Another iconic Canadian songwriter is weighing his options after the Trump reelection campaign took the liberty of using his music without permission — and he’s doing it from beyond the grave.
The estate of Leonard Cohen, who died in 2016, is upset that the president used the singer’s 1984 ballad “Hallelujah” to wind down this week’s RNC convention.
“We are surprised and dismayed that the RNC would proceed knowing that the Cohen Estate had specifically declined the RNC’s use request, and their rather brazen attempt to politicize and exploit in such an egregious manner, ‘Hallelujah,’ one of the most important songs in the Cohen song catalogue,” attorney Michelle L. Rice said in a statement sent to the Daily News.
Rice added: “We are exploring our legal options.”
Sony publishing exec Brian J. Monaco claimed in a statement that reps from the RNC reached out for permission to use “Hallelujah” and were rebuffed, then used it anyway.
Rise added that had the RNC asked to use the 2016 Cohen song “You Want it Darker,” the estate might have considered it.
“If you are the dealer, I’m out of the game If you are the healer, it means I’m broken and lame, If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame,” the lyrics to that song begin.
Cohen won a posthumous Grammy for that grim tune.
Canadian crooner Neil Young also said he is pursuing legal action against the Trump re-election effort, which has continues to use the 74-year-old singer’s music despite his requests that the president’s “campaign of ignorance and hate,” cease and desist.
A long list of artists that includes REM, the Rolling Stones and Rihanna, as well as the estates of George Harrison, Tom Petty and Prince, have asked the president not to use their music at his campaign stops.
Suing politicians for using songs is often complicated, as event spaces and promotional companies sometimes secure deals that allow them to play licensed music without a specific artists’s approval. According to the Guardian, some legal eagles argue that using a musician’s songs or anthems without permission could be confused for an endorsement, which could violate the Lanham act. One expert called this area of intellectual property debate “largely unsettled law.”
Cohen’s song was played at a White House campaign rally, which is new territory too.