Take Note: Music's political incorrectness

However, what better reason to get those creative juices going than social injustice or perhaps the end of the world (as we know it)?

Unfortunately, the very American habit of punctuating every public event – sport, political rallies, bakesales – with loud, fist-pumping tunes has led to everyone from Foo Fighters to Tom Petty being forced to denounce the use of their songs in Republican campaigns.

Most famously, Bruce Springsteen spent years fending off Reagan, Bush(es) and now Donald Trump’s use of his anti-
‘nam war anthem ‘Born in the USA’. Even when Broooce backed Obama the penny didn’t drop.

It now seems that the threat of Trump to the planet has become too great. Many of the 
bewigged one’s detractors can be found contributing to the 30days30songs.com website. Acts taking part include Josh Ritter, and Franz Ferdinand – with their paean to The Donald, ‘Demagogue’. And REM – donating ‘World Leader Pretend’ – took a similar tack, seeing right through the crazy hair and clearly facepainted disguise: “The Orange Clown will do anything for attention.” Trump may not be a clown of the killer variety – well, not yet (as far as we know), but here’s hoping that come November 9th this united musical world has achieved more than a bunch of protest songs.