Village People singer defends Trump’s use of “Y.M.C.A.,” says the song isn’t a “gay anthem”

In a weird twist to the popular culture saga, Village People‘s frontman Victor Willis took to Fb to handle President-elect Donald Trump‘s use of their iconic hit “Y.M.C.A.” Willis, who co-wrote and sang the disco basic, firmly pushed again towards the frequent perception that the tune was created as a “homosexual anthem,” revealing that he “knew nothing concerning the Y being a hang around for gays” when penning the lyrics.

Willis shared that his inspiration for “Y.M.C.A.” got here from his real experiences with the worldwide youth group, notably drawing from his observations of YMCA services in San Francisco’s city neighborhoods.

Addressing one of many tune’s most memorable strains, Willis defined, “After I say, ‘hang around with all of the boys’ that’s merely Seventies black slang for black guys hanging out collectively for sports activities, playing or no matter. There’s nothing homosexual about that.”

The disco legend disclosed that he’d obtained over 1,000 complaints about Trump utilizing “Y.M.C.A” at his marketing campaign rallies. The President-elect made the 1978 hit his signature rally nearer in 2020, full with a now-famous dance routine – a practice he maintains right this moment. Curiously, information exhibits this marketing campaign second truly boosted the tune’s reputation, with streaming numbers and search curiosity peaking on Election Day.

The phenomenon even spilled into sports activities, as athletes started recreating Trump’s distinctive dance strikes to the disco tune throughout video games, sparking debates about mixing politics with sports activities.

Whereas Willis admitted to requesting Trump cease utilizing the tune as a result of it had develop into a “nuisance,” he acknowledged that Trump had secured correct licensing by means of BMI for political use, making the utilization utterly official.

As varied musicians voiced their opposition to Trump utilizing their music at rallies, Willis took a special strategy. He confessed to not having “the guts” to cease Trump from utilizing “Y.M.C.A.” In actual fact, he instructed his spouse, who manages the band, to make sure BMI would not revoke Trump’s license to make use of the observe.

This choice proved financially rewarding for Willis.

“For instance, Y.M.C.A. was caught at #2 on the Billboard chart previous to the President Elect’s use. Nevertheless, the tune lastly made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for 2 weeks) because of the President Elect’s use,” Willis wrote within the submit, including that “the monetary advantages have been nice.”

Willis addressed the “false assumption” about “Y.M.C.A.” being a homosexual anthem, acknowledging a number of contributing components: his writing associate and a few Village Folks members have been homosexual, their debut album targeted solely on homosexual life, and “the YMCA was apparently getting used as some form of homosexual hangout.” Nonetheless, he maintained that the tune is not a homosexual anthem and inspired individuals to get their “minds out of the gutter.”

Willis expressed that whereas he isn’t bothered by the tune being labeled a homosexual anthem, he believes these “damaging to the tune” misconceptions want addressing. Taking a agency stance, he introduced that starting January, his spouse plans to pursue authorized motion towards any media shops that consult with “Y.M.C.A.” as a homosexual anthem.

Final replace on 2024-12-03 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photographs from Amazon Product Promoting API