Rock group Heart is not happy with John McCain using their iconic song “Barracuda” as the congratulatory theme song for his running mate Sarah Palin.
Heart, the group fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, have sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain/Palin Campaign, informing the Republican team not to use their music, according a statement from the rock group released to Access Hollywood.
“We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored,” Heart said in the statement.
[ Access Style: Sarah Palin’s Political Couture - Play it Now ]
The statement from the group goes on to say that the McCain/Palin campaign did not ask for permission to use “Barracuda,” and they would not have been granted that permission had they asked.
According to Reuters, the song was used as a reference to the nickname Palin had as a high school basketball player – “Sarah Barracuda.”
This is not the first time McCain has been musically vetoed.
[ All Access: Politics - News - John McCain - Music ]
Jackson Browne filed a federal lawsuit in August against McCain and the Republican National Committee for using his 1977 song “Running on Empty” in a television ad in Ohio, according to City News Service.
Browne’s suit claims that McCain has also used ABBA’s “Take a Chance on Me” and John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” during campaign rallies unlawfully.
ABBA and Mellencamp demanded that the McCain camp stop using their songs, according to the suit.
The lawsuit also alleges a Frankie Valli song was used by McCain in commercial.
A McCain spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that the commercial in question was an ad for the Ohio Republican Party and not a McCain ad.
A rep for Browne told the Times, “we have been informed and believe that McCain and his campaign were well aware of the ad” which he said aired in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
In addition to Heart and the artists named in the Jackson Browne suit, rock group Van Halen was not pleased that McCain used their song, “Right Now,” before he announced Palin as his running mate in Dayton, Ohio in August.
“Had they asked, permission would not have been granted,” a rep for Van Halen told MTV News.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
Celebs At The DNC - Check Out the Photos
Republican National Convention 2008: Sarah Palin Speaks - Play it Now
Barack Obama - Check Out the Photos
