Friday, September 5, 2008

Sarah Barracuda Can't Use "Barracuda"

Yep, the use of Heart's pop classic "Barracuda" the other night at the RNC did not amuse Ann and Nancy Wilson. No permission was sought or granted for use of the song. Heck, even Olive Garden knows that you have to get permission and pay royalties to use a copywrited song like "Happy Birthday" in a public place which is why they have their own little birthday ditty.

From their statement: "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...It was written in the late '70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women...There's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

Sort of like when Ronald Reagan didn't quite get the meaning of the song "Born in the U.S.A." and wanted to use it in his campaign.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what!

OrbsCorbs said...

For some reason, all these years, I thought Heart was originally a Canadian band.

?

drewzepmeister said...

Heart is from Seattle,WA. I think they recorded their first album in Vancover,BC. Perhaps their Canadian connection.

Anonymous said...

Permission is not necessary. The venue pays dues to ASCAP which gives them the rights to play any number of songs licensed for public performance. I wouldn't be surprised if the campaigns themselves paid ASCAP dues so they can play songs in public wherever they go.

At any rate, here is the story from MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26564287/