British singer says she would appear at the ceremony if she could perform anti-lynching anthem popularized by Billie Holiday

Rebecca Ferguson says she will play Trump inauguration if she can sing Strange Fruit

Singer Rebecca Ferguson has said she would accept an invitation to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January on one condition: she be allowed to sing Strange Fruit.



First recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 and covered by Nina Simone in 1965, Strange Fruit is one of the nation’s most famous songs about racism. The lyrics by Abel Meeropol graphically describe the lynchings of African-Americans:

Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

Ferguson – a British singer who became well-known after appearing on 2010’s X Factor in the UK, memorably performing Sam Cooke’s civil rights anthem A Change is Gonna Come – called Strange Fruit “a song that speaks to all the disregarded and down trodden black people in the United States” in a Twitter statement introduced with the words “inauguration ceremony” explaining that she would appear at Trump’s inauguration only if she could sing that song:

I’ve been asked and this is my answer. If you allow me to sing Strange Fruit, a song that has huge historical importance, a song that was blacklisted in the United States for being too controversial. A song that speaks to all the disregarded and downtrodden black people in the United States. A song that is a reminder of how love is the only thing that will conquer all the hatred in this world, then I will graciously accept your invitation and see you in Washington. Best Rebecca X

Trump has been struggling to get A-listers to appear at his inauguration. Elton John, Gene Simmons and Garth Brooks have all turned down invites, with many major artists aligning themselves with the Hillary Clinton campaign or not wishing to be associated with a Trump presidency.



The president-elect did not respond to a question from the Guardian about whether Ferguson would be performing Strange Fruit at the inauguration.

Below are 10 other songs that Trump might want to consider for his inauguration ceremony.

1. Immigrants (We get the Job Done) by K’naan, Snow Tha Product, Riz MC and Residente

This tune from The Hamilton Mixtape (a reworking of songs from the Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway musical about founding father Alexander Hamilton) will be recognizable to incoming vice-president Mike Pence, who famously went to see the musical just a few days after the election. The “immigrants: we get the job done” line usually gets the biggest cheer of the night in the live show, but this version also includes the following intro from a news broadcast:

You know, and it gets into this whole issue of border security, you know, who’s gonna say that the borders are secure? We’ve got the House and the Senate debating this issue, and it’s ... it’s really astonishing that in a country founded by immigrants, “immigrant” has somehow become a bad word. So the debate rages on and we continue ...

2. Take the Power Back by Rage Against the Machine

It’s a post-fact world, but this song from Rage Against the Machine’s eponymous 1992 debut album is a good reminder of the importance of personal political activism, with lyrics that seem like they could have been written today:

So-called facts are fraud They want us to allege and pledge and bow down to their god Lost the culture, the culture lost Spun our minds and through time, ignorance has taken over

3. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Comedian Kate McKinnon’s performance as Hillary Clinton singing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah directly after the election and Cohen’s death provided one of the election’s most powerful TV moments.

4. Ronnie, Talk to Russia by Prince

This song – originally recorded by Prince as a plea to Ronald Reagan to reach peace with Russia and avoid nuclear war, with the lyrics “Ronnie, talk to Russia before its too late/Before they blow up the world” – might remind congressional Republicans of a time before a GOP president to be invited the country to hack his opponent’s emails and poured scorn on intelligence assessments about Russian hacking of a US election.

5. Respect by Aretha Franklin

In the 19 October debate against Clinton, during which Trump’s Democratic opponent outlined his treatment of women and he called her a “nasty woman”, Trump declared that “nobody has more respect for women than I do”. Aretha Franklin singing her most famous hit might highlight that message, although the soul legend may well be reluctant to take part, having performed My Country Tis of Thee at Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2008.

6. Fight the Power by Public Enemy

Public Enemy’s 1989 hit may prove a reminder to Trump of the importance of the first amendment, despite his vows to “open up” the libel laws to make it easier to sue the press, his blocking of reporters from his events, labelling them as liars on Twitter and encouragement of rally crowds to boo them:

Our freedom of speech is freedom or death/We’ve got to fight the powers that be

7. Born this Way by Lady Gaga



Pence, who many expect to see doing much of the day-to-day running of the Trump White House, has long been criticized for his attitudes towards LGBT communities and his tacit backing of so-called conversion therapy. Gaga’s Born This Way is a bit of a contrast to that approach:

Don’t be a drag, just be a queen Whether you’re broke or evergreen You’re black, white, beige, chola descent You’re Lebanese, you’re Orient Whether life’s disabilities Left you outcast, bullied, or teased Rejoice and love yourself today ‘Cause baby you were born this way

8. Trump is on your Side by Moby and the Homeland Choir

This bitterly sarcastic song by Moby suggests that Trump’s claims to care about American jobs and workers may not be totally sincere: “You’re all alone and you’re filled with fear / The billionaire says what you need to hear.”

9. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor

“Do you think I’d crumble / Did you think I’d lay down and die? / Oh no, not I / I will survive,” declares Gaynor in this 1978 classic, which became a gay pride anthem.

10. Changes by Tupac Shakur



In this song first recorded in 1992 four years before his death, Tupac Shakur raps about being poor, black and battling racism, drugs, police brutality and the prison system, and declares that America is not ready for an African American president. Trump, who pushed himself as a ‘law-and-order’ candidate, could do worse than to give it a listen.