The Pop Corporation

The use of ‘YMCA’ by Donald Trump has been one of the more mystifying things in recent memory. You look at the people’s he’s courting and you think they’re into stadium country and classic rock, but somehow, the face of US Fascism has chosen a kinda lame, novelty disco hit about young men washing their arses at a community group.

It quickly became a gay anthem and was featured on the LP ‘Cruisin”, because the Village People knew exactly how to wink at the disco audience. Of course, at face value, its about wholesome activities, but in queer spaces in the ’70s, they understood that the YMCA was a very popular hook-up spot for, as the LP states, cruising young men. No need to feel down, indeed.

The producers of the record – Morali and Belolo – wanted to appeal to disco’s gay audience and leaned heavily on gay fantasy in their music. Multicultural and wholesomely queer, we somehow ended up with Donald Trump co-opting one of the gayest mainstream hits ever made, while spouting off about Christian values and chatting shit about foreigners.

The Village People have been pretty weak when it comes to distancing themselves from this whole thing, because basically, this whole thing has been fantastic for their streaming performance. Business being business, they’re taking the money and running with it, and have decided to perform at the inauguration of Donald Trump for the United States of America’s last democratic election. Who would have thought the fall of America would have been to the sound of a camp disco hit?

Announcing their participation – on Facebook of course, because they’re so incredibly old – the group said: “We are announcing today that VILLAGE PEOPLE have accepted an invitation from President Elect Trump’s campaign to participate in inaugural activities, including at least one event with President Elect Trump. We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics.”

“Our song ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost. Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump.”

Singer Victor Willis has gone on to say that that the song isn’t a gay anthem at all, even though it is a gay anthem. Before Christmas, he stated: “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.”

Again, the band who sang on the same album “Oh baby, I’m a cruiser – when i see someone who’s looking so fine, you cant believe I react every time. I scream, ooohh, you sexy thing! You are the finest thing i’ve seen today! I am so glad that you passed by my way!”

And for a period Willis was married to Phylicia Rashad (who later played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show), which is just about the gayest thing a straight man can do if you ask us.

Anyway, while it seems like they voted for Kamala Harris according to their statement, get ready for some old men and their various stand-ins to gamely gyrate their ageing hips at a presidential inauguration and it to be totally weird and peculiar. At least all the closeted Republicans who nearly melt the Grindr app when they stay over at the various conventions will have a song in their favour on the day.

Bizarre.