The Smiths’ objection to Trump using their songs does us all a disservice

Guitarist Johnny Marr is in good company, along with artists like Abba and the Rolling Stones, of musical acts who do not want their songs used by the political right. But limiting your art to use by specific groups of people undermines the claim that it is art to begin with, writes David Lister

Johnny Marr is not the first recording artist to object to their music being used by Trump (Getty)

Johnny Marr, once guitarist and co-songwriter with 1980s band The Smiths, has blown a gasket. He is furious that Donald Trump is using a Smiths song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” as his campaign music. Marr does not want his song associated with a man who is politically on the right. And Trump is even further to the right than Marr’s former bandmate Morrissey.

Marr tweeted about Trump’s use of his song: “I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass.”

Johnny Marr is not the first recording artist to object to their music being used by Trump. During his 2016 campaign he came on stage to the sound of the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. At first, Mick Jagger found this amusing and wondered aloud if this meant he would get an invitation to the inauguration at the White House. But he later stopped finding it funny and Trump was threatened with a cease-and-desist directive.