Steely Dan to Trump Cover Band: Don’t Perform Our Anti-Trump Song

It’s well-known that, due to music industry contracts, artists often find it impossible to prevent their music from being used in ways they disapprove. This was evident when Steely Dan appeared unable to stop the covers band Sixwire from performing “Reelin’ In the Years” at the Republican National Convention this week. In response, the band offered an alternative suggestion.

“Hey! Sixwire: If you want to play our music, how about playing ‘The Man in the Tin Foil Hat’?” read an image post on the Steely Dan website and social media channels, with no additional text seemingly needed.

The point was clear. The 2017 track, written by Todd Rundgren and featuring Donald Fagen, is decidedly anti-Donald Trump in spirit, as its video unmistakably shows.

“The song was primarily driven by our common frustration with what happened in the recent election,” Rundgren said at the time. “It was still pretty fresh, and we were still pretty mad about it, so it happened pretty organically.”

He added, “If you’re a Trump supporter, don’t come to my show, because you won’t have a good time. And also, I don’t understand your frickin’ values. Because I’m not singing about that. If you don’t understand that basic thing, you’re just fooling yourself. I mean, if you can’t take a joke, or you can’t admit that you’ve made a mistake, you don’t belong with the rest of us.”

UCR noted that “the shuffle rhythm of ‘Tin Foil Hat’ is reminiscent of Steely Dan’s ‘Chain Lightning,’ a song about attending a fascist rally.”

Besides playing the RNC, Sixwire – formed in 2000 – have made appearances on TV shows such as Nashville Star, Next Great American Band, Next Superstar, and Nashville. The set they performed for Trump and his supporters also included Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me,” Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name,” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.”

Watch Todd Rundgren and Donald Fagen’s ‘Tin Foil Hat’ Video