It seems that both the Democrats and the Republicans in this important election year just cannot catch a break with popular song use. Time after time, either a politician has been ridiculed for not taking the entire content of the lyrics of a song into consideration or they have been told to quit using a song by the artist or band.
Today, I read that Heart is angry that their ‘70s hit “Barracuda” is being used as an unofficial theme song for current Alaska governor and hopeful vice president of the United States, Sarah Palin. I read in this week’s People magazine that Sarah earned the nickname “Sarah Barracuda” when playing basketball in high school, so I guess it just seemed like a natural political song choice for her.
However, Heart sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are not happy about its use. The song was written by the entire band, but it was the sisters that sent the dreaded “cease and desist” letter to the Republicans. In a statement issued by the sisters, they said “The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission.” Ouch, I guess that pretty much tells us where Ann and Nancy stand on the political front!
After further online research, I found that the sisters sent this exclusive email to Entertainment Weekly – “Sarah Palin’s views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song ‘Barracuda’ no longer be used to promote her image. The song ‘Barracuda’ was written in the late ’70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The ‘barracuda’ represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there’s irony in Republican strategists’ choice to make use of it there.”
No word so far from the Republicans, but it may appear that it doesn’t matter what Ann and Nancy’s wishes are. The song is licensed for public performance and it appears that the Republicans paid the blanket fee to the ASCAP, which collects royalties for artists for the use of their song.
At least one member of Heart was “thrilled” to hear the song at the Republican National Convention – former guitarist and song co-writer Roger Fisher.