“Y.M.C.A.” singer and co-writer Victor Willis of the band Village People defended President-elect Donald Trump’s use of the song Monday on Facebook. Willis denied that the disco tune was intended as a “gay anthem,” saying he “knew nothing about the Y being a hang out for gays” when he wrote the lyrics.
Willis said he wrote “Y.M.C.A.” based on what he knew about the worldwide youth organization at the time, particularly the YMCA branches in the urban areas of San Francisco.
“When I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that,” he said of one of the song’s most notable lines.
Willis said he has received more than 1,000 complaints about the use of “Y.M.C.A” at Trump’s campaign rallies. Trump began dancing to the 1978 hit at the end of his rallies in 2020 — and still does. Data suggests the staple campaign moment drove the song up the charts, with search interest and listenership soaring on Election Day.
Athletes began mimicking Trump’s dance to the disco classic on the field soon after, raising questions about the presence of politics in sports.
Willis said he asked Trump to stop using the song because his use became a “nuisance.” He said Trump had obtained a political use license for the song from BMI, which enforces music performance rights, and therefore had every right to continue to use it — which he did.
As other artists began to oppose Trump’s use of their music in campaign rallies, Willis said he didn’t “have the heart” to prevent him from using “Y.M.C.A.” He said he told his wife, who is also the band’s manager, to inform BMI not to withdraw Trump’s licensing to use the song.
In turn, Willis said, he made more money off it.
“For example, Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect’s use. However, the song finally made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President Elect’s use,” Willis wrote in the post, adding that “the financial benefits have been great.”
Willis said the “false assumption” that “Y.M.C.A.” is a gay anthem may be due to several factors: His writing partner and several members of the Village People were gay, the band’s first album was “totally about gay life,” and “the YMCA was apparently being used as some sort of gay hangout.” Nonetheless, he stressed that the song is not a gay anthem and said people should get their “minds out of the gutter.”
Willis said that he doesn’t mind that the song is considered a gay anthem but that the false assumptions are “damaging to the song.” Starting in January, he said, his wife will sue any news organization that refers to “Y.M.C.A.” as a gay anthem.
Trump’s team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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