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On the Democratic Nationwide Conference final month, Hillary Clinton walked offstage to her marketing campaign anthem from 2016, “Battle Track” by Rachel Platten. It was meant, in fact, as an uplifting second. However a journalist pal I used to be watching with who had coated the Clinton marketing campaign froze when he heard it, and mentioned, “I’m triggered,” solely half joking. Platten again then was having her first actual style of fame. She had loaned the tune to the marketing campaign out of a sisterly feminist feeling. However given the way in which historical past unfolded, the choice got here to hang-out her. “I felt unhealthy for my tune. I felt unhealthy for me. I felt unhealthy for all of us,” she says.
These days many musicians have objected to Donald Trump utilizing their songs at his marketing campaign rallies, generally as a result of they disagree together with his politics. On this episode of Radio Atlantic, we speak with Platten about what can go mistaken even if you’re sympathetic to a marketing campaign. After eight years of processing her expertise, she is each brutally sincere and gracious.
The next is a transcript of the episode:
Hanna Rosin: Only a fast word: This episode comprises some cursing that you could be not normally hear on this present.
Rosin: Inform me if this analogy is true, as a result of I used to be pondering the metaphor is like: If you happen to purchased a gown that you just liked, and you then wore this gown to a celebration, after which one thing unexpectedly horrible occurred on the get together, you weirdly would hate the gown. It’s not the gown’s fault.
Rachel Platten: (Laughs.)
Rosin: However you’d be indignant on the gown.
Platten: (Laughs.)
Rosin: I used to be questioning if that’s the response folks needed to the tune when Hillary misplaced?
Platten: I imply, that might be a reasonably—
Rosin: Honest or unfair?
Platten: Nicely, I believe it’s somewhat dumb to be mad at a gown. (Laughs.)
Rosin: (Laughs.) Proper.
[“Fight Song,” by Rachel Platten]
Rosin: That is Radio Atlantic. I’m Hanna Rosin.
Each 4 years, the music world and the political world work together, and peculiar issues occur.
[“Turn Down for What,” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon]
This election 12 months, there’s been the DNC roll name that includes Lil Jon. There was additionally the rumor the Beyoncé was going to point out as much as the DNC, which she by no means did, “Kamala Harris is brat,” “Swifties for Kamala.”
After which on the Republican facet, a less-cute form of relationship with the music world.
Newscaster: A federal choose in Atlanta has dominated at this time that former President Donald Trump and his marketing campaign must cease utilizing the tune, “Maintain On, I’m Coming.”
Newscaster: Swedish pop group ABBA is the newest musical group to object to the Trump marketing campaign.
Newscaster: Singer Celine Dion is criticizing former President Donald Trump’s marketing campaign for enjoying her music at political rallies with out her permission. Dion says the marketing campaign has performed “My Coronary heart Will Go On” at these occasions since final 12 months.
Rosin: However even when a musician agrees with a politician—like, is wholeheartedly down with the mission of the marketing campaign—there could be risks. One musician has gone on this journey in essentially the most crushing and public form of means. Her identify is Rachel Platten.
Rosin: When did the time period “battle tune” happen to you? Do you even bear in mind anymore?
Platten: I do. I do. It was very clear. I used to be at a school soccer sport. I’m kidding.
Rosin: (Laughs.) Get out of right here.
Platten: (Laughs.) I’m fucking with you.
Rosin: I used to be completely—I used to be like, This isn’t going to be this—
Platten: Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I used to be like, I used to be at Ohio State. It was loud.
Rosin: It’s not going to be this literal.
Rosin: Rachel is the artist behind “Battle Track.”
Platten: It was somewhat bit extra wordy once I wrote it. It was like, That is my battle tune, time to take again my life tune, time to show I’m all proper. Anyway—
Rosin: “Battle Track” was additionally the tune that—for higher or worse—grew to become synonymous with Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign.
Hillary Clinton: Let’s get up for the long run that we would like collectively! Thanks all a lot!
[“Fight Song” overlapping with crowd applause]
Rosin: “Battle Track” performed and performed and performed—over and time and again at 10 million marketing campaign rallies—till my pal and political reporter Olivia Nuzzi tweeted that summer time: “I might slightly be strapped to a chair and compelled to take heed to ‘Tiny Dancer’ on a loop for 9 hours than hear ‘Battle Track’ yet one more time.”
However right here’s the primary heartbreak: Initially, Rachel didn’t even need the Hillary marketing campaign to make use of the tune in any respect as a result of Rachel was having her first actual brush with fame and success after greater than a decade of hustling within the music trade, and he or she didn’t need to danger it.
So when the marketing campaign first referred to as, Rachel was like, No.
Platten: No. No, no, no, no. I used to be afraid.
Rosin: Ah, even then?
Platten: I didn’t need that to occur, and I used to be making an attempt to stall my reply.
Rosin: Attention-grabbing.
Platten: And I bear in mind saying a mild no. I did a respectful no for a pair months.
Rosin: Why?
Platten: As a result of in the event you return to the me that was there and had simply had every part come after 13 years and was making an attempt to shift and bend and form myself into somebody that I assumed might maintain this, I didn’t need to do something divisive. And I used to be scared to be on any facet of something. And the tune was resonating deeply with children within the hospital—
Rosin: Yeah. I learn that.
Platten: —and with most cancers sufferers and with sports activities groups and with folks overcoming horrible issues. And so to, unexpectedly, be requested to place my tune as one thing that might stand for just one group was the other of what I believed. It doesn’t matter what I personally believed, I didn’t need my music to do this once I noticed how therapeutic music might be.
Rosin: Proper. Simply to enter into any form of area of—
Platten: Divisiveness.
Rosin: —one versus one other.
Platten: Yeah. That’s not what I stand for, and it’s not what I’m fascinated with or obsessed with. Although I perceive how essential it’s in each different side of life, for me, as an artist, it’s not what I’m right here to do.
Rosin: Mm-hmm. So how did that shift?
Platten: Nicely, I believe it acquired form of onerous to say no. I believe it simply didn’t make that a lot sense to say no.
Rosin: As a result of?
Platten: I used to be on Columbia Data. And I’m married to a person that’s very fascinated with politics. And I’ve a household that’s very fascinated with—I had folks round me very excited in regards to the chance and who didn’t perceive this considerably naive however tender artist coronary heart that I had that was scared. Everybody was similar to, What are you speaking about? Who cares? I don’t care in the event you’re scared. This issues.
Rosin: Oh.
Platten: This fucking issues. You must do that.
And I felt that in my soul, too. I felt like, All proper. Okay. I’m a lady’s lady. I’m a girl’s girl. I, as a girl, I’ve to permit this girl, who’s going to probably be the primary official nominee—I’ve to let her use it. I can’t say no. Who am I to say no?
[“Fight Song”]
Rosin: After the break—why Rachel perhaps ought to’ve mentioned no.
[Break]
Rosin: “Battle Track” was already a success, but it surely cemented its standing when a model premiered on the 2016 Democratic Nationwide Conference. A montage of celebrities sang alongside in entrance of brilliant, colourful backgrounds. The vibes have been: We’re hopeful. That is good.
Additionally, we have been nonetheless actually right into a capella again then, post-Pitch Good and all.
[Rendition of “Fight Song”]
Platten: The primary time I heard it used within the context of her marketing campaign was the DNC, and it was on TV.
Elizabeth Banks: It’s evening two. Who’s pumped up?
Platten: And caught my husband being like, Dude, flip it on. He was in New York. And I bear in mind, I used to be in my towel with moist hair, alone in a small, little bungalow in Venice, completely caught unexpectedly.
[Rendition of “Fight Song”]
Platten: I knew she was going to, however I believe it hadn’t been officialized or one thing. We didn’t know if she’d truly use it for the DNC. For some cause—it is likely to be dumb of me—however I didn’t know that I utterly anticipated it.
Rosin: Mm-hmm.
Platten: And so listening to it was thrilling. And it was lovely. And I had tears in my eyes. And I used to be proud. And it was wonderful. It was wonderful.
[Rendition of “Fight Song”]
Rosin: That appears uncomplicated.
Platten: Yeah. It was uncomplicated. No matter what I believed, it was a really particular factor to listen to a tune that I wrote for myself. It was uncomplicated, and it made me actually proud.
Rosin: And did it stay that means?
Platten: (Laughs.) No.
Rosin: (Laughs.)
Platten: No. You understand what occurred! I imply, no! It wasn’t simply her shedding. It was the political pundits—these poor individuals who needed to hear it time and again and over, my God. Something you hear time and again is so annoying.
Rosin: (Laughs.)
Platten: You hate the tune that’s the most-played tune. It’s so fucking annoying. And so in fact “Battle Track” grew to become annoying. And I felt unhealthy for them. I felt unhealthy for my tune. I felt unhealthy for me. I felt unhealthy for all of us. It’s similar to, I don’t need you to have to listen to my tune that a lot. And also you don’t need to hear my tune that a lot.
John Oliver: I didn’t agree to seem on this. I used to be simply instructed to attend right here with these items on my ears. Nobody talked about that is a part of a weirdly earnest a capella tune for Clinton. Terrible! Once more, I didn’t comply with be a part of this. This tune goes to annoy folks.
Platten: And it grew to become sophisticated and onerous as a result of there was a whole lot of tweets making enjoyable of me and personalizing it. Kevin, my husband, follows all of that, and so he was conscious of what was occurring and displaying me. If it perhaps had been as much as me, I might have simply tuned it out—or tried to—however he’s obsessive about Twitter and the information cycle and, like, all the time updating. And so he was seeing all of it. And these folks that he adopted and admired and appeared as much as have been making enjoyable of his spouse each day, and he was similar to, That’s not good.
And it didn’t really feel good. It was complicated. And I felt misunderstood. And I used to be taking it personally when it was not private in any respect. It wasn’t private. There’s a naivety in regards to the tune in the event you don’t know the artist behind it, and there’s a simplicity in regards to the tune in the event you don’t know me and also you don’t know my story and also you don’t know what occurred to me and why I wrote it. And perhaps there’s a simplicity regardless.
However to be made enjoyable of was actually—it sucked. It sucked.
Rosin: Did it make you are feeling—I don’t know; I’m guessing right here, however—ashamed of the extra naive components of you? Or what was the half—as a result of generally you may say, Fuck you, Twitter. And generally it hurts, you realize? I’ve been there myself.
Platten: No. It did damage. I might by no means—till now, till I turned 40, had children, went via a extreme mental-health disaster. Now I don’t give a shit. I perceive what issues and who I actually am. And I derive my sense of value from my very own coronary heart and from my household and buddies. However on the time—newly well-known—I didn’t really feel like, Fuck you, Twitter. I felt like, Oh my God. There have to be one thing unhealthy about me or my writing, or it have to be dumb.
After which it was conflicting as a result of, on the identical time, I used to be nonetheless getting 1000’s and 1000’s of messages from folks telling me that it was therapeutic them from most cancers or their battle cry or the factor that saved their life. So I additionally felt protecting of the individuals who have been being moved by it, and in order that was a complicated feeling.
I form of needed to be like, I want that each one of you may see the particular person within the hospital. Or perhaps it’s your mother, or your sister, or your brother. I want you may see what I see and expertise how this has therapeutic energy, too. And the way something massively widespread—there’s going to be folks’s constructive reactions and unfavourable reactions when it turns into so huge. And I believe that it was onerous to abdomen, and it was complicated.
Rosin: Did it make you query any components of your self or the way in which that you just have been?
Platten: Yeah. I believe that my relentless positivity that I used to be selling—as a result of I assumed that that’s what I used to be alleged to do, because the singer behind “Battle Track”—it wasn’t essentially who I’m. It was one a part of me. Sure, I’m a hopeful particular person to my core. However on the identical time, I’m somebody who has had trauma and confronted ache and felt deep concern. And I didn’t assume that that was who I used to be alleged to be within the public. I didn’t assume that was who anybody needed to see sing “Battle Track.”
Rosin: In fact, everyone knows what occurred subsequent: Hillary misplaced.
Clinton: Final evening, I congratulated Donald Trump and supplied to work with him on behalf of our nation. I hope that he might be a profitable president for all People. This isn’t the end result we needed—
Rosin: With Hillary’s loss, “Battle Track” took on a special form of feeling. The annoyance in regards to the overexposure and its relentless optimism curdled into one thing meaner. It was now not the anthem of the primary feminine presidential marketing campaign. It was a reminder of its failure.
In 2020, Matt Miller of Esquire wrote this: “Even 4 years later, it’s unimaginable to separate that senseless, cloying refrain with the crumbling of our nation’s pleasure.”
Rosin: Do you bear in mind when she misplaced? Had been you at a celebration with your folks, like lots of people?
Platten: Oh. I used to be, sadly, in a becoming as a result of I had the American Music Awards—I believe I had a becoming. It was so silly. I used to be in a robe. I used to be making an attempt on robes, and I used to be very annoyed as a result of I bear in mind feeling like, That is so dumb. I’ve made the mistaken life selections, that I’m being stuffed right into a shiny, sequined factor when this humongous factor is about to occur.
And it was panicky. And we have been all, like—somebody was hemming the gown, and it was a kind of traditional film moments the place she pricked me, and I used to be like, Ah! None of us have been feeling nice, and all of us have been anxious. And, yeah, it felt so silly and superficial to be doing that. I bear in mind trying round like, What am I doing?
Rosin: And when she misplaced, then did one thing change across the tune for you or for the tune? Then what occurred? As a result of that’s a complete different layer of that means that you just didn’t ask for.
Platten: That’s attention-grabbing. It modified for folks within the political spectrum—and I’m certain folks within the public, in the event that they didn’t know the tune in some other context, I’m certain it modified in that means—however not for me, personally. No. I imply, I used to be nonetheless touring to fifteen,000, 20,000 folks at a time who have been screaming it again to me with tears of their eyes. And so it wasn’t actually altering for me in that means until I appeared on my cellphone.
And there it was altering. Regardless of the information was saying, or whoever was interviewing me, and being instructed, Oh, your tune is definitely representing failure now, or being made enjoyable of in a worse means, I used to be like, Okay, proper. I perceive that. And but I’m touring, and that is what’s occurring in my precise life. So what am I supposed to concentrate to?
Rosin: So that you’re headlining, and the individuals are responding to the tune, after which the narrative someplace out there’s like—
Platten: Someplace on the market are folks that hate it and hate me and hate what it means, and—hate’s a powerful phrase. That’s what I felt. That’s a younger a part of me that felt that means, in order that’s most likely why I mentioned that. However there’s a complete different group of individuals which are collectively, perhaps, rolling their eyes or annoyed or feeling no matter means they’re feeling.
And but there’s a huge quantity of folks that I’m seeing in entrance of me which are feeling fairly otherwise, and likewise, folks on-line which are additionally nonetheless sending me these messages, and the tune continues to be primary. So it’s somewhat complicated, proper?
Rosin: Figuring out what you realize now, would you continue to let the Hillary marketing campaign—or any marketing campaign—use your tune?
Platten: (Laughs.) Did you see my submit on X? I believe Matthew Yglesias was like, All proper, pop stars. Let’s go! Kamala’s working! The place are you? Taylor? Selena? And I posted a meme of Homer Simpson retreating into the bush.
Rosin: (Laughs.) I used to be going to say, if one other artist got here to you and mentioned, Hey! Kamala’s marketing campaign desires to make use of my tune, what would you say?
Platten: I might say, I believe I’m good. I believe I’m good. I like you. Bless you. I believe I’ve executed my half in that means, and, I believe, a sort hell no. (Laughs.)
Rosin: (Laughs.) Would you advise anybody else to do it?
Platten: I don’t know. I don’t know. On one hand, look—I needed to undergo all of that to be the place I’m at this time.
Rosin: Attention-grabbing.
Platten: I don’t remorse it. I don’t look again and really feel dumb or really feel damage anymore about it. I really feel a way of understanding and kindness in direction of the Rachel that in that second made that call. And I like her, and I want I might put my arms round her and say, That is gonna suck. However what you’re going to study from this expertise is—whew—it’s so good. And I don’t need to rob you of that have. So, lady—get your armor on. Get your huge lady’s panties on. Let’s go!
[Music]
Rosin: This episode of Radio Atlantic was produced by Jinae West. It was edited by Claudine Ebeid, fact-checked by Stef Hayes, and engineered by Rob Smierciak.
Claudine Ebeid is the chief producer of Atlantic audio, and Andrea Valdez is our managing editor.
By the way in which, Rachel has a brand new album out. It’s referred to as, I Am Rachel Platten.
I’m Hanna Rosin. And thanks for listening.