Gay Anthem (Yes, It Is) 'YMCA' More Popular Than Ever Thanks to the Trump Bump

Gay or not gay? The original video for "YMCA" from 1978.

"The song, from the Village People's album 'Cruisin' ' (released in 1978) is purportedly about the nonprofit Young Men's Christian Association and the community centers it runs in many U.S. cities," writes NBC. "The song's lyrics run thick with double entendres on gay male life and has since become a gay anthem – although Village People member Felipe Rose told HuffPost in 2014 that there's nothing gay about the song, and people who spent time at the YMCA in Manhattan, which reportedly inspired the song, said that what happened in that building was more complex than what the lyrics imply."

But there has been a contentious history with Trump's use of it at rallies. In February 2020, NBC reports, the band OK'ed Trump's use of their music. Then, in June 2020, the Village People's lead singer and co-writer of the song Victor Willis asked Trump not to play the song – a request Trump didn't honor, because, according to Willis, the Trump campaign had obtained a political entities license that allowed them to use it.

Willis described Trump's initial use of the song as a "nuisance," telling NBC News in a written statement: "At one point I thought he'd tire of the song. But that never happened." At one point the music industry group that manages the song's license asked him and his wife – also the band's manager – if they wanted to cancel the license.

"I told my wife to tell them no," Willis said, "because by that time I started noticing some very good things started happening as [Trump] continued to use the song." When the couple heard the song hit No 1 on the Billboard charts, they high-fived each other, he told NBC News.