"The Gays' National Anthem". That's what conservative Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as the new President of the United States on Monday, has dubbed Village People's giant hit "YMCA". The song has been played countless times during Trump's campaign and the group is also set to perform in connection with the presidential inauguration. But why?
"Good Bang"
The answer may lie in the fact that Trump simply likes a good hit, says journalist Anton Bennebrant to Sveriges Radio's "Kulturnytt":
He likes a good bang, regardless of whether it's Abba or Pavarotti, it seems. It engages the audience and is a clever way to get a large crowd on your side, he says in the program.
British music professor James Garratt believes that Trump enjoys frustrating opponents by choosing music that doesn't always fit within the framework of what people expect.
Trump's music choices say a lot about him. Unlike other politicians, he doesn't seem to care whether his song choices appear chaotic, random or ideologically inconsistent, he says to BBC.
Total Turnaround
Previously, Village People have repeatedly asked Trump to stop using "YMCA" as well as the song "Macho Man" at various performances. However, the band recently made a total turnaround and performed last weekend on the same stage as the future president. After Trump won the election, the band wrote on social media that their "preferred candidate" didn't win, but that it's "time to bring the country together with music".
Republican Donald Trump has generally had a harder time attracting star artists to his events compared to, for example, Democrats Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Barack Obama. However, he has managed to get country singer Carrie Underwood to perform "America the Beautiful", country singer Lee Greenwood, and opera singer Christopher Macchio at Monday's inauguration.
