Radiohead condemned ICE’s use of their song “Let Down” in a recent video, asserting that the song was used without permission and calling for the video to be removed.
“We call on the amateurs controlling the ICE social media account to remove it,” the band said in a statement. “It’s not funny, this song means too much to us and everyone else, and you can’t take it without a fight. Also, go fuck yourselves.”
The statement comes after ICE used a choral version of the song in a video on
This is not the first dispute between the Trump administration and members of the influential English rock band. Jonny Greenwood, the band’s lead guitarist and film composer, along with writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, requested the music from their film The imaginary thread It is withdrawn from Melania Documentary says the music is unlicensed.
It’s also not the first case of a prominent musical act denouncing the Trump administration’s use of their music in ICE videos. Others including Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter have also called out ICE, with Carpenter saying “never engage me or my music for your inhumane agenda” after ICE used her song “Juno,” and the singer also calling the video in question “evil and disgusting.”
Trump has proven largely unpopular among many recording artists for years, getting into fights with artists like Bruce Springsteen and Jack White in the past year alone. ICE has been just the latest deterrent to artists, with Bad Bunny, Olivia Dean, and Billie Eilish all condemning ICE or expressing support for immigrants during their speeches at the Grammy Awards earlier in February. SZA spoke about the agency during the press room after her Grammy win as well, calling it “incredibly miserable that we’re wearing our clothes and being able to celebrate accolades and the material world and people are being kidnapped and shot in the face in the street.”
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