Hello music lovers! Welcome to 2025! We may be entering the darkest days this country has ever seen, in my lifetime. The Music Soup has tried desperately not to be political but sometimes things as important as this will come up. Music has now intersected into politics in a very big way as '45' has used music without artists' permission throughout his campaign and they have spoken out!
Most of the musicians out there have already publicly announced where they stand politically and The Music Soup supports those who have. Free speech has always been important to uphold, and I don't believe it'll cease to be, even with 45 trying to eliminate it, if it's not positive about him. Publicly artists have opposed 45 (his name will not be mentioned in this publication ever and will be referred to simply as '45'). They include some of the biggest and well loved names in the music industry such as Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam, Beyonce, Blondie, Green Day, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Jack White, Aerosmith, Lorde, George Harrison estate, Lionel Richie, Adele, ABBA, Celine Dion, Earth, Wind and Fire, Foo Fighters, Isaac Hayes estate, Neil Young, Ozzy Osbourne, Prince estate, Queen, and Tom Petty to name but a few - as the list is super long. Most of these have sent 45 a cease and desist after 45's campaign played their music without permission. Most have spoken out that they are not supporters of this guy.
Many of us are dreading January for the presidential inauguration of a 34x felon, con man, convicted rapist, and leader of the 2020 insurrection. I will never understand how anyone like this is even allowed near the White House, let alone be the leader of this country and occupy it. But we are living in strange times, my music loving friends. How are we to deal with this for the next four years? Some of us (including myself) are on a no news diet to keep the sanity and peace within. Meditation, love, service and kindness are ingredients to help keep the sanity so we can live our best life until he and his clowns leave office.
We have all seen images of Nazi Germany, and dictatorships all over the planet. The United States of America has never been in danger of Dictatorship but here we are, soon to be entering the scariest future we have ever faced.
Deepest apologies to all the women, our sisters, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, wives, girlfriends, LGBTQ+, black and brown skinned people, and anyone in this country that is not straight, christian, male and white, basically. I thought we had come farther than this in our history but apparently many millions of U.S citizens prefer to step back in time, taking the rights away from women, and any other groups except white Christian men. And for some reason they are are okay with this kind of future (at least for the next four years). This president elect is a malignant tumour on America. He's told us he will be a dictator and people still voted for him. He told us that womens' rights will be removed, he told us that we will never have to vote again and the masses still voted red, though the margin between the candidates was less than 2% - let's not forget that.
I've spoken to so many people in utter shock since November 5 - numb and all in complete disbelief. If you study how Nazi Germany was born - we are living it. First, wear the people down for years. Tell them lies and instilling fears. We are numb with his unstable behavior. Its been like a freak show for a decade and we cant seem to look away. Sadly, the American people are so enamored with the entertainment value of the orange freak show that they have elected him to hold safe our nuclear codes, climate change, our jobs, our healthcare, social security, who we love, the future of our children etc etc etc.
We have power in numbers and we must continue to resist. Hold peace in your heart and we must keep in mind that love does eventually conquer all. Let's hope for the best. 🤞
As always, remember..."Life is short...break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, meditate often, be kind to each other, and never regret anything that made you smile". And of course...see live music!
With peace, love, art and music,
Cheryl ☮ ❤️🎵