Posted on 09/06/2008 10:39:05 AM PDT by markomalley
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The rock group Heart, angry that its '70s hit "Barracuda" is being used as the unofficial theme song for Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, is taking aim at the Alaska governor.
The song, a nod to the "Sarah Barracuda" nickname Palin earned on the basketball court in high school, was dusted off for her appearance at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul on Wednesday.
Heart singers Ann and Nancy Wilson said a "cease-and-desist" letter has been sent to the Republicans asking them not to use the song.
"The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission," according to a statement issued late on Thursday on behalf of the sisters.
There was no immediate comment from the Republican camp.
Last month, rocker Jackson Browne sued Republican presidential candidate John McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party, accusing them of using his 1977 hit "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad without permission.
Copyright law may not be on the Wilsons' side as the song is licensed for public performance under a blanket fee paid by the venue to ASCAP, the firm that collects royalties on behalf of composers and copyright owners.
Despite the Wilson sisters' objections, one of the song's co-writers said he was "thrilled" that the song was used.
In an e-mail to Reuters, the band's former guitarist, Roger Fisher, said it was a win-win situation. Heart gets publicity and royalties, while the Republicans benefit from "the ingenious placement of a kick-ass song," Fisher said.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Heart should be so lucky to have their ollld song dusted off from some archive and played.
Wilson probably loooves the controversy. She has not done much over past few decades except for soundtrack to Elizabethtown (which was an opportunity given to her by her husband, the producer of that movie).
A fee was paid. I thought conservatives believed in contracts, but in your case, I guess I was wrong.
Some seem to hate Palin more than McCain which REALLY doesn’t make sense.
Closet sexists? I don’t understand it either. She is the face of the future for Conservatives.
McCain is what they sterotype republicans as, rich old white guys, sarah is a much bigger threat to them than John McCain
What ARE you talking about?
Did you not read this?
Copyright law may not be on the Wilsons’ side as the song is licensed for public performance under a blanket fee paid by the venue to ASCAP, the firm that collects royalties on behalf of composers and copyright owners.
But do you know whether or not the permission, once given, is non-revocable? Are these artists who are ASCAP members beholden, they can never object to a song's use once the fee is paid, even if, let's say, some known pedophile has served his time in jail, is now trying to sell something in a commercial advertisement and is using a popular hit, the artist has no ability to revoke permission?
This means that as an ASCAP member, you can expect a royalty every time one of your songs is played on the radio, at a public event or even covered by another performing artist, whether it is a major rock band in a stadium or a cover band playing a gig at the local nightclub.
As I wrote earlier, I had a huge brouhaha type of argument going on at another site, people accusing members of a band of "selling out" because a hit tune was used in an commercial, insisted that those men had to give personal permission to the car company in order to use the song. Not so, correct? So long as the royalties fee is paid, the tune is allowed use on the airwaves, the ad agencies are not ringing up each singer at dinnertime, right?
If you get what’s behind the meaning of the song, the baracuda is a bad guy who rips out people’s souls for their own selfish purposes. The song Barracuda was written by Ann Wilson of Heart after an incident with a fan after a concert. The fan accused her of having a lesbian affair with her sister, Nancy Wilson. This put her into such a rage that she went back to her hotel room and wrote the song. Barracuda is this fan.
The barracuda represents a cold blooded fish that is ferocious in its attacks. The porpous represents their feminine vulnerable creative work. When they sold the good porpoise (their creative efforts) they also risked selling their own souls to the attacks of the barracuda.
I have rewitten the song to give it more relevance:
Sarahcuda
So this aint the end -
I saw you again today
I had to turn my eyes away
Smiled like the sun -
Kisses for real
And tales - they never fail!
I’m Biden, so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
Youd have me down down down down on my knees
Now wouldnt you, Sarahcuda?
Back over time we were all
Living for free
You met the Obamassiah and me
No right no wrong, selling a song-
A name, whisper game.
If the fake things dont do the trick
We better make up something quick
Yo gonna burn burn burn burn us to the wick
Ooooooh, Sarahcuda?
Sell me sell you the Obamassiah said
Dive down deep down to save my neck
You...I think we got the blues too.
All that night and all the next
Swam without looking back
Made for the western pools - silly fools!
If the fake thing dont do the trick
Ya, we better make up something quick
You gonna burn burn burn burn us to the wick
Ooooooohhhh, Sarah Sarahcuda.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.
For a band that hasn’t had a hit in 25 years, you think they would be grateful for any publicity.
I do not believe this licensing applies to commercials, movies, TV shows, etc. Permission to use licensed music in that format appear to be outside the scope of ASCAP so if for instance, Coca-Cola wants to use a Neil Young song for a commercial, they will need to negotiate with Neil Young. But if a radio station or a convention hall wants to play a Neil Young song, all they have to do is pay ASCAP their fees.
When they say you can no longer play the song, they have that right!
Gretchen looks a hell of a lot better than the Wilsons too.
Why? They can break contracts with record companies and royalty agreements whenever the wish on a pure whim?
GREAT idea.
Did Ann and Nancy write or help write the song?
Of course she gets royalty checks, too. Let's see, 3 hours times 600 radio stations times 5 days in a week = 9000 plays a week, since I do believe that they credit for each radio station individually.
Or you can alienate half of your fan base. Not a wise thing to do, but your call. If you feel soiled by the extra royalty money you can always donate it to some charity of your choice. And making a statement to that effect will give you cover with the left-wing wacko community.
Time to call up Nugent and get cat scratch fever on the playlist for the straight talk express.
Ann, try to cut back on the little chocolate-covered donuts.
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