Just in case The Donald needs some new tunes
Politicians running for president have always tried to come up with some relevant music to mark their arrival or exit to the podium on campaign stops. Not surprisingly, no one has ever had the audacity to do it the way Donald Trump did at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last week. Not only did he come out to the Queen anthem “We Are the Champions” months before a single vote is scheduled to be cast, but he took his visual cues from WWE wrestler The Undertaker by using fog machines and dimming the lights in the arena.
During the Democratic National Convention downtown at the Wells Fargo Center Tuesday night, actress Elizabeth Banks mocked Trump’s walk out by replicating it, and Queen guitarist Brian May – who applauded Banks skewering – last week derided Trump for using the band’s song in the first place without approval.
“I will make sure we take what steps we can to dissociate ourselves from Donald Trump’s unsavoury campaign,” May wrote on his official website.
While artists rallying against politicians they don’t support using their music is nothing new, Trump is in some serious need for a new song or two. He’s already been asked nicely and not so nicely by Aerosmith, R.E.M., Neil Young, the estate of George Harrison and even the producer of “Air Force One,” who demanded he stop using the score to the film, to quit associating their music with his presidential run.
Always ready to help out whenever someone needs a suggestion of music choices; Rock Music Menu is more than happy to assist Trump in lining up a fresh group of tracks to energize his audiences as he rolls toward the eighth of November. It’s almost guaranteed the Republican nominee will face criticism for picking these alternatives too, but it’s worth a shot …
Led Zeppelin – ‘Immigrant Song’
We all know how Trump feels about illegal immigrants entering the country, and while the lyrics of this ‘Led Zeppelin III’ tune don’t really address the issue, Robert Plant’s wail, which opens the track, is likely similar to the sound the presidential hopeful makes when thinking about the topic.
R.E.M. – ‘Orange Crush’
This song should be used for two reasons. First, it’s never not funny to point out the carrot-like color Trump gives off. Secondly, have you ever really checked out the lyrics to the song? “I’ve had my fun and now it’s time/To serve your conscience overseas” is vividly symbolic of his promise to handle business around the world.
AC/DC – ‘Moneytalks’
The Trump campaign is hurting a bit for money right now, so what better way to convey that message to supporters than by invoking this AC/DC hit from 1990?
Kiss – ‘Great Expectations’
Gene Simmons, a former contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” might be more about dollar signs than Trump, who hosted the show when the Kiss co-founder appeared. Simmons handles vocals on this number and with the title featuring one of Trump’s favorite words, “great,” is a sure thing. So is the line, “You’ve got great expectations, you’d sell me your soul.”
Oasis – ‘Wonderwall’
This one has a couple of meanings. The word “wonderwall” could be interchangeable with “rock,” “savior” or “only hope,” befitting Trump’s idea of how his followers see him with a chorus that goes, “Maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me/And after all, you’re my wonderwall.” Alternately, it might be used to address the wall along the Mexican border Trump has pledged to build. Used in a sentence: “Hey, I wonder if he’s really going to build that wall?”
Misfits – ‘Horror Business’
Trump has long been known as a business magnate, so why not pull out this early chestnut from The Misfits? It also closes with the line, “Nobody can do what I can do,” which for better or worse is probably true.
The Boils – ‘The Orange and the Black’
Sure, this has been a past anthem for our very own Philadelphia Flyers, but the title alone perfectly describes what hue Trump is and where he intends to put the country’s economy. Remember, pointing out his odd skin tone is never not funny.
U2 – ‘Mysterious Ways’
One of the primary criticisms Trump has faced is a lack of specifics for his plans to rebuild the economy, defeat terrorism and rebuild our infrastructure on the cheap. How is he going to do it? Likely via mysterious ways.
Motörhead – ‘Walk a Crooked Mile’
The Donald has a thing for giving nicknames to those he sees as adversaries, so of course his true opponent in the race, Hilary Clinton, gets one of the more negative in “Crooked Hilary.” This nugget from Lemmy and company has a line that could come right from one of Trump’s speeches where he attacks the former secretary of state: “Plead no contest, pass the buck/Running scared, you ain’t so tough.”
Pink Floyd – ‘Money’
Like many of the things Trump says, this one needs no explanation.