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Pierre Lapointe, Grand Duke Of Broken Souls

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Celine Dion ‘Does Not Endorse’ Trump’s Use of ‘Titanic’ Song at Rally

Celine Dion ‘Does Not Endorse’ Trump’s Use of ‘Titanic’ Song at Rally
Althea Legaspi
By Althea LegaspiAug 11, 2024
Althea Legaspi
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Donald Trump’s campaign has been hit with yet another artist not wanting their music being used by the candidate. This time, Celine Dion’s management and record label called out the GOP presidential nominee’s campaign for its “unauthorized usage” of “My Heart Will Go On,”  one of her signature hits from 1997’s Titanic.

On Friday, Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana featured a video of Dion performing the theme song for the film.

“And really, THAT song?” a statement shared on Dion’s social media reads. The 1997 song from the blockbuster film Titanic discusses love persevering after tragic circumstances: The film features the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Jack, who fall for one another under forbidden circumstances and meet a heartbreaking end.

In the statement on Saturday, Dion’s management team and label said their client’s song and visuals were not used with permission. “Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” the statement reads. “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.”

It is far from the only time Trump’s campaign has used music without seeking approval from its creators. In 2016, the Rolling Stones said it did not endorse Trump’s use of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Then, in 2020, the band and their reps said they would take “further steps” after his campaign ignored their cease-and-desist directives. Tom Petty’s estate also took umbrage with Trump’s campaign when they used “I Won’t Back Down” during his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June 2020.

In 2019, Trump’s use of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” in a Twitter video drew ire from Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. Back in 2018, Rihanna sent a cease-and-desist letter after “Don’t Stop the Music” was played at Trump’s rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee in November of that year. Also, during the 2016 election, Queen criticized the then-candidate for using “We Are the Champions,” while R.E.M., Neil Young, Everlast, and Aerosmith also spoke out after Trump used their music without permission.

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Pierre Lapointe, Grand duke of broken souls

Cotton two-piece by Marni, SSENSE.com / Shirt from personal collection

Photographer Guillaume Boucher / Stylist Florence O. Durand / HMUA: Raphaël Gagnon / Producers: Malik Hinds & Billy Eff / Studio: Allô Studio

Pierre Lapointe, Grand duke of broken souls

Many years ago, while studying theatrical performance at Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, Pierre Lapointe was given a peculiar exercise by his teacher. The students were asked to walk from one end of the classroom to the other while observing their peers. Based solely on their gait, posture, and gaze, they had to assign each other certain qualities, a character, or even a profession.

Lapointe remembers being told that there was something princely about him. That was not exactly the term that this young, queer student, freshly emancipated from the Outaouais region and marked by a childhood tinged with near-chronic sadness, would have instinctively chosen for himself. Though he had been unaware of his own regal qualities, he has spent more than 20 years trying to shed this image, one he admits he may have subtly cultivated in his early days.

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