Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie has demanded that Donald Trump stop playing the band's music at his rallies. Urie requested the group's hit “High Hopes” be removed from the campaign playlist, writing, “Dear Trump Campaign, F**k you. You're not invited. Stop playing my song.”
He added, “Dear Everyone Else, Donald Trump represents nothing we stand for. The highest hope we have is voting this monster out in November.” Urie included a link to the HeadCount site encouraging voter registration.
Urie posted his demand on Twitter after “High Hopes” was reportedly blasted at Trump's poorly attended rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The family of late rocker Tom Petty issued a similar statement after the Trump campaign used Petty's “I Won't Back Down” at the same event, followed by a cease-and-desist order. It's unclear whether Urie intends to pursue legal action over the use of his song.
Other artists, including Rihanna, the Rolling Stones, Adele, Queen and Elton John, are among those that have objected to Trump’s use of their music in the past.
“High Hopes” was a runaway smash for Panic! At The Disco when released in 2018, with the video streaming nearly half a billion times on YouTube and the song going well over that mark on Spotify. The track also spent a record-breaking 65 non-consecutive weeks at the top of Billboard's “Hot Rock Songs” chart, while also topping the Alternative charts as well.
