Oh my Godddd. The US Army chorus was told to perform at the White House for Trump and his cronies and they chose to perform One Day More from Les Miserables. What a gutsy move. A giant middle finger to authoritarianism right in front of Trump’s face. Good for them.
To every member of the military and every civil servant fighting in big ways and small, public and private, to protect the Constitution and uphold the oaths you swore, thank you for your service. We see you and we love you. We’re counting on you and we’re all behind you 100%. Hold the line.
This made me actually tear up and feel a little hopeful. Everyone, no matter who they are needs to do their part. The Fascists are dangerous but they are few. Together we can all defeat them and keep the freedoms so many have fought so hard for.
Also I am living for these comments!
lmao it seems Zuckerberg is taking this off Instagram because it hurts the feelings of Nazi traitors. It’d sure be a shame if we spread it like wildfire on here…
ok so not to shit on anyone’s parade here but trump has used this song before at his rallies and it was probably an approved song, i seriously doubt that the army choir was doing this out of protest
I’ve seen this counterclaim going around but it’s actually wrong (and I’d be wary of buying into it as some of those spreading it may be acting on behalf of the regime). This gives me a great chance to 1) debunk that claim and 2) dive into just how BRILLIANT and sophisticated a ‘fuck you’ to Trump this performance is.
Ok, so first, the context surrounding the incorrect claim. One time, back in 2016 Trump did play a tiny clip from Les Miserables – specifically the “do you hear the people sing / singing the song of angry men” but from “Do You Hear The People Sing” since out of context that line was relatable for his sexist followers for obvious reasons (and btw the creators of the musical were very upset – that’s what the linked article is about).
HOWEVER, that is NOT the song that the army chorus is singing. In fact, they aren’t singing any actual song from Les Miserables at all, but rather a unique creation that is a mashup of two songs from the musical – “One Day More” and the “Epilogue Song.” Both these songs reference “Do You Hear The People” sing by including some of the same melody and lyrics. But they are different songs. Notably lacking the reference to angry men. Both are songs about revolution and standing up for freedom and the Epilogue Song is also about the hope of building a better, freer, happier tomorrow. So what they did is they took the lyrics from the Epilogue talking about how no matter how bleak things may seem not all hope is lost, and then combined that with lyrics from “One Day More” talking about how it is important to stand up and fight for what is right.
So superficially it is a song from Les Mis – and I’m sure that’s how they got it approved – but actually they cherry picked specific lyrics to create an entirely new song that sends a message of hope, condemns those who would make themselves kings, and reminds everyone of the importance of standing strong together to defend freedom. Add on top of that the way the people standing front and center are women and poc, in defiance of Trump’s racist “anti DEI” policies. AND the way they are all glaring out at Trump’s cronies and how they move into the audience to stand with their backs to Trump. It an absolute work of genius.
It’s not just a protest against the Fascist Russian usurper regime. It’s also a message of hope and inspiration to the people. The people of this country are facing the most dangerous and terrible time in the history of this nation. But there are good people who are standing up. And together we can defeat this threat. We must all do our part. Keep up the pressure. Get others involved and mobilized. Be brave. As the song says, even the darkest night will end. We will save our democracy.
Literally every comment on this video is absolute gold.
Keep boycotting, keeping striking, keep calling your representatives, keep showing up to town halls, and KEEP PROTESTING.
Look at their faces, and the words. they know EXACTLY what they are doing.
“Do you hear the people sing, say do you hear the distant drums?”
amhrancas 