Disco classic “YMCA” has seen a massive surge in popularity in the months leading up to and since the election, after it became a campaign staple of Donald Trump.
The President-elect played the famous 1978 gay anthem at almost every single event during his successful run to reclaim the White House, often busting out his specific set of moves.
Data from Last.fm, analysed by NBC News, showed that YMCA listenership had more than tripled, jumping up by around 366 percent from late May until November 5.
The same data showed that, although interest has dropped off, as of last week the song was still up by 183 percent from late May, thanks to the apparent “Trump effect.”
In addition, Google Trends showed that the song has enjoyed a true renaissance, with interest in the song at its highest in two decades. The data showed more searches for the song this month than in any month in the search engine’s published records, NBC reported.
There was also a bump in 2020, when Trump first introduced it at the end of his rallies. “You know what gets ‘em rockin? YMCA,” he said on a podcast in 2022. “YMCA gets people up and it gets them moving.”
“YMCA” also reappeared in the top 15 songs on the Billboard dance/electronic sales chart at the end of October before climbing its way to the Number 1 spot during the week of November 17.
Following the president-elect’s victory his dance moves have caught on, with professional athletes in the NFL, NBA and MLS mimicking them in celebrations.
The song by Village People’s is purportedly about the nonprofit Young Men’s Christian Association and the community centers it runs in many U.S. cities.
The song’s lyrics contain multiple double entendres on gay male life, hence its popularity within the LGBTQ+ community. However, Village People member Felipe Rose told HuffPost in 2014 that there was nothing intentionally gay about the track.
Its revitalized success has come as good news to the band members though. Lead singer and “YMCA” co-writer Victor Willis reportedly high-fived his wife after she told him the song had returned to the top.
In February 2020, the band permitted the Trump campaign to use their music, but in June asked him not to play the song. According to Willis, the campaign refused, saying it had obtained a political entities license that allowed them to use it.
In a statement to NBC News, Willis described Trump’s initial use of the song as a “nuisance.” “At one point I thought he’d tire of the song. But that never happened,” he said.
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