Liberal musicians to GOP: Hands off our songs!
Get ready for many,听many encores. Another presidential campaign season approaches, and that means the inevitable music wars will follow faster than you can say New Hampshire.听
In January, the Dropkick Murphys went after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate, for using their song 鈥淚鈥檓 Shipping Up to Boston鈥� as his introduction before a speech in, yes, Iowa. The band sent Governor Walker a Twitter message that began: 鈥減lease stop using our music in any way 鈥� !!!鈥�
Singers and bands in pop, rock, and hip-hop have become increasingly vigilant about their music being used to tacitly endorse candidates. Irving Berlin backed President Eisenhower with a theme song in the 1950s but, starting with Bruce Springsteen denouncing the Reagan campaign for appropriating 鈥淏orn in the USA,鈥� the political-pop spats have become increasingly common.
In fact, you could fill a jukebox with the songs bands and singers have sought, and, in some cases, sued to keep out of campaigns. Sometimes, the issue is pure politics, as with the labor-friendly Dropkick Murphys and union-buster Walker. In many cases, permission and licensing weren鈥檛 obtained. The issue is so common that the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers dedicates part of its website to song usage.
Many pop stars lean left, making the GOP鈥檚 potential soundtrack smaller. There are exceptions, such as Kid Rock granting Mitt Romney free use of his hit 鈥淏orn Free鈥� in 2012.
Jason Johnson, author of 鈥淧olitical Consultants and Campaigns,鈥� believes the riff rifts emanate as much from artists hoping to remain apolitical, or true to their audience, as they do ideology.
鈥淎nything contemporary a politician can glom onto, they鈥檙e going to,鈥� Mr. Johnson says. 鈥淭he difference is ... how organic the relationship is. That鈥檚 where we get to why people are saying no. No one has any doubt that Barack Obama probably does listen to Jay Z.... Would people have believed ... George Bush was listening to Kanye [West]? No.鈥澨�
