Brits plan cheeky 'American Idiot' protest for Trump visit
You have to hand it to the Brits: they know how to balance giant, floating symbols of protest with more clever forms of channeling anger.
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As Trump prepares to visit the United Kingdom on Thursday following the NATO summit in Belgium, cheeky UK protesters are trying to push Green Day's 2004 hit "American Idiot" back to the top of the charts to welcome him.
Though it's not exactly subtle, attempting to push the George W. Bush-era song to number one in the UK is still a tad more low-key than the other protest that's garnered headlines surrounding this trip: the giant Trump blimp that will float along the London skyline.
We’ve crept up into the iTunes Top 10 (AND another version at #17 too!) and still at #1 on Amazon! Keep sharing to others what we are all doing! #MAIGA pic.twitter.com/4wuuElNwrC
— American Idiot For UK No.1 When Trump Visits (@TrumpIdiotNo1) July 7, 2018
So far, these efforts seem to be somewhat successful, with the song already climbing up a few major charts. The song is currently number one on Amazon in the UK and, per Huffington Post, managed to hit the UK's Top 20 as of Monday.
The chart-based protest could hit a snag, though, courtesy of England's men's soccer team, which takes the field on Wednesday evening in Russia to play for a spot in the World Cup final.
With the team's success, the 1996 soccer anthem "Three Lions," written for the 1996 Euro tournament squad, has moved from ironic cheer to a full-throated anthem and is currently everywhere on UK music charts.
To add some emotional heft to the "Three Lions" story: English coach Gareth Southgate was a member of that 1996 team and missed a crucial penalty kick that ended England's run in that tournament. Top that redemption story, Green Day.
And if England defeats Croatia on Wednesday, reaching Sunday's World Cup final against France, it's very likely to become ensconced at number one no matter what Trump does or says.
Of course, given the long, agonizing stretch English fans have experienced since the country's last World Cup win in 1966 (basically international soccer's version of the Chicago Cubs' infamous World Series drought), the "American Idiot" pranksters probably won't mind.
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