Canadian pop icon Celine Dion has criticized and mocked Donald Trump’s election campaign for its unauthorized use of her hit song about the sinking of the Titanic as a musical interlude during a recent rally.
Dion, beloved by millions for her emotionally moving songs, issued a strong and somewhat sarcastic statement on Saturday, a day after Trump played a video of “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie Titanic at a campaign event in Bozeman, Montana.
“Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., have become aware of the unauthorized use of a video, recording, performance and photograph of Celine Dion singing My Heart Will Go On at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” read a statement posted on X’s website and Dion’s Instagram account, which has more than 8 million followers.
Under no circumstances is such use permitted, and Celine Dion does not endorse such or any similar use.
“…and this song really?”
Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and image of Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On” in the Donald Trump/J.D. Vance campaign… pic.twitter.com/28CYLFvgER
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) August 10, 2024
The song was featured in the 1997 Oscar-winning film about the 1912 shipwreck, though it’s more about love, loss and resilience than a large ship hitting an iceberg.
Reactions on social media were mostly sarcastic.
“Perfect – because when your campaign is heading towards an iceberg, it’s best to set it to music,” said user Mark Broklawski on X.
“Is the Trump campaign being harassed from within?” wrote NBCUniversal CEO Mike Sington.
“For me, it’s perfect for the #Tumptanic!” Antonio Cusano said on Instagram.
Others expressed disappointment in Dion, who previously declined to perform at Trump’s inauguration after he was elected president in 2016.
“It’s unfortunate for her that this would be a positive thing. It’s unfortunate that she doesn’t see it that way. I’ve been a fan of hers for 30 years, but I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with her political views,” Heidi Joy wrote on Instagram.
This isn’t the first time a singer has spoken out against Trump’s use of their music. In May 2023, the Village People sent a cease-and-desist letter and threatened legal action after Trump used their song “Macho Man” and other popular songs without their permission.
In the letter, Karen Willis, wife of Village People lead singer Victor Willis, wrote: “Since that time, we have been inundated with social media posts about the impersonator performance. [which] Many fans, and the general public as well, mistakenly believe that they are actual villagers in violation of Lanham’s Law.
“Therefore, the show was and still is causing general confusion about why the villagers would participate in such a show. We did not do that.”
Many Trump supporters and observers have likely heard Trump’s use of the band’s song YMCA over the years, which Willis noted in the letter was previously “tolerated” by her husband and the band. However, as of May 2023, she said, “We cannot allow such use to cause public confusion about the endorsement.”