Rufus Wainwright attacks Trump's use of Leonard Cohen cover during chaotic town hall

Sign up now for Roisin O'Connor's free weekly newsletter to get the inside scoop on all things music

Get our Hear This Now email for free

Get our Hear This Now email for free

Rufus Wainwright has condemned Donald Trump after his recording of Leonard Cohen's song “Hallelujah” was played at a chaotic campaign rally for the Republican presidential candidate.

The Canadian singer-songwriter called Trump's use of the song “the height of blasphemy” and said he was “ashamed” in a strongly worded statement that coincided with a cease-and-desist order from Cohen's estate.

Wainwright, whose version of “Hallelujah” was released in 2001 as part of the soundtrack for the animated film ShrekHe called the song an “anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth.” It has been a great honor for me over the years to be associated with this ode to tolerance.”

“Witnessing Trump and his supporters communicating with this music last night was the height of blasphemy,” he said.

“Of course I cannot condone this in any way and was ashamed, but the good part of me hopes that as Donald Trump reflects and listens to the lyrics of Cohen's masterpiece, he may feel a twinge of remorse for what he has done. I’m not holding my breath.”

Trump performed a series of songs during the question-and-answer session in Oaks, Pennsylvania, where several attendees required medical attention due to high temperatures. Trump later claimed they fainted from “excitement.”

Open image in gallery

After asking if “anyone else wants to faint,” he apparently decided to postpone further questions and instead told viewers, “Let's just listen to music.”

“Let’s make this a music festival,” he said. “Who the hell wants to hear questions, right? Isn’t that nice?” He stayed on stage for almost 45 minutes, swaying to the music that was playing.

Open image in gallery

Other tracks on his playlist included “November Rain” by Guns N' Roses, “It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World” by James Brown, “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O'Connor and “YMCA” by the Village People.

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4-month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign in

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4-month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign in

His opponent, Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris, captioned a clip from the event, “I hope he's okay.”

Trump was also mocked for playing “Time to Say Goodbye,” a translated version of the Italian song “Con te partirò” made famous by Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival.

One critic wrote, “This song is called 'Time to Say Goodbye.' It's often sung at funerals, but it's also the perfect song for Trump.”

Another said: “'Time to say goodbye' is the most appropriate Trump campaign song ever sung.”

Trump now has an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the artists who have objected to his use of their music, including Jack White, ABBA, Eddy Grant, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Elton John, Foo Fighters, Phil Collins , Rihanna and Nickelback.