Exclusive: Heart's Nancy Wilson responds to McCain campaign's use of 'Barracuda' at Republican convention
Sep 5, 2008, 01:44 AM | by Whitney Pastorek
Thursday afternoon, Heart e-mailed out a statement regarding vice-presidential candidate Sarah "Barracuda" Palin's use of their similarly monikered song at the Republican National Convention: "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission," it read. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."
But after McCain finished his speech accepting the GOP's presidential nomination tonight, Palin joined him on stage, and the song was used again: Heart's "Barracuda" played as balloons fell. With that elephant in the room, Heart's Nancy Wilson felt compelled to personally respond. "I think it's completely unfair to be so misrepresented," she said in a phone call to EW.com after the speech. "I feel completely f---ed over."
She and sister Ann Wilson then e-mailed the following exclusive 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. 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."
HAH! You tell 'em, Ann and Nancy!
I find it absolutely amazing that they had the balls to use the song after being specifically asked not to by the artists themselves. Apparently they chose to loosely interpret the phrase "artistic license" and wield their own faulty definition of it, as in, "I don't care if you're the artist and don't want us to use the song, I have license to do so." Would that be a God-given license?
Lyrics first, then video.
Barracuda
So this ain't the end - I saw you again today
I had to turn my heart away
Smiled like the sun - kisses for everyone
And tales - it never fails!
You lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down on my knees
Now wouldn't you, Barracuda?
Back over time we were all trying for free
Met up with porpoise and me
No right no wrong you're selling a song - a name
Whisper game
If the real thing don't do the trick
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn it to the wick
Aren't you, Barracuda?
"Sell me sell you" the porpoise said
Dive down deep now save my head
You... I think you got the blues too.
All that night and all the next
Swam without looking back
Made for the western pools -silly fools
If the real thing don't do the trick - No!
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn it to the wick
Barra-Barracuda
15 comments:
Shame on them for using the song. Shame. Val xox
Woohoo, that's my girls!! I saw Heart in concert 3 times ~ they are awesome. I loved their email..rock on ladies!
Lisa
... for whatever reason ... this particular campaign is really resembling Stephen King's book, 'The Stand' for me ... and it give me the same kind of willies ...
... things like this, the arrogance and the flaunting of someone's wishes ... is another sign that ... I won't say it ... just hope thing work out for the best ...
Mark and I were in williamsburge last night, so we didn't hear the speech. The wishes of Heart should have been honoured.
Laini
If the Republicans did their homework, they would realize the anagram of Sarah Palin is "Las Pirhanha" (The "s' is extra). Surely they can find some hot salsa tune with that title.
Unfortunate they could not refrain from using the song. There seems to be a lot af arrogance going around right now.
I hope they sue the shit out of the RNC! God that makes me so damn mad!
Connie
VEEERRRY interesting!
Love Heart, love Barracuda. I can't believe they used that after they were asked not to use it again.
Lori
and to think they want to run the country...... hmmmmmmmm........ their rules and interpretation only I guess...
That's ridiculous!!! I like the song though.
Hollie
Sarah and John make their own rules? If i were Nancy and Ann, i'd sue. WTH. Love your entry. Those two need to play by the rules.
XOXO
I think it is incredibly arrogant for an artist to censor who may or may not use their work based on the fact that they don't agree with a person's politcs.
What's their rationale? That somehow they will be 'associated' with the politician? Please. What they're really saying is that only people who think/dress/act/vote like them are of value and that everyone else can go to hell - but please, buy their record first.
Folks make fun of the right's obsessive paranoia about Hollywood, LA, and the Mainstream Media, but time and again items come up that prove they have a point. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you.
Have a good one.
Dan
They might not have ever actually recieved the message to not use it.
I don't thinks its really meant to mean what Heart originally meant it to mean (did that come out right!)
And it's certainly alot of exposure of a song that's not getting any in this day and age.
But that's just my opinion !
Ellen
I agree that Heart has a beef. It's just wrong to use someone's song for political reasons. As usual, the GOP would rather ask for forgiveness instead of request permission because it plants the idea that the song fits. Maybe I am wring but I don't recall an artist ever demanding that a Democrat stop using a particular song.
That being said, I was disappointed in Heart when I heard "Barracuda" used in ads recently for the Honda Odyssey. I realize artists are free to use their property as they see fit, but I feel it makes them hypocritical to complain about the song being used a certain way. I mean, I doubt that when they wrote the song back in the 70s that they had mini-vans in mind right?
Beth, you know that I have no love for McCain or Plain, but there is no automatic legal prohibition against the performance of any particular song at an event, it all depends on whether or not the venue or the group hosting the event has applied for and received the proper license. The license for performance of copyrighted works of music is issued by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). For musicians, the whole idea is to have their music receive public exposure, so the ASCAP was created by the music industry to provide a method for ensuring the legal use of copyrighted music in a public setting. As much as I love Heart and don't care for Palin' politics, Heart's copyright doesn't protect their music from being performed publicly. If the venue where the RNC or the RNC itself sought and received license from ASCAP, then they had every legal right to use the song. Some peformers, when handing over licensing rights to ASCAP, include a prohibition from their music being licensed to any political group. I read an article that Neil Diamond was such a performer, which explains why you never hear his music at any political raly. To use a song in a radio or televeision commercial, additonal licensing must be secured, and ASCAP can always say no. However, if Hear wants to control licensing of their music, the Wilson sisters neeed to renegotiate their licensing arrangement with ASCAP. Even though I don't care for the McCain/Palin camp, I seriously doubt that they neglected to get licensing from ASCAP to use the song. Of course, the Wilson sisters are exercising their 1st amendment rights by publicly stating that they don't want their music to be used by the McCain/Palin campaign, but unless the Republicans neglected to secure licensing (they say that the did get licensing from ASCAP) then there was no infringement of copyright law and no legal violations of any sort. Sorry, but every now and then, I do put on my lawyer cap.--Sheria
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