Village People frontman Victor Willis has broken his silence on Donald Trump’s usage of the group’s hit song, Y.M.C.A.
The President-elect always concluded his campaign rallies to the 1978 hit song, with his signature dance sweeping the nation’s sportsgrounds in recent weeks.
Although Willis had shared updates on the song’s Billboard chart performance rising in line with Trump’s ascension on his Facebook page, the 73-year-old has stayed largely silent on the President-elect’s usage of the song. However, on Monday, Dec. 2, Willis released a lengthy statement, addressing how he withdrew a request to Broadcast Music, Inc. to suspend a political use license issued to Trump.
As singer and writer of Y.M.C.A.’s lyrics, Willis noted how the song had “benefited greatly” from use by the President-elect, eventually reaching #1 some 45 years after its release. “Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song,” Willis wrote on Facebook.
He also addressed allegations that the song was a gay anthem.
“As I’ve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life,” Willis continued. “This assumption is also based on the fact that the YMCA was apparently being used as some sort of gay hangout and since one of the writers was gay and some of the Village People are gay, the song must be a message to gay people. To that I say once again, get your minds out of the gutter. It is not.”
He concluded that the claims would cease in 2025 because “come January 2025, my wife will start suing each and every news organization that falsely refers to Y.M.C.A.” as such.
Most on social media stood by Willis.
Others noted how the song had become iconic following its use by Trump.
