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 ...
Hello - "These Dreams?" "Never?" "What about Love?"
I guess we agree to disagree on this. I grew up in the 80s so I got a soft spot for 80s power ballads.
I know. I was pointing out that Rush (or any other for profit venture) will be charged a lot more for the continued use of a song than others would for a single use at a non-commercial event.
Who? Heart?
Never heard of them.
I installed a Heart/Barracuda ringtone on my cell phone 6 days ago. It now rings when I get a call from one of my liberal relatives. They don’t know about this yet.
I hate 80s power ballads, they ruined many a great band. Case in point, Cheap Trick. 'Live at Budokan' was great. "The Flame" blew, the band didn't even want to record it in the first place.
I think they should play something from Patton for the both of them. That tune with the trumpets, often used in NFL Films productions.
Your versions doesn’t sound completely right to me, so I did some research. This happened many years after Rush had been using the song for years and years. According to Wikipedia, Crissy Hynde donates the fees to PETA that she receives from Rush (Rush does NOT write the checks to PETA). Being a 20 year listener to Rush, I remember the incident very well. Rush discussed the issue many times on his show at the time, and asked for listener input on whether to keep that song as his theme song, or go to a different song. The listeners overwhelmingly preferred the Pretender song, so Rush’s lawyers made the deal with Hynde’s lawyers.
Here is the relevant quote from Wikipedia:
“When a landmark copyright case was decided in the 1990s, musical artists gained control over their works when performed thematically. Briefly in 1999, Limbaugh was forced to suspend playing the song while negotiating with the attorneys of the song’s writer, Crissie Hynde. She decided to allow Limbaugh to use it, with Limbaugh paying her approximately $500,000/year which she donates to the animal rights organization PETA. Hynde explained that she doesn’t agree with Limbaugh but her parents are big fans.”
At least he’s not asking for the song not to be played. And who knows if he’s just saying he’s an obama supporter, for cover. God knows just about everybody in the music business is out of their minds.
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