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Entertainment December 7, 2016
Fiona Apple has a few choice words for Donald Trump – and they’re more sour than sweet. In a trending video, she serenades the president-elect with her festive parody song, “Trump’s Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire.”
Her hilarious spin on the seasonal favorite tune was released before news broke that Trump had been named TIME’s Person of the Year. “This is now Trump’s America to run, a victory made possible either because of historical inevitability or individual brilliance, or some combination of the two,” the news magazine article says.
Apple sung the tune acappalla while facing her iPhone’s front camera, creating a grassroots home video vibe. It originally appeared on the Tumblr account “Fiona Apple Rocks,” then went viral on YouTube.
After singing lyrics like, “Everybody knows some money and entitlement can help to make the season white / Mothers of color with their kids out of sight will find it hard to sleep at night,” she ends the video by tearing up a photo of the president-elect.
READ MORE: Nicki Minaj Slams Donald Trump in ‘Black Barbies’ Remix
Aside from Apple, additional celebrities have also released anti-Trump singles, such as the 30 musical artists and bands who participated in the pre-election series “30 Days, 30 songs” promoting a Trump-free America through music. In particular, Death Cab for Cutie’s “Million Dollar Loan,” took the Internet by storm back in October.
Other musicians are flipping traditional Christmas songs on their head to fit the 2016 narrative. Recently musicians Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski released a feminist rendition of “Baby it’s Cold Outside,” changing the lyrics of the classic tune to promote sexual consent and mutual respect between partners.
The new lyrics of “Baby it’s Cold Outside” mimics Apple’s lines, “You cry creepy uncle every time he arrives / For he keeps clawing at our clothes,” which hint at Trump’s alleged past sexual misconduct.
READ MORE: MTV’s ‘Sweet/Vicious’ Shows the Violent, Raw Side of Rape Culture
Apple’s release is a surprise to some fans since the singer had largely disappeared from the entertainment scene in recent years. Though Apple did team up with Andrew Bird for a duet earlier this year, the singer hasn’t released a solo album since 2012, reports Rolling Stone. (Even back then, Vulture labeled her a “musical hermit.”)
In a 1998 interview with Rolling Stone, Apple reads the reporter a few lines of her journal. She states the lyrics in her journal are addressed to her rather than her audience of fans or foes. Yet these words might gives us some insight into her possible motivations behind the latest release.
“People don’t like you, honey, that’s a good sign / Most people don’t know nothing but opinions / Very few find the facts,” Apple writes. While this was penned far before 2016, the lyrics are fitting post-election – particularly with Donald Trump’s controversial habit of sharing opinions as facts.
Maybe the Trump presidency will inspire Apple to record a whole political parody album?
READ MORE: 10 Outrageous Celebrity Reactions to Donald Trump’s Win: Ariana Grande, Cher, Snoop Dogg
