Village People’s Victor Willis, a Y.M.C.A. singer and co-writer, defended President-elect Donald Trump’s use of the song Monday on Facebook. Willis denied that the disco song was meant to be a gay anthem, claiming that when he composed the lyrics, he had no idea that the Y was a gay hangout.
Willis claimed that his knowledge of the global youth organization at the time, especially the YMCA chapters in San Francisco’s cities, informed his writing of Y.M.C.A.
“Hang out with all the boys” is just 1970s black slang meaning black men getting together for gambling, sports, or other activities. Regarding one of the song’s most memorable lines, he remarked, “There’s nothing gay about that.”
Regarding the employment of Y.M.C.A. during Trump’s campaign rallies, Willis reported that he has received over 1,000 complaints. In 2020, Trump started and continues to dance to the 1978 classic at the conclusion of his rallies. Data indicates that the song’s signature campaign moment propelled it to the top of the charts, with listenership and search interest skyrocketing on election day.
Soon after, athletes started replicating Trump’s dance to the disco song on the field, which sparked debate about politics in sports.
Willis claimed that Trump’s use of the music grew bothersome, so he requested him to cease. He claimed that Trump had every right to keep using the song since he had secured a political use license for it from BMI, which upholds the rights of musicians.
Willis claimed he lacked the courage to stop Trump from using Y.M.C.A. when other musicians started to protest his usage of their songs at campaign rallies. He said that he instructed his wife, who manages the band, to let BMI know that Trump’s song usage license should not be revoked.
Willis said that he profited more from it.
Before the President Elect used it, for instance, Y.M.C.A. was locked at number two on the Billboard list. But because to the President Elect’s use, the song finally reached the top of the Billboard chart after more than 45 years (and remained there for two weeks), Willis stated in the post, adding that the financial gains had been substantial.
According to Willis, the erroneous belief that Y.M.C.A. is a gay anthem could stem from a number of things, including the fact that his writing partner and a few Village People members were gay, the band’s debut album was entirely about gay life, and the YMCA was reportedly being utilized as a gay hangout. He emphasized, however, that the song is not an anthem for homosexuals and advised people to clear their heads.
Willis stated that while he doesn’t mind the song being regarded as a gay anthem, the song is harmed by the erroneous preconceptions. According to him, his wife will file a lawsuit against any news outlet that calls Y.M.C.A. a gay anthem beginning in January.
A request for response was not immediately answered by Trump’s team.
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