Bette Midler reworks Guthrie protest classic

Actor / singer Bette Midler, 80, has released a version of US folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie's 1944 protest song ‘All You Fascists Bound to Lose’, after tweaking the lyrics to reflect current events. Dismissed as a "garbage song" by the White House, the new track references cover-ups for the Epstein files as well as the ongoing war on Iran and other issues. Though it does not explicitly name sitting US President Donald Trump, the lyrics do refer to the mid-term elections due to take place in the USA in November. According to US Vote Foundation: "In a midterm election, the composition of Congress is decided. Congress is literally on the ballot. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one-third of the seats (100) in the U.S. Senate are up for vote. The partisan composition of Congress can have a major influence on what the president can do during his or her term in office". Midler launched her song in time for a 'No Kings' protest in the States and beyond on March 28, with the hope that "you'll sing it when you're marching". Described as liberal-leaning, Midler often makes her political feelings clear on social media, which has apparently led to a long-standing feud with Trump. The No Kings protest movement is a response specifically to this second Trump administration, and self-describes as "a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy".

Keywords: ‘All You Fascists Bound to Lose’ Bette Middler, Woody Guthrie protest song reworked, US politics