Heart Wants McCain/Palin To Stop Using Barracuda

Boston Globe:

The rock group Heart has sent a message to John McCain and Sarah "Barracuda'' Palin: quit playing our 1977 hit ''Barracuda.''

Soon after the presidential nominee finished his acceptance speech late Thursday and running-mate Palin joined him on the Republican National Convention stage in St. Paul, the sound system pumped the throbbing introductory guitar licks to "Barracuda.''

It seemed the cleverest musical choice of both conventions. Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson, like Alaska Governor Palin, are outspoken products of the Pacific Northwest, and the sisters's tune also could refer to Palin's Dazed-and-Confused-Era nickname of Sarah Barracuda, given for her intense high-school basketball play.

But the Wilsons condemned the usage, adding that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign, according to CNN. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music,'' the group said in a statement.

Read the whole story: Boston Globe

Comments

[firewmn]

**
These guys knew it too.. They just went through it with John Cougar Mellowman 3 weeks ago..
**

[Big0725]

How about Van Halen?

[NHGranite]

And Jackson Brown! Talk about Running on Empty

[NHGranite]

ABBA! Even ABBA

[sacrebleu]

And don't forget:

~ Jackson Browne

~ Bruce Springsteen

~ Mike Myers

The Repugnantcans obviously did a risk assessment analysis and determined that the benefit of stealing artists' intellectual property outweighed the penalties for it.

[Whinger]

Well that's just GOP being GOP, walking over people's rights ignoring the law!

When they don't respect the constitution what would they respect?

[firewmn]

**
More of the SHAME..
*

[Biracial1]

The woman who WAS qualified to be VP

Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, usually known as Kay Bailey Hutchison (born July 22, 1943), is the senior United States Senator from Texas. She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of "The 30 most powerful women in America" by Ladies Home Journal. She is the first woman to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.

[BobsNotWorking]

This keeps happening over and over. Do the Republicans have no respect for intellectual property rights? For the law?

[GerryS]

they were hangin out in China a few weeks ago, remember?

[firewmn]

**
Shoot first..ask questions later,..
Typical of a reckless camapaign and would be typical of a reckless administration.

**

[BlackbirdHighway]

I sent an email to Earth, Wind & Fire shaming them for being Republicans. I thought they would support Obama, so I was disappointed to hear "September" at the Republican Convention.

[firewmn]

Rebus hi-jacked it.. And BO did use it at his.. The band played in person at DNC..
C-Span interviewed them
*

[Big0725]

Could be that some people are just so happy to be relavent again.

[KarlaElisa]

Here's one instance where I'd love to see a great big lawsuit filed and made public.

[dapperd72]

Give em Hell, Heart! You were a way cool band in the 1980's, but I wonder where you've been for the past 20 years. I always enjoyed hearing your song, "What About Love" among other hits on the radio, but I always appreciate when a progressive rock group of any stripe publicly demands a right-wing politician stop using their music at campaign rallies. Bruce Springsteen took the same action against Ronald Reagan in 1980 when the GOP played "Born in the USA," ignoring Springsteen's moral objection to their reactionary politics. Springsteen to his credit also endorsed Obama during the primaries, so that tells me he really has his head on straight, unlike most of those at the GOP Convention this week. Although I wish more original versions of classic & modern tunes were played at the Dem. COnvention instead of a band singing them off-key, the GOP has a penchant for recklessly using popular tunes from myriad progressive bands whose own politics are categorically contrary to their own brand of pseudo-con­servatism. I'm not the litigious type, but I hope the Wilson sisters will ask a judge for an injunction against further exploitation of their music to promote Sarah Palin's campaign if the GOP arrogantly continues down this path.

[Rictracee]

OMG.... i screamed when i saw this LOL.. everytime they use a song, they hear from the Artist to stop using their music.. LOL.. the republicans should use big band music from the 50's at least those people would be more mcains age and likely supporters­.. LOL

[beanchihuahua]

Tsk Tsk..When is the McCain camp going to figure out that they need the artist's permission to use their songs? Van Halen..Hea­rt...Jacks­on Browne...T­oby Keith (still surprised me he was a Democrat).­.There are things called coypright laws. Not that the GOP concerns themselves with the silly laws though.

[bluetick27]

That's great news. If I had seen Palin while hearing Barracuda, I would have suffered the same unintentional consequence as Alex de Large (A Clockwork Orange), in that one of the favorite tunes of my youth would have been lost forever after having been unconsciously associated with a VILE event.

[Grunty1]

The GOP just cannot help themselves!!
Is there ANYTHING they won't steal?

[OleSmartee]

Again with the stupid stuff. Like any of this matters.

The song is in the public domain. Any radio station, rock club, etc. can use it in any way the wish. It's more than 30 years old, and the band can't restrict anyone from using it whether they agree with them politically or not.

Let's get back to beating McCain, and helping Barack shore up his sagging poll numbers.

[pcplz]

This portrays the way his administration would be so very clearly. Absolutely no concern about the rights of the musicians. If he wants it he takes it. Try to sue them later....t­hey already got it.

I hope that the Wilson sisters go on the Today Show and Jay Leno and all the rest to loudly protest.

It is ILLEGAL TO USE MUSIC WITHOUT PERMISSION for campaigns. Look how long the Beatles held out....the­ir music wasn't used until Michael Jackson bought the rights and sold them out. What makes McCain think that he can just steal it ......espe­cially for a cause that the musicians abhor.

Make it public....­...!!

[M4DN3SS]

Is this the kind of poor judgment that they'll use in office? Copyright infringement by the government. Awesome.