Campaign Jukebox 2008 Update

Some sour notes emerging over use of music on the campaign trail: mathematically challenged Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, still in the hunt for the Republican nomination, has come under fire from Tom Scholz, the songwriter-guitarist-founder of the rock group Boston, for using the 70’s classic “More Than a Feeling” at some Huckabee campaign events.

The Associated Press reported Friday that Scholz, in a letter to Huckabee, complains that the song is being used without his permission. A former member of Boston, Barry Goudreau, has appeared with Huckabee at campaign events, and they have performed the it song with Huckabee’s group, Capitol Offense, the AP reported.

“Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and with all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for,” Scholz wrote in the letter. "By using my song, and my band’s name Boston, you have taken something of mine and used it to promote ideas to which I am opposed. In other words, I think I’ve been ripped off, dude!”

Adding insult to injury, Scholz apparently backs Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Meanwhile, AP notes that the campaign of Republican frontrunner John McCain has been approached by reps for singer-songwriter John Mellencamp and requested to stop using the songs “Pink Houses” and “Our Country” for his campaign rallies. The “Our Country” song has lately been serving as the advertising anthem for vehicles in General Motors’ Chevrolet division.

McCain’s music department seems to be a little rudderless right now: Last week the Chuck Berry classic “Johnny B. Goode” was heard at at least one campaign event, despite earlier announced plans to drop it from the McCain playlist.

Note to the McCain brain trust: Now might be a good time to ask one of the candidate’s daughters, Meghan, what music is stashed away in her iPod. She’s already blogging about the campaign. “Back in my past life, I wanted to be a music journalist,” she said on McCainBloggette.

How about it, John? Nothing like a little Mars Volta to shake things up.
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Image credit: Rtr10, released to pubic domain

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