WATCH + REACT
A/ STILL PICTURE
Who ? ______
What ? ______
RNC stands for ______
B/ PROBLEM
Trump has used ______music throughout his ______!
Flag : ______
- TRUMP’S ENTRANCE at the RNC
Song : ______
Tweet : ______
Explain in your own words: ______
______
- RNC’s CLOSING NIGHT
Song : ______
Irony : ______
- SPEECH AHEAD OF THE IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT
Song : « It’s the ______of the ______as we know it ! » (by R.E.M)
Irony : « Trump might as well have been riding out on stage with the three other horsemen of the ______! »
C/ BACKSTORY = HISTORY
It is not just Trump who has angered ______by using their ______without ______.
It’s not a new phenomenon: ______have been ______pop music for as long as anyone can remember. For example, ______
The point is, if artists want to ______their music to ______, that’s fine, but it is not okay for ______to just ______their ______. This happens every single ______. And it is time for ______to come together and take a ______!
D/ THE STAND
DON'T USE OUR SONG !
Haut du formulaire
Bas du formulaire
It’s that time of year ______(1) season’s here You’ll ______(2) and ______(3) and make your ______(4) While ______(5) fall everywhere
But we notice something's ______(6)
And it's gone on way too long So we're asking you right now
______(7) our songs
As you turn on your ______(8)
Fire up your ______(9)
Bring out your smile and ______(10)
Of ethnically diverse ______(11)
Stop using our ______(12)
That's our one and only ______(13)
We didn't write these ______(14)
To make your ______(1) stop ______(15)
[Chorus]
Don’t use our ______(14)
Cause you'll use it ______(6)
It might seem ______(16)
But you're just ______(17)
Don’t use our ______(14)
It just seems ______(6)
By the time this ______(18) is through
You'll be lucky if we don't ______(19)
Don't use our ______(14), no
That's ______(20). You gotta call my ______(21), OK?
You always take our ______(12)
Out of ______(22) anyway
Why would ______(23) be playing
Born in the USA ?
It's about Vietnam!
Thank you for not ______(24) me
That’s a ______(25) you didn’t ______(26)
If I wanted to ______(27) and not get ______(28)
I’d be on ______(29)
Don’t use our ______(14)
I mean, come on
You knew we'd ______(30)
This is like the sixth time now
Don’t use our ______(14)
It's not your ______(14)
You're lucky we don't ______(19)
And what's the deal with all those ______(5) ?
Don’t use our ______(14)
And just to be clearer
You can’t use this ______(14) either
But here's one ______(18) we all agree
That you can use any time ______(31)
[Cat playing organ interlude]
Don’t use our ______(14)
For real, come on
You're lucky if we don't ______(18)
And what's he deal with all those ______(5)? Don’t use our ______(14)
Won't sing along
It might seem ______(16)
But you're just ______(17)
Don’t use our ______(14) You know it’s ______(6) The ______(32) might like it
But you didn't ______(33) it
E/ THE ISSUE
1/ Fill in the grid with keywords from the lyrics:
MONEY / POLITICS / MUSIC / ENTERTAINMENT2/ Why do artists remind politicians not to use their songs on the campaign trail ?
3/ What sort of song does it make you think of ?
4/ What can you say about the video’s backdrop ?
5/ How do you feel about this song ?
PISTES REFLEXION
- They sang a song in the style of charity singles such as We Are The World.
- There’s a long history of politicians using songs without the permission of the musician, like when Ronald Reagan used Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” or Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker used a Dropkick Murphys song, causing the band to reply that they “literally hate” him, or when Trump boldly used REM’s “It’s The End of the World As We Know It,” prompting frontman Michael Stipe to tell the now Republican nominee to “Go f*** yourself.” Regardless of the contempt of the artists, politicians continue to use their songs.
- To help musicians plead their case, Oliver invited Heart, Michael Bolton, Usher, Cyndi Lauper, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, Imagine Dragons and more to come together in song and take a stand against unauthorized song use. The final result was the aptly named tune, “Don’t Use Our Songs”, which begged politicians: “Don’t use our songs/ cause you use it wrong. It might seem appealing but it’s just stealing.”
- Other offenders Oliver pointed out were Mike Huckabee with Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, Sarah Palin with Heart’s Barracuda, John McCain with two John Mellencamp songs, the Democratic National Committee with Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors and Ronald Reagan for his misunderstanding of Bruce Springsteen’s quietly critical hit Born in the USA. Scott Walker’s unauthorized use of music by the Dropkick Murphys had Oliver cracking up. The band tweeted at the governor of Wisconsin, saying: “please stop using our music in any way...we literally hate you !!!”
- In response to the countless instances, Oliver gathered Usher, Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper, Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, the band Heart, Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons and Sheryl Crow to make a music video with an overly patriotic backdrop.
- The song comes complete with a video stuffed with the sort of stereotypically over-the-top imagery that tends to go along with campaign commercials, including shots of the American heartland (and lots and lots of balloons). “It might seem appealing,” goes a sample lyric, “but you’re just stealing.”
- Read More: Heart and John Mellencamp Join 'John Oliver' Supergroup for Anti-Campaign Anthem 'Don't Use Our Song' |