Hallelujah Money

Album: Humanz (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Donald Trump protest song was dropped by Gorillaz on January 19, 2017, 24 hours before the inauguration of the new president. The track explores themes of money, power, and Trump's version of the American Dream.
  • According to Murdoc, the bassist for the animated band, the song was put out just in time for Trump's inauguration and serves as an official protest cut.

    "In these dark times, we all need someone to look up to," he said. "That's why I'm giving you this new Gorillaz song, a lighting bolt of truth in a black night. You're welcome."
  • Gorillaz teamed up with Benjamin Clementine for the cut. The London-born singer-songwriter's At Least For Now LP won the 2015 Mercury Music prize, an annual prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland.
  • There's a SpongeBob Squarepants clip at the end of the song. It's taken from season one, episode 14, "Karate Choppers."
  • The video features a mournful Clementine performing in a gold-plated elevator - a visual reference to Trump Tower - while a montage of increasingly disturbing images, like hooded Ku Klux Klan members and frightening clowns, appear behind him. It ends with a scene of Spongebob Squarepants yelling.
  • Damon Albarn recalled the story of the song to Q magazine: "I had this image: a shadowy figure next to a tree in a field at dawn and slowly it lights up and they're actually on stage at the inauguration and there's all the regalia of the empire and everyone's singing this dark spiritual."

    "I just let Benjamin go with it," he added. "He sang that literally in one take. Incredible."
  • Benjamin Clementine said: "We knew Donald Trump was going to win the election. Obviously it was devastating, so it was great that we came together and wrote something."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.