Editor-in-Chief, Music

Former President Donald Trump has a long history of using popular songs at his campaign rallies without permission — from the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Linkin Park and even Celine Dion — many of which have titles or meanings that hardly seem to imply victory, such as “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and, in the current case, “My Heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion’s theme song from the 1997 film “Titanic,” in which thousands of people die on a sinking luxury cruise ship.

Trump campaign plays Titanic theme at its rally pic.twitter.com/lspVW1hA5I

While Trump has used the song at rallies in the past, he also used a video of Dion singing it on Friday night in Montana — raising a series of legal issues that go beyond the standard use of a song at a rally. On Saturday, Dion denied any endorsement of his campaign and questioned the choice of the song, which for millions evokes the tragedy of the Titanic and, in the film, Leonardo DiCaprio’s dying character sinking to the bottom of the sea.