Semisonic Slam White House for ‘Closing Time’ Deportation Video

Nineties alt-rockers Semisonic have condemned the White House’s use of their hit song “Closing Time” in a new video promoting deportation.

“We did not authorize or condone the White House’s use of our song ‘Closing Time’ in any way,” Semisonic wrote in a social media statement, which you can see below. “And no, they didn’t ask. The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.”

Released in 1998 as the lead single off Semisonic’s sophomore album Feeling Strangely Fine, “Closing Time” topped Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart and pushed its accompanying album to platinum status. Although the lyrics literally refer to leaving a bar at the end of the night, bandleader and songwriter Dan Wilson also wrote the song about the birth of his daughter, Corazon.

The White House’s 17-second video, shared on social media on Monday, shows U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents putting cuffs around a man’s waist and hands as the verse to “Closing Time” (“Closing time, you don’t have to go home / But you can’t stay here“) plays. As the song’s chorus (“I know who I want to take me home“) kicks in, the camera cuts to a shot of several men boarding a plane, with a border patrol vehicle plainly visible in the foreground.

You can watch the clip below.

READ MORE: 75 Best Rock Songs of the ’90s

Other Rockers Who Have Condemned Trump for Using Their Songs Without Permission

Semisonic are far from the first artist to blast President Donald Trump’s administration for using their songs without their consent. In 2022, the Tom Petty estate demanded that pro-Trump Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake stop using Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” as she contested her election loss.

In 2020, the Rolling Stones also threatened to sue the Trump campaign over unauthorized use of their song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

And last year, Jack and Meg White filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Trump for use of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” in a campaign video. White shared a photo of the lawsuit on Instagram with the caption, “This machine sues fascists.”