Rock group Heart says "Barracuda" use is fishy

[Whoda Thunk?]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The rock group Heart, angry that its 70's hit "Barracuda" is being used as the unofficial theme song for Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, is biting back 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.

The rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080905/media_nm/heart_palin_dc

[Whoda Thunk?]

I guess they didn't learn from the Jackson Browne incident.

[Richard Tafoya]

Add them to the list.

Here's a recap from the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/05/heart-van-halen-orleans-j_n_124264.html
Here's the No-Thanks-GOP playlist so far:
Van Halen - Right Now (http://www.last.fm/music/Van+Halen/_/Right+Now?autostart)
Van Halen management tells us the band had no idea McCain was planning on using "Right Now" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/29/van-halen-mad-at-mccain-o_n_122464.html) during his big entrance in Ohio telling us, "Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given." Jackson Browne - Running on Empty (http://www.last.fm/music/Jackson+Browne/_/Running+on+Empty?autostart)
If the whole episode strikes a nostalgic tone, (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/14/jackson-browne-sues-mccai_n_118977.html) it's because famous musical artists and Republican presidential candidates have butted heads in the past. Bruce Springsteen publicly complained when Ronald Reagan used "Born in the U.S.A" during his campaign in 1984. Heart - Barracuda (http://www.last.fm/music/Heart/_/Barracuda?autostart)
...the Wilsons condemned the usage (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/05/heart-wants-mccainpalin-t_n_124167.html), adding that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign, according to CNN. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music,'' the group said in a statement. Orleans - Still the One (http://www.last.fm/music/Orleans/_/Still+the+One?autostart)
Proving that campaign vetting should extend beyond vice presidential contenders (or those vetting the potential veeps), McCain sparked the ire of the song's co-writer, the founding member of Orleans and current New York congressman (http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/13/1138458.aspx), John Hall. Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
Warner Music Group (WMG) appears to have demanded that YouTube remove "Obama Love," a montage of press fawning over Sen. Barack Obama that had been posted on Sen. John McCain's official YouTube channel. "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Warner Music Group (http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/7/warner-music-puts-stop-to-mccain-s-hit-obama-love-video)," says a message on YouTube.

[db44]

Hey, what do Republicans care for these people's rights?

I wonder if the GOP at least paid royalties for their use of the songs, or are they just the Napster users of the political world...