24 January 2024 , 11:08
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Johnny Marr has banned the use of The Smiths songs at Donald Trump rallies.
The guitarist was left furious when he was told Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want, a song he co-wrote, was being played at a Trump rally in South Dakota. He took to social media to say he would "never in a million years" have thought this would have happened.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, ABC journalist Soorin Kim wrote: "You actually hear the Smiths more often than you'd think at 2024 Trump rallies," and shared a video from a rally from August 2023. In response, 60-year-old Johnny hinted he would be taking legal action.
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The Smiths song was played at a Donald Trump rally (Getty Images)Johnny wrote: "Ahh…right…OK. I never in a million years would've thought this could come to pass. Consider this s**t shut right down right now."
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He's not the first musician to have hit out at Trump for using their music without permission. In 2018, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler sent a letter to the then-President ordering him to stop playing the band’s songs at his rallies.
Rihanna issued a cease-and-desist letter after Trump played her hit song Don't Stop The Music at an event in Tennessee. The estates of Prince and Tom Petty have also demanded the former President stops using the music of the late musicians.
Johnny Marr wrote the song with Morrissey (Getty)Johnny co-wrote Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want with Morrissey during their time in The Smiths. Since the band broke up in the late 80s, Morrissey has gone on to express support for far-right politics and praised the political party For Britain and Brexit.
However, Johnny has consistently hit out against right-wing politics. After former UK prime minister David Cameron praised The Smiths, Johnny wrote on social media: "Stop saying that you like The Smiths, no you don’t. I forbid you to like it."
In his memoir, the guitarist also hit out at the Conservative party. "Anyone who was a fan would know we were against everything he and the Conservative party stood for," he said.