It was all too predictable that Donald Trump’s use of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” to herald his grand entrance into the 2016 Republican National Convention last week would attract a complaint from Queen. After all, such stories have become common features of each campaign season, even as the legality of such uses can be a little murky. And while rock stars seem to be much more likely to make complaints about having their songs used by Republicans, it’s not strictly a partisan issue: Even the current president of the United States received a complaint after using Sam and Dave’s soul classic “Hold On, I’m Coming” in 2008.
But John Oliver is here to do something about it. After providing some background on the history of such disputes, the comedian debuted “Stop Using Our Songs” as collectively performed by Usher, Michael Bolton, and several other popular artists. Hopefully Trump takes a listen because, if his self-aggrandizing, egomaniacal new promise is any indication, B.o.B’s “I Am the Champion” is likely already on the playlist for his next stadium rally.
