3 Infamous Politician-Musician Dust-Ups

The Smith’s Johnny Marr recently caught wind of Donald Trump using “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” at a recent rally. The guitarist was quick to take to social media and shut down any confusion over wether or not the alt-rock icon was backing the former President’s re-election campaign.

“Ahh…right…OK,” Marr wrote on X. “I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this shit shut right down right now.”

Marr’s case might be the most recent, but he certainly isn’t the first musician to have a dust-up with a politician. Check out five of the most infamous cases of this, below.

1. Bruce Springsteen v. Ronald Reagan

Flashback to 1984. Ronald Reagan was running for his second presidential term and was looking for the perfect song to rouse sentiments of American pride. He tried to snag Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born In The U.S.A” On paper, it seems like a perfect choice. But as any Springsteen fan will tell you, this track is anything but an idyllic view of America.

Springsteen wrote this song in an effort to wake listeners up to effects of the Vietnam War on veterans. Naturally, The Boss felt Reagan’s choice was misguided. He spoke out against the President’s request, nodding to the fact that he often sings about America’s downsides.

“Well, the president was mentioning my name in his speech the other day, and I kind of got to wondering what his favorite album of mine must’ve been, you know,” Springsteen once said. “I don’t think it was the Nebraska album. I don’t think he’s been listening to this one.”

[RELATED: Artist’s Remorse: The Album Bruce Springsteen Regrets Making]

2. Johnny Cash v. Richard Nixon

Flash even further back to the ’70s. Johnny Cash went to Washington to perform at a White House event per the request of Richard Nixon. The country icon had expressed his support for the President’s oath to end the Vietnam War. That being said, Cash’s performance was shaping up to be a highly anticipated event that both the singer and Nixon were looking forward to. However, things quickly went south.

Nixon requested that Cash play three songs: “A Boy Named Sue,” Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee,” and Guy Drake’s “Welfare Cadillac.” The latter two couldn’t have been further from Cash’s sentiments. He felt that those two tunes were “anti-hippie” and “anti-black.”

Cash took things further by playing a protest song, “What Is Truth.” What could’ve been an evening of unity, was turned on its head due to Nixon’s misunderstanding of Cash’s ideologies.

3. Neil Young v. Donald Trump

Neil Young has made his political stance well-known on countless occasions. One of his strongest statements was made against Donald Trump. The former President wanted to use “Rockin’ in the Free World” as part of his campaign. The famously liberal musician quickly shut down that request.

“We will respect his wish and not use it because it’s the right thing to do,” Trump’s spokesperson told Rolling Stone at the time.

Young went on to issue a lawsuit against Trump, claiming he didn’t have a license to use the song. Though the suit was eventually dismissed, Young got in a few jabs at the then-candidate while he could. He notably said he “Cannot allow his music to be used as a ‘theme song’ for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate.”

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)