Former President Donald Trump has a long history of using popular songs at his campaign rallies without authorization — by the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Linkin Park, and even Celine Dion — many of them with titles or meanings that don’t seem to indicate victory, such as “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and, in this case, “My Heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion’s theme song from the 1997 film “Titanic,” in which thousands of people die on a luxury liner that sinks.
While Trump has used the song at rallies in the past, in Montana on Friday night he also used a video of Dion singing the song — raising a host of legal issues beyond the standard use of a song at a campaign rally. On Saturday, Dion denied any endorsement of his campaign and questioned the choice of song, which evokes for millions the tragedy of the Titanic and, in the film, Leonardo DiCaprio’s dying character as she sinks to the bottom of the sea.
“Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and image of Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On” at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” the statement read.
Under no circumstances is such use permitted and Celine Dion does not endorse such or any similar use.
…and this song really?
Dion released “My Heart Will Go On”, written by the late James Horner and with lyrics by Will Jennings, with the film in 1997. Among many other awards, it won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Trump has used many bizarre, counterintuitive songs at his rallies, from Neil Young’s satirical “Rockin’ in the Free World” to R.E.M.’s depressing “Losing My Religion” to Linkin Park’s “To the End.” While the occasional campaign song sounds sincere, like Queen’s “We Will Rock You” or Tom Petty’s “I Want to Be Back,” nearly every such use has been met with disapproval from Dion or, in the case of the Rolling Stones, an actual lawsuit, though such uses are difficult to block on legal grounds (the Trump campaign usually backs down when faced with a lawsuit).
After months of convalescence from a debilitating medical condition known as stiff person syndrome, Dion delivered a dramatic performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics late last month. She delivered a powerful performance of Edith Piaf's “Hymne A L'Amour” at the base of the Eiffel Tower, despite heavy rain.
