Mellencamp to McCain: Stop Playing My Music

[marmar]

from AlterNet's PEEK:



Mellencamp to McCain: Stop Playing My Music

Posted by Steven Reynolds, The All Spin Zone at 4:35 AM on February 5, 2008.

The songs are critical and ironic concerning Republican ideals. Shades of Reagan and Springsteen, eh?




McCain is using two John Mellencamp songs at his rallies, "Our Country" and "Pink Houses." Mellencamp has asked McCain to stop, having never given permission. In other words, they violated Mellencamp's intellectual property. More stupid, the songs are critical and ironic concerning Republican ideals. Shades of Reagan and Springsteen, eh?

Ronald Reagan is realtively infamous for having to be called by a rock star to cease and desist. Reagan's people (supposedly spurred on by a clueless George Will) used Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" as a campaign theme song in 1984 until Springsteen's people asked them to stop. I'm not sure any of Reagan's people understood the ironies of the use of that song, which is about the sourness the Vietnam adventure left in the soul of the working man of America. Yeah, it talks about how working stiffs got screwed by folks like Reagan, who supported that role.

Heck, even John McCain is featuring Reagan's support of the war in Vietnam in his ads. He's also using theme music, and he's also had the artist who recorded the music call and ask him to stop. McCain is using John Mellencamp's "Our Country" and "Pink Houses," also without permission. As it is noted in the Rolling Stone, if only they'd listened to the lyrics, they'd not have made this mistake.

Come on, the Radical Religious Right-wing Christian Clerics are not going to go for lyrics focused on keeping science in the classroom and helping out the poor! From Cowboylyrics.com:


There's room enough here
For science to live
And there's room enough here
For religion to forgive
And try to understand
All the people of this land
This is our country


From the east coast
To the west coast
Down the Dixie Highway
Back home


This is our country


That poverty could be
Just another ugly thing
And bigotry would be
Seen only as obscene
And the ones that run this land
Help the poor and common man
This is our country ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/75988/

[tanyev]

1. What? They can't find any decent music by right wing country or Christian artists?

Not surprised, really.

[Earth_First]

2. There's plenty of bigotry in these lyrics...

Remember these kooks?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_Blue_(American_duo)

[tanyev]

10. Ah, yes, the white supremacist version of the Olsen twins.

I predict some emotional meltdowns in their future, if they haven't already done so.

[Connonym]

3. Mellencamp was campaigning for Edwards

His music might seem bubble gum on the surface but his lyrics sure as hell aren't. He's a good solid liberal. McCain is such a dumb ass.

[Kajsa]

21. 'This is Our Country' was the theme song

for Edward's campaign.

McCain stole it- big surprise!
:sarcasm:

[tularetom]

4. Maybe he should let them keep playing his songs

The more people listen to the words the less likely they will be to vote for McCain or any repub.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. There must be something genetic in Republicans to totally ignore lyrics in songs.

Sean Hannity's theme song is "Independence Day" which not about "letting freedom ring" but rather about domestic violence.

I honestly wonder what idiot decided "Born in the USA" was going to be the official campaign song for Ronald Reagan. And I wonder if any of the hundreds of morans who attended Reagan rallies and heard the song playing ever actually thought about the lyrics.

(Unless they just played the refrain in a loop, of course. I don't know.)

[Earth_First]

7. (Unless they just played the refrain in a loop, of course. I don't know.)

Yatzee!

[underpants]

8. LOL Hannity

Apparently *(from back when I listened to his show) Martina McBride is a big fan of the show. There was a period in which Bruce Hornsby, this is from Hannity mind you, asked Hannity to stop using his "The Way it is" as a bumper but last I heard Hannity was using it again. I know it is easy to point out that THAT song is about bigotry and discrimination and the Republicans (conservatives) blatantly horrific record in that regard, so I won't.

[underpants]

6. They don't "get" irony

I don't know why but they don't. Satire as well flies right by them. Seriously I have seen 5 people laugh at something and two Republicans/Conservatives just stood there stone faced, it wasn't that they didn't think it was funny they didn't realize that a joke had been told.

It is a great tester if you are talking to someone and think they may be, you know, one of THEM

:rofl:

I think The Isley Brothers also asked Bob Dole to stop with "I'm a Dole Man" in 1996.

The Reagan thing is just so stereotypical of how clueless they are. So completely out of touch. George Will had a hand in that? I did not know that but I am not surprised.

[MissDeeds]

9. McCain is a doofus

"This is Our Country" was John Edwards' campaign song for this election.

In the last election, his campaign song was another by Mellencamp, "I Was Born in a Small Town".

[Zorra]

11. McCain should use music from one of the few republican artists - "Billion Dollar Babies"

by Alice Cooper would, like be an appropriate tune to represent a republican legislator.

[Tyler Durden]

16. Or "Cold Ethyl."

Just to be naughty.

[Howardx]

20. "elected"

3. Elected

I'm your top prime cut of meat, I'm your choice
I wanna be elected
I'm your yankee doodle dandy in a gold Rolls Royce
I wanna be elected
Kids want a savior, don't need a fake
I wanna be elected
We're gonna rock to the rules that I make
I wanna be elected, elected, elected
I never lied to you, I've always been cool
I wanna be elected
I gotta get the vote, and I told you about school
I wanna be elected, elected, elected
Hallelujah, I wanna be elected
Everyone in the United States of America
We're gonna win this one, take the country by storm
We're gonna be elected
You and me together, young and strong
We're gonna be elected, elected, elected
Respected, selected, call collected
I wanna be elected, elected

[EnviroBat]

12. Why couldn't they use "I'm a Ford truck man...' by Koby Teeth.

They really should be using a real American dumb ass like him instead..

[Happyhippychick]

13. I'm sure Ted Nugent would be happy to make a theme song for him.

[tanyev]

14. How about "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"

"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," lyrics by Yip Harburg, music by Jay Gorney (1931)

They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob,
When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead,
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?

Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!

Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!

Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

[shain from kane]

15. Here's one for McCain ---

Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam (Iraq)
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam (Iraq);
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.
------------------------
Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong (al-Queada).

--------------------
Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam (Iraq).
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

[blondeatlast]

17. Trust me, RRRepublican music fans are that colossally stupid.

"Good beat, I can shuffle to it, I'll use it as my theme song!" Friggin' idjits--and remember, Imus hit the national waves with a cheap-ass, pandering top-40 syndicated show.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[robcon]

18. Mellencamp sang 'em - he can't control who uses them.

n/t

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

19. In 2004 Shrub used Orleans "Still The One" without permission and was asked to stop. John Hall of

Orleans, who co-wrote the song is now my Democratic Congressman.

Hall is on Rove's Congressional hit list that was revealed during Doan's House Oversight Committee Hearing.

[FloridaJudy]

26. Gee, was "Fortunate Son" already taken?

Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Fortunate Son"
(written about 1969 - freaking prescient! FJ)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBfjU3_XOaA

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays hail to the chief,
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord!

It ain't me, it ain't me - I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me - I ain't no fortunate one, no,

Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the tax man comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,

It ain't me, it ain't me - I ain't no millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me - I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord!
And when you ask them, how much should we give?
Ooh, they only answer more! more! more! yeah.

It ain't me, it ain't me - I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me - I ain't no fortunate one, one.

It ain't me, it ain't me - I ain't no fortunate one, no no no.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no.

:evilgrin:

[Irishonly]

22. Do they even listen to the words?

Good for John Hall telling that awful man to stop. I didn't realize he was on Rove's hit list.

I am related (sigh) to a few neocons that used to think Colbert was a conservative and they are not dumb. I think they don't catch satire. They also listen to mostly broadway show music. I don't think they understand lyrics of rock songs.

[Ian David]

23. I hear Ron Paul has been using The Theme from M*A*S*H as his theme song.

No, not really.

But that would be funny.

Suicide Is Painless
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Suicide Is Painless" is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Mike Altman (lyrics), which is best known for being featured as the theme song for both the movie and TV series M*A*S*H.

Mike Altman is the son of the original film's director, Robert Altman, and was 14 years old when he composed the song's lyrics. On an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1980s, Robert Altman said that his son earned more than a million dollars for co-writing the song while he only made $70,000 for directing the movie. In addition to being sung by Johnny Mandel over the film's opening credits, the movie also features a scene that begins when Walter Koskiusko Waldowski, a dentist nicknamed “Painless Pole”, declares his intention to commit suicide, and the song is sung by Ken Prymus (playing Sergeant Seidman) during the suicide scene. Several instrumental versions of the song were used as the theme for the TV series (in which “Painless Pole” was mentioned, but never appeared).

First released in 1970, it belatedly became a number one hit in the UK in 1980 after being championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmonds. The refrain is well-known:

'Cause suicide is painless,
It brings on many changes,
And I can take or leave it if I please

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_Is_Painless

[Cant trust em]

24. after last year's NCAA tournament, I'm starting to hate that song

It was the theme used for some Chevy commercial and every time I watched a basketball game it was on.

[CreekDog]

25. He needs to play music by Republicans

like Britney, "Oops I did it again".

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. Here's hoping for a long and protracted lawsuit.

[blondeatlast]

28. With lots of breathless publicity!

:rofl:

[epw4edwards08]

29. Here's a lyric for ya, can tan Charlie Christ sing?

When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin' down :nuke:

Missing you John!!