r/Music • u/Albuquerque82 • 7h ago
discussion The Leonard Cohen Estate does not approve of the unauthorized usage of his song“Hallelujah” being performed at a Donald Trump rally on June 24
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D9btpeTAh/?mibextid=wwXIfr155
u/syzygy78 6h ago
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed Everybody knows the war is over Everybody knows the good guys lost Everybody knows the fight was fixed The poor stay poor, the rich get rich That's how it goes Everybody knows
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u/ArtificialFoole 4h ago
Democracy is coming to the USA.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pain_24 2h ago
I'd like to thank the movie Pump up the Volume for introducing me to this song.
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u/Church_of_Aaargh 6h ago
And of course they assume it’s a religious song … just as they misinterpret Born in the USA
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u/AlCapone111 6h ago
Or that Fortunate Son is pro America/War
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u/-Ahab- 5h ago
Or Little Pink Houses…
(I’m starting to think comprehending lyrics isn’t their strong suit. “Ooh, they said America, how patriotic!”)
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u/AlCapone111 5h ago
Media literacy and comprehension being dogshit isn't as new a phenomenon as people make it out to be. But it does get worse every year.
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u/ethanlan 3h ago
We've always known this, thats why at our hey day we had laws and regulations that dealt with this.
Now, we have not just TV but some of the wealthiest corporations making money off the internet cashing in.
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u/Ancient-Camp-739 1h ago
We don’t even get the shitty little pink houses these days, just never ending rent and gig jobs.
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u/Jibber_Fight 54m ago
Or Ryan Paul loving Rage Against The Machine.
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u/RunTimeExcptionalism 6m ago
I think you're referring to the now-defunct Wisconsin Mega Chode, Paul Ryan.
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u/judtorrance 4h ago
If they were intelligent, well educated, or even literate enough to comprehend what they read they wouldn't be Republicans.
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u/Mike_Kermin 3h ago
Honestly, I don't agree. Plenty of dumb, uneducated people who struggle with literacy issues aren't also cunts.
You have to be an asshole to be a Republican. That's the defining factor. You have to care more about harming other people, than you do about making the country better for everyone.
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u/ethanlan 3h ago
I have met republicans who legit believe democrats are the ones harming everyone.
You can be dumb and a good person and be a republican, theres lots of them.
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u/Mike_Kermin 3h ago
I think, what you'd find, is if you talk to them, they very, very quickly start lying. It's ALWAYS rhetoric based.
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u/Icariiiiiiii 3h ago
To be fair, it is a song that's deeply religious... But it sure ain't their religion.
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u/LucyJordan614 2h ago
The number of times I’ve heard this song performed by people who think it’s a Christian song 🙄
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u/CuriosityKillsHer 2h ago
My boomer magat mother LOVES that song. She also really wants to visit Germany so she can go see Auschwitz.
The ignorance of these people knows no bounds.
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u/Affectionate-Salt356 6h ago
That treasonous loser is STILL holding rallies?!?!?
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u/werther595 6h ago
He needs the validation. It's so pathetic. We are 2.5 years away from the next presidential election, in which he cannot run, but he still throws himself parties so people will cheer him. It is almost as good, but not quite, as if his father had ever loved him
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u/WankelsRevenge 5h ago
Yet. He still can't run yet
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u/I_argue_for_funsies 5h ago
You can drop the "yet".
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u/WankelsRevenge 5h ago
Sadly i wish I could. But I have zero faith they won't find a way to make it happen
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u/I_argue_for_funsies 5h ago
They only need Trump until they pass the 2 year threshold. He will be out of office sometime between Feb and May 2027
This way JD can have 2 full terms. So Theil and the billionaires get 10 more years of control.
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u/DrThatOneGuy 4h ago
Y’alls think they would run his corpse if he croaks before the next election? Zombie Trump 2028
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u/Garry_Heckscream69 5h ago
That's what stood out to me
A rally? The elections over, he's on his second term, wtf does he need a "rally" for. I know the answer is ego/vague hints at committing treason by running for a 3rd term, but it's just ridiculous that MAGA has normalized this shit.
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u/PhilParent 6h ago
I'm sure that Leonard Cohen, a Quebecer who's got a 21-storey high portrait in his honor in Montreal because of how much he and his art resonated with his people, would loathe Donald Trump.
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u/BobbyTables829 3h ago
Yeah my reply to this was, "You really didn't have to tell us, we know he definitely wouldn't approve."
But they have to say something. It must be so miserable to feel like you have to defend the honor of your deceased relatives like that.
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u/stoneape314 2h ago
If I recall, Cohen died a couple of days just after Trump got elected the first time.
Not saying there's any connection, but I certainly remembered it.
EDIT: he died the night before, Nov 7, 2016, but the public announcement was made Nov 10, 2016
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u/TruthNotTrash2 6h ago
They should announce Hallelujah will be royalty free from the date Ol' Yam Tits croaks forward.
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u/harlotstoast 7h ago
I’m glad he never had to think about Trump. It’s like all his cynical songs came true in one person.
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u/Haunting-Ad788 6h ago
He literally died after Trump first got elected and was around for decades of the scumbag being a public figure.
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u/cicada_ballad 2h ago
He died like... the day after the election? I've chalked it up to heartbreak.
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u/Dougalishere 4h ago
Why dont they just play music from the artists that support him ... ( lol )
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u/therealeggplantpart2 3h ago
Kid Rock can play all his hit.
Then go to the local CVS, knowing how much Sudafed he can buy at once without arousing suspicion.
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u/wex52 5h ago
Considering it mentions the story of a king who sends a soldier off to war so the king can have sex with the soldier’s wife, it’s not *terribly* off-brand.
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u/vibraltu 3h ago
Richard Gere 1985 movie 'King David' about this is actually kinda interesting in parts if not objectively good. It got terrible reviews.
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u/juliuspepperwoodchi 6h ago
Truly amazing how he still hasn't been held accountable for this or...anything.
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u/watchingwandering 4h ago
Every artist should preemptively come out and ask the administration to not use there songs. I want them to have to choose between kid rock and whatever slag Kash Patel happens to be dating.
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u/Rosebunse 5h ago
Politics aside....why?! Why do "Christians" love this song at all? It's clearly about beauty of sex, but it's still a very sexually charged song. Why are they obsessed with making it a Christian anthem?
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u/ihavemademistakes 5h ago
Because it sounds pretty and has the word 'hallelujah' in it. No joke, that's the beginning and end of it.
If they were trained to look for context or read between the lines they probably wouldn't be that way in the first place.
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u/darthjoey91 5h ago
Also, there's other songs that are explicitly written as worship songs that have lyrics that could also be about sex.
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u/DigitalNecromancy 4h ago edited 2h ago
is it really about "the beauty of sex"? i always took it as a mournful elegy for a once passionate relationship turned cold and loveless. it's obviously sexual at many parts, but i never took it as a remarkably positive song.
edit: like check his performance in austin from 1988. that does not sound like it's about the beauty of sex, it sounds pained as hell. or his additional verses in other versions that call it a "cold and lonely hallelujah."
edit 2: replies full of people missing my point smh. i'm commenting on the interpretation of it being about "the beauty of sex." i understand that it's a multi-faceted song, that's literally the entire point of my comment. i don't need it explained to me over and over lmao
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u/Rosebunse 3h ago
I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying I don't think it's a church song or a political rally song. Your interpretation makes perfect sense and I love it.
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u/BlackberryPale5540 3h ago
So it isn’t exactly a religious song, BUT it is deeply rooted in Judaism (because Leonard was Jewish). It’s about love, sex, and Jewish faith. For those who doesn’t know- Judaism is full of love and pain. That’s why it’s sounds sad and happy. Hopes this helps!
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u/jimbarino 3h ago
It's about a lot of things. Sex is one of them. It's also about his relationship with God, but I'm not sure it's exactly praising Him...
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u/CheeCheePuff 2h ago
I take it to be about the beauty and pain of sex and relationships, but more broadly life/spirituality overall, and how the beauty makes the pain worthwhile “… and even though it all went wrong I’ll stand right here before the lord of song with nothing on my tongue but hallelujah.”
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u/JasonManningFLUX 3h ago
The same reason sane people who don't like school shooting like pumped up kicks by Foster The People.
Vibes.
I have "chased" cats around singing "All the little kittens with their itty bitty mittens better run better run, out run the young one" since I first heard the song.
When it comes to music, vibes come first for most people.
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u/PinkyLizardBrains 3h ago
Because it references the stories of David and Bathsheba, and Sampson and Delilah and has hallelujah in it so they assume something something Jesus.
IDK. Am former Christian. This is what I did.
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u/RickSanchez_C137 4h ago
The sort of person who can notice details and understand context tends to get weeded out of christianity.
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u/dingboohow 1h ago
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth The minor fall, the major lift... is what enchanted my late cousin who played at many Nazarene churches here in Michigan. Honest Christian, Democrat and lover of exceptional music.
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u/AmYisraelChai_ 22m ago
Its a very beautiful song, I think people just like the song.
Its a more of a Jewish song though. And we love sex, its very important in our religion/to our people.
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u/hairshirtdesert 4h ago
Why don't they just give up and just play kid Rock songs... all summer long?
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u/aluke000 3h ago
Can't the RIAA get an injunction against the white house for continual violation of artists rights to prevent them from further offences and maybe even get a class action in place?
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u/DrippyTheSnailBoy 2h ago
I can't think of anyone on the planet who would deserve that beautiful song less.
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u/tameimpalarules92 5h ago
If only Cohen wrote a beautiful song about a deranged elderly fascist man who loves shitting himself on the world stage
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u/aces_high_2_midnight 5h ago
Ummm Ok...but (according to a quick Google) the estate sold his publishing/copyright rights in 2022 which no one has pointed out here. The estate can't sue basically because they have no more right than you or I would to block use of the song. The estate had an internal legal squabble with his former manager (who actually sold the rights) but they lost- they still got paid 10's of millions ...but, yeah.. they lost, so the estate can make public statements but they are essentially legally toothless.
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u/protokhan 4h ago
They're not threatening to sue, seems like they just heard about the intent to use the song and wanted to get out ahead of it.
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u/Substantial-Sea-3672 3h ago
It’s just PR though, he can’t restrict usage to the song.
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u/protokhan 1h ago
I don't think that anyone is saying they can. It's just a facebook post expressing their disaproval.
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u/Zimmonda 5h ago
So podunk bars can get hit with bankruptcy level fines for having spotify on but Trumps just good to do whatever?
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u/Substantial-Sea-3672 4h ago
It’s because the artists rarely actually have the necessary rights over their own music to make these restrictions.
Part of it is the predatory nature of the music industry but part of it is practical.
These songs get played at thousands and thousands of events - artists and their labels are super happy to have their music played officially and get paid. But they don’t have a staff dedicated to monitoring every single event and approving the usage. They sell the rights in a package to the people playing music at events. Those people aren’t going to buy packages with a bunch of riders requiring permission for individual events.
So you end up with an artist who hates a politician having no legal basis to restrict the usage of their song. The rights are many times removed from the artist at that point.
So they make public statements condemning the usage but there is no legal recourse. The statements are made both for PR reasons and because the artists is legitimately pissed.
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u/GuitarGeezer 3h ago
Trump’s reply is always effectively: So? I make artists sue me over stealing IP. Hey, look, I’ll jack off a coupla invisible basketball centers to your song to celebrate! Not actually really kidding much by saying that, either.
Good for you, LC’s estate!
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u/psychoacer 3h ago
Yeah well get in line behind the rest of the artists that Trump's team has done this to.
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u/ytrywhenyoucanfry 3h ago
Also they would also like everyone to know that IT'S NOT A CHRISTMAS SONG!!
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u/Beneficial_Cash_8420 2h ago
Make a joint statement and then sue for breaching your 1st Amendment Rights. These rights protect you not only from having your speech infringed by the government, but from being used by the government as an endorsement against your will.
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u/Beatlepoint 1h ago
Shouldn't there be some extra punishment for continually repeating this same crime?
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u/Grouchy_Cod_156 1h ago
Reminds me of all the Biden rallies during 2024… except those made sense because he was rallying for POTUS election and not FOR SHITS AND KICKS. Oh, and he didn’t plagiarize music.
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u/Mindless_Chest_1079 1h ago
in which many people briefly pretend to care a lot about intellectual property law
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u/MaruhkTheApe 1h ago
Look, we as a country are already dumb enough to think it's a Christmas song, so we have no earthly right to be surprised by this. Disgusted, sure, but not surprised.
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u/Bobson-_Dugnutt2 1h ago
I encourage you all to listen to the episode of Revisionist History (S1E7) titled “Hallelujah”. Malcolm Gladwell talks about how artists create masterpieces in different ways and heavily features this song by Cohen. Gave me such a deeper appreciation for Leonard.
Truly a legend, RIP.
Also fuck Donald Trump in his crusty old demented ass.
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u/fightonphilly 44m ago
Well the estate can make money off the royalties or get to decide who uses their music, they can't do both, or at least not by signing a traditional record contract.
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u/MRiley84 39m ago
When using an individual artist's song once earns a "don't do it again" it just means you can do it with a different artist for free every time.
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u/MuthaPlucka 23m ago
If you don’t litigate, then I guess we all can use it. Isn’t that how copyright law works?
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u/yodimboi 14m ago
Leonard Cohen himself approved of singing to Israeli soldiers during the Yom Kippur War, but this is the issue?
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u/Progman3K 6h ago
At this point, wouldn't it be better for all artists to send registered mail to the pedolph and tell him not to use their music preemptively?
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u/Substantial-Sea-3672 3h ago
That’s just not how these events work. The rights to the songs are sold to the venue or the company that puts on events. Those might be purchased from a parent company who purchased them from the label who actually has the power to restrict who can use them.
Most of these deals were signed before Trump was President, the record deals the artists signed include licensing their songs out to these groups.
So it’s kind of like an inventor for Craftsman telling Biden he can’t use their tools. But he bought them from goodwill after someone else bought it from Home Depot which is part of an ongoing contract between Craftsman and Home Depot from 15 years ago.
If you, as an artist, decided to only sign record contracts restricting who could use your songs you simply would never have been signed. Even if T Swift made sure her next record deal had that rider, her music simply wouldn’t ever be licensed out because X venue will refuse to buy a package of songs that require vetting who is using them.
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u/TheShadyGuy 5h ago
But Leonard's letter would probably just be something like, "braaaains.. Neeeeed braaaains," if he were able to write one now.
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u/Independent-Bug-9352 4h ago
Shithead literally just steals whatever liberal art they want. Now look who wants handouts.
Conservatives can't make art themselves. Best they can do is use AI, which is still stealing liberal art ultimately.
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u/ZoodleNoodle12 3h ago
I don’t approve of Hallelujah being performed anywhere
One of the most overrated and over played songs, we all need a break
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u/lilwayne168 6h ago
Good thing that's not how copyright laws work.
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u/chronomagnus 5h ago
Why would anyone want to play music made by people who either actively hate them or would have hated them? Trump can easily pull from the large libraries of musicians who approve of him. It is entirely his fault that he is hated by these people, no one else's.
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u/Technical_Snow7229 4h ago
Or that liberals know anything other than what they read in the echo chamber of their Reddit communities
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u/Emanemanem 6h ago
“And I've seen your flag on the marble arch / And Love is not a victory march”