rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U at his political rallies.”

From a legal standpoint, American politicians have some leeway in using songs as they please, which leaves performers in despair.

Indeed, American politicians don't always need permission from artists, because campaigns can buy licenses from music rights organizations, giving them legal access to millions of songs for political rallies.

Artists, however, have the right to remove their music from this list.

Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne