The Washington Post called it “a playlist of songs Donald Trump will hate.”
Dave Eggers, a best selling author, and artist management Jordan Kurland, gathered musicians to write anti-Trump songs, or rather “songs approved for the next Trump rally.” This idea came to Eggers, after he went to a Donald Trump rally in June, where he heard Sir Elton John’s hit “Tiny Dancer” playing while Trump arrived. Many artists, from Sir Elton John himself, to British rock band Queen, have criticized Donald Trump for not having asked permission to use their music.
The pair reached out to artists who they had previously worked with. When asked, Jim James responded with , “Word up. Yes, let’s write an anti-Trump song!!!! Please, for the love of god, something has got to be done!!!”
From October 10 to November 8, 30 Days, 30 Songs, will release one song a day in protest of Trump’s Campaign. Death Cab for Cutie, Franz Ferdinand, and Aimee Man are some of the artists who have released songs already.
The website’s ‘About’ page addresses Trump’s bigotry and asks its viewers to register to vote; it even shows us how. There are various notes addressed to audiences who are Bernie supporters, feminists who “can’t get behind Hillary”, and even to those who care about the groups Donald Trump has often attacked. The site reads:
“As artists, we are united in our desire to speak out against the ignorant, divisive, and hateful campaign of Donald Trump.”
30 Songs, 30 Days will be donating all earnings to The Center for Popular Democracy. The project is mainly aimed at those who are still undecided, Dave Eggers confirms during an interview with Vogue, “I don’t think that we’re going to turn a die-hard Trump voter around with a music video[…]I think that it’s been really encouraging these last few weeks to see him sliding down in the polls, previously untouchable red states turning blue.” Using music to feed the momentum this election has raised in order to sway the vote is very smart, and can influence even more people to take a stand.
Combining arts and politics isn’t anything new, but it can always be revolutionary.
