More than 250 people were deported without due process over the weekend. The Trump administration claims these were Venezuelan gang members, but no evidence has been provided of any gang or terrorist group affiliation, nor of any convictions. Additionally, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as his right to enact the mass deportations, even though the law is only supposed to be used in wartime. Naturally, this whole operation was wildly illegal, and the ACLU was in court immediately to stop it, which led to a judge issuing a verbal order to pause the deportations until everything could be reviewed and litigated. Instead, not only did the Trump administration let the planes continue on to an El Salvador prison (where we’re paying for them to be detained), the cruel f–ks made a video documenting it all that was posted from official White House social media accounts. Playing throughout the clip is Semisonic’s 1998 hit “Closing Time,” and the band would very much like you to know that they did not authorize or condone this (mis)use of their song:
Semisonic said it did not authorize and does not condone the White House’s using its hit “Closing Time” in a video that appears to depict deportation, the band said in a statement Monday.
The video, posted on the White House’s official social media accounts Monday, features a handcuffed man being patted down while the song plays in the background: “Closing time, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
In the next shot, the audience can see “BORDER PATROL” in capital letters as people climb up stairs to an airplane in the background, seemingly to be deported from the United States. The rest of the song’s verse continues: “I know who I want to take me home.”
The Minneapolis rock band was quick to denounce the use of its 1998 hit.
“We did not authorize or condone the White House’s use of our song in any way. And no, they didn’t ask,” Semisonic said in a statement shared by its publicist. “The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.”
Many musicians say they did not authorize President Donald Trump’s campaign or administration to use their songs.
Last year, Celine Dion’s management team and record label, Sony Music Canada, said the use of her 1997 hit “My Heart Will Go On” at a Trump rally in Montana was “unauthorized.”
Rihanna did the same in 2018 after “Don’t Stop the Music” was played at another rally.
The list goes on, with Adele, Steven Tyler and Neil Young also criticizing Trump for using their tunes in rallies over the years.
I’m glad Semisonic clapped back right away. As of this writing, I haven’t found any updates on whether the band plans to sue over the unauthorized use of their song, as countless artists have done before them. Though, honestly, it wouldn’t make any difference, right? I mean, if the Trump administration isn’t heeding the orders of a US district judge about illegally shipping hundreds of humans off to prison without any kind of due process whatsoever, why would they bother listening to a court over a song? There has been no end of heinous acts committed over the last two months (only two months??!!), and sadly I don’t think we’ve even seen the bottom yet. But that video the White House put together shook me to my core. I meant it when I called these people cruel f–ks. They’re gleefully filming acts of inhumanity. And then on top of that, someone took the time to consider, “What song can we use to pump up our deeds of derring despicable?” It’s almost quaint of Semisonic to say the White House “missed the point” of the song. The cruelty is the point of this administration, and they’ll manipulate whatever they want, however they want, in pursuit of that goal.
Note by CB: We are not linking or embedding the despicable video from the White House. You can see it at the source link if you’re interested. Also I had the Great Divide and Feeling Strangely Fine CDs when they came out. I’m glad to see Semisonic is doing well.
These deportations (and where these people are being sent) are horrifying. The line between an immigrant being deported illegally without due process and a natural born citizen being illegally deported without due is much thinner than most people realize. Mango is not following the law and Congress isn’t stopping him. Call your congressional representatives. Our Democracy has fallen into the hands of a fascist dictator. Continue boycotting oligarch owned companies and US products. Support local small businesses without the red hats. Outside the US do not visit and spend your tourist/business dollars here. If you are a citizen spend your tourist dollars only in solid blue areas outside red states only.
These aren’t even deportations. They’re not being sent to their home countries. This is extraordinary rendition.
@Ciotog
You are 100% correct. This isn’t deportation – they aren’t deporting people, they are imprisoning them without due process to a country that does not and will not afford them due process and has stripped all their rights away as El Salvador is not required to abide by the US constitution.
When Rubio originally announced his plans to use of prisons outside the US – EL Salvador in particular, he was actually talking about his plans to transfer incarcerated American citizens to serve their jail time in those prisons outside the US. This is just a dry run for American funded concentration camps outside the US
“Closing time…every new beginning comes from some others beginning end….” 🎶
One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE LYRICS❣️❣️❣️
I can’t even comment on the rest of this story due to strict self-care boundaries regarding that 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 and ANYONE who follows IT!😡
Me too. I taught my niece how to sing this song when she was 2. The only time I ever want to hear this song played again in relation to the Regime is when these criminals are perpwalked out of the White house.
This is so awful…
Have you heard the radio commercials with the Puppy Killer, Kristi Noeme? She basically tells people who aren’t documented to go back where they came from. It is really an awful commercial.
I’ve seen the Kristi Noeme commercials on tv. It’s disgusting and a waste of money.
Exactly. Our tax money is paying for this, Trump’s golfing, and him and Elon burning the Constitution. But we can’t pay farmers anymore to buy food used to give kids free meals in public schools!
I saw this video pop up in my feed on the weekend. I saw it was a Border Patrol video, but I didn’t think it was official because I couldn’t imagine that it would have been authorized for posting, I thought it was just some random name. So so cruel.
One of my favourite song exploder episodes is Semisonic’s Closing Time, where Dan Wilson talks about writing this song for his new baby in the NICU. It’s a song about love, connection, and longing to be together with your family – not a soundtrack for deporting people and ripping families apart. This is one of the most depraved things I have ever seen.
We think alike, Jay – while you were writing I was off looking for the ‘cast.
https://songexploder.net/semisonic
Thank you for adding the link (I never think to do that)!
Why are our tax dollars being used to make bad music videos?
These monsters did this in his first administration too – endless videos of him or Ivanka walking into places with some purloined music playing over it. They even made videos of Ivanka walking into a room to watch videos of herself walking into rooms.
There should be body cam videos of everything federal law enforcement does but whoever decided to make music videos of such footage needs to experience unemployment.
Nazis happily filmed every horrid thing they did too.
I won’t watch the video. I can barely get through some days already. I avoid Republican friends because I couldn’t stand it if they approved of anything this insane president is doing. I have a dear friend who is legally here from Nicaragua, and she is so scared. She now regrets intensely voting for his Orange-ness,
They have all of Toby Keith and Carrie Underwood’s catalogs, AND The Village People and Ted Nugent’s catalogs.
Leave Semisonic’s music alone.