Victor Willis of the Village People has publicly thanked Donald Trump for playing "Y.M.C.A." at his rallies, citing significant financial and chart benefits from the usage.

Despite receiving numerous complaints about Trump's use of the song, Willis allowed it to continue after obtaining a proper BMI political use license. He noted that while he supported Kamala Harris during the election, he didn't harbor negative feelings toward Trump.

Key points about the song's usage:

• Trump's campaign legally obtained BMI's political use license
• The song reached #1 on Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks due to Trump's usage
• Estimated to generate several million dollars in revenue from the campaign use

Willis also addressed the song's cultural interpretation, stating that "Y.M.C.A." was not originally written as a gay anthem. He explained that he wrote 100% of the lyrics without knowledge of YMCA facilities being gay hangouts, and his collaborator Jacques Morali (who was gay) never influenced the lyrics' meaning.

However, the song's cultural impact has evolved beyond its original intent. Like Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men," "Y.M.C.A." has been embraced by gay culture regardless of its original meaning. This demonstrates how audiences can shape a song's cultural significance independent of its creator's intentions.

The controversy highlights the complex relationship between artistic intent, cultural interpretation, and commercial use in modern music.

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