“Tell It to My Heart” by Taylor Dayne, Sunday, September 22, 2024
Earlier this year, I talked about an episode of Girls5eva in which the fictional girl group flew to Orlando to play for a morally compromising concert for a billionaire’s birthday party. This happens in the real world frequently and it’s not without backlash. Whether it’s a sensitive political affiliation like Elton John playing for one of Rush Limbaugh's weddings to performing from authoritarian leaders like Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Usher, and Nelly Furtado performing for the Gaddafi family in 2011 to corrupt presidents or Russian oligarchs, less wealthy fans have certainly taken issue with some of these controversial patrons.
THE PASSION’S SO COMPLETE, IT’S NEVER ENDING. There is a growing list of recording artists threatening to sue or in the process of suing Donald Trump’s campaign for unauthorized use of their song at his rallies, from Céline Dion to The White Stripes. In contrast the Democratic Party’s playlist is extensive with many pop, rock, and hip-hop stars even actively campaigning for Democratic candidates. Sometimes musical artists’ political involvement can hinder their career as audiences don’t always want a political sermon and they may not agree with the message the artist is preaching. The two musical acts that Trump was able to secure for his inauguration in 2017, 3 Doors Down and The Piano Guys, faced backlash for their support of Trump. Providing music at fundraisers, rallies, and even inaugurations can be viewed as political acts; however, what about artists who perform for wealthy politicians at private events? As an American billionaire, Donald Trump owns several venues including Mar-a-Lago, a private club in Palm Springs, Florida, which is his primary residence since leaving the White House in 2021. Some of the events at the $200,000 minimum membership buy-in club require entertainment. Before Trump’s political career, A-list celebrities could be seen at various events at the Florida resort. After he announced his presidential candidacy, more and more celebrities began to decline invitations.
BODY TO BODY, SOUL TO SOUL. On December 31, 2021, Mar-a-Lago held a New Year’s Eve Party. Donald and Melania Trump were not in attendance, but Trump’s sons Eric and Donald, Jr., his daughter Tiffany, and his lawyer Rudy Guillani attended the event. Performing that evening were members of The Beach Boys, Vanilla Ice, and Taylor Dayne. Backlash to this “maskless” party was perhaps strongest among Taylor Dayne’s fans. Dayne has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, playing at many pride events since her debut in 1987. Her iconic “Tell It to My Heart” is a pride anthem with Dayne’s powerful vocals and the dance hall rhythm empowering listeners. Dayne responded to the backlash by saying: “I try to stay non-political and non-judgmental and not preach.” Some fans weren’t convinced. George Orwell said in his 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language”: “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics’. All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia.” If that was true in 1946, it seems that every action today is also a political act, especially when it pays well.
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