At 7:48 p.m. on Nov. 4, before polls closed, New York City mayor candidate Zohran Mamdani released a video on social media platforms like Instagram and X titled, “New York is A-Changing,” which featured the song “The Times They Are A-Changing” by music icon Bob Dylan.
His whole campaign for mayor was centered around being the start of a “New Era for NYC.”
In his video campaigns and advertisements, he was spreading the word of the change that was going to soon hit New York City. The campaign was a glimpse that soon things would be brighter.
That he would bring change and a positive one. He wants to create a city where everyone has the right to achieve the American Dream.
This song by Dylan was a prolific piece of its time that is to be considered one of the anthems of the Civil Rights Movement with its release in 1964.
This song challenges the listener to “start swimmin’” because the times around us are changing. It is a song that is relevant today just as much as it was back in the 1960s.
Dylan didn’t necessarily consider himself a protest singer, but it goes without saying that many of his most powerful songs are songs of protest.
Mamdani having this song in his campaign was an alert to others that New York was on an unavoidable change that was on the rise.
Mamdani is the newly elected mayor of New York City. He is a democratic socialist and is the first ever Muslim mayor elected by the city. At only 34 years old, he dominated and won the hearts of many.
Among all of the hatred in the world and amongst conservative peers he has become a refreshing face and a beacon for hope.
By Nov. 5, the ad was removed from X and all platforms were replaced by a statement stating that the video was disabled by the copyright holder across all platforms.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) released a statement saying that the song by Dylan was not approved for the ad. That no Bob Dylan song should have any political intent with its use.
Dylan was a protestor of his time through his lyricism. He encouraged people to think about the world around them and reflect on the issues that affected their communities.
The removal of “The Times They Are A-Changing” from Mamdani’s campaign ad for it being too political is shocking especially due to the origin of the song.
A song that is meant to wake people up and alert them that there is change on the rise is apparently not political. The song that shouted to writers, politicians and people everywhere to wake up–is not political.
Dylan sold his songwritings to UMPG back in 2020 for more than $300 million.
Dylan is not one to have a public appearance, he leads a very private life. So, a response coming directly from him is very unlikely.
The quick removal of this song is something to think about and to challenge. Especially with the White House’s official TikTok account constantly using music to ridicule and mock immigrants.
Taylor Swift’s new song, “The Fate of Ophelia” was used in a video made by the White House TikTok account on Nov. 2 and still the song and video are both on the page.
Olivia Rodrigo also had her song “all-american bitch” used but she had requested for it to be removed immediately.
Both artists release music under the UMPG and have the ability to remove their music from anything they don’t agree with.
The decision however in Dylan’s case came from the UMPG itself. Another artist in the same situation is Bruce Springsteen, who sold his music for $500 million to Sony Music.
“Born in the U.S.A.” by Springsteen was an anthem for Trump in his 2016 campaign. It looks like times are a-changing because Mamdani was silenced but that never stopped the people from singing along.
Marina Bravo can be reached at marina.bravo@laverne.edu.
Marina Bravo is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is arts editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and has previously served as a staff writer and photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. She enjoys going to live shows and everything spooky.
