Thou Shalt Not Rock

"Everybody Wang Chung tonight, my friends"

The nomination of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has infused the McCain campaign with some well-timed Christian self-righteousness. Absent from this new holier-than-thou ticket, however, is the adherence to the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Steal." A rather amusing or perhaps disturbing theme in the 2008 campaign has cropped up in recent weeks. On multiple occasions, musicians have objected to the unauthorized use of their music in conjunction with the McCain campaign. Many have demanded that the Senator cease playing their songs or face legal consequences. For example:

Van Halen: While introducing Sarah Palin at an August 29th rally in Ohio, the campaign played "Right Now" without the band's permission. The band responded by saying, “Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given.”

Jackson Browne: On August 14th, the artist filed suit with McCain's campaign and the RNC for the unauthorized use of his iconic hit "Running on Empty." The song was used in a RNC television ad criticizing Barack Obama's energy policy. Browne's objections were based less on intellectual property violations and more on his desire to not be associated with the Republican party or John McCain.

ABBA: In February, the McCain was compelled not to use the Swedish group's 1977 hit "Take a Chance on Me" at campaign rallies due to licensing issues.

Theme from "Rocky": Also in February, the owner of the copyright to the popular theme song informed McCain that "Rocky" was not his to play. McCain continues to use the song at campaign functions.

John Cougar Mellencamp: In February, reps for the artist asked McCain the stop playing “Our Country” and “Pink Houses” at campaign events.

John Hall: The founder of the band Orleans and current New York congressman asked the McCain campaign in June to stop playing his song "Still the One." Hall also had to issue a cease-and-desist order to the RNC and Bush-Cheney in 2004 for the same infringement.

Frankie Valli: McCain attack ads were removed from YouTube after it was determined they used the classics "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" and "My Eyes Adored You" without a copyright.

Heart: Musicians Ann and Nancy Wilson objected to the use of their song "Barracuda" during the Republican National Convention, in reference to a former nickname of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The band's publishers sent a cease-and-desist order to the McCain camp and Nancy Wilson issued the following statement:

Sarah Palin’s views and values in no way represent us as American women. 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. 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.

There are several amusing aspects to all this. First is the idea that the McCain campaign thought they could get away with stealing music. In general, rock musicians are not part of the Republican base, and many (Neil Young, Melissa Ethridge, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Kanye West, The Dixie Chicks, Green Day, Cheryl Crow, Rage Against the Machine, Dave Matthews, Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson and REM, to name a few) have been extremely vocal critics of conservative policies. One could certainly include Browne, Hall, Mellencamp and the Wilson sisters on this list, which really begs the question, "Did they really think they would get away with this?"

Perhaps this was another way for McCain to sharpen his "maverick" credentials: "I'm John McCain, dammit! I'm a maverick, you see, and no one will tell me what songs I can or cannot play." Another theory is that the campaign just doesn't care if they violate copyright laws. Both theories are highly unlikely, however, given the fact that McCain has touted "protecting American intellectual property" on his official campaign website. To be honest, I couldn't tell you why the McCain campaign has shown such blatant disregard for intellectual property. All I can tell you is that at the rate he is currently alienating musicians, future McCain rallies may be a continuous loop of Donnie & Marie masterpieces.

That got me thinking a bit. In the past I have opined about the lack of conservative self-expression when it comes to bumper stickers. What about music? Where are all the conservative anthems? I stumbled upon this list of the "Top 50 Conservative Rock Songs" published by the conservative The National Review. Going through the list, you almost get the feeling this is a joke, written by liberals to underscore the lack of creativity and artistic fervor behind the conservative movement. Apparently, however, the list is meant to be taken seriously. Yet most of the songs listed simply allude to socio-political situations that conservatives have hijacked as their own: law and order ("I Fought the Law and the Law Won"), anti-Communism ("Cult of Personality," “Revolution,” “Right Here, Right Now”) family values (“Stay Together for the Kids,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”) and anti-idealism (“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”). Others are either misinterpreted by the author, obscure to the point of irrelevance or obnoxiously right-wing (“Why Don’t You Get a Job,” “Stand By Your Man,” “Capitalism,” “Get Over It”) And of course the list included songs by such "conservative" artists as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, John Mellencamp, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, David Bowie, and U2.

So this may be an issue to watch in the coming months. Will the McCain campaign:

A) continue to play pirated music at campaign functions and face fines and/or lawsuits

B) scour the earth for music with a conservative message

C) offer to pay for the rights to play these songs and hope the artists acquiesce

or

D) bypass the copyright process and play nothing but public domain John Phillip Sousa marches