Aerosmith to House GOP: Don't Use Our Song
Poor House Republicans. They were pretty psyched yesterday about that new troops-rallying video from Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) that used Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" to declare that "The House GOP is back" thanks to the party's unanimous opposition to the stimulus.
But unfortunately, Aerosmith wasn't feeling the love. Cantor's clip has been pulled from YouTube after a copyright infringement claim made by Stage Three Music, which owns the rights to "Back in the Saddle."
The GOP's use of the tune "was something we, as the publishers, didn't approve and would not have approved without going to the writers," Connie Ashton, director of copyright and licensing at Stage Three, told me. "Aerosmith did not approve of its use and also wanted to have it taken down," she added.
Ashton added that House Republicans never contacted Stage Three to put in a request for use of "Back in the Saddle." Maybe they assumed it was okay because Joe Perry endorsed McCain last year.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Too funny. I think the republicans should stick to country music to avoid this problem. Every time they go for some classic rock they get hammered. Remember barracuda. Too freaking funny.
February 17, 2009 6:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry to butt in, but this does look funny as a list. Kind of proves Republicans and the Arts don't mix, except on a purely social lip-service level. There's got to be more examples, so, please, add to the list.
Reagan uses "Born in the U.S.A."; Springsteen says "Stop it!"
George H.W. Bush uses "Don't Worry, Be Happy"; McFerrin says "Stop it!" Poppy uses "This Land Is Your Land"; Woody Guthrie shakes an angry fist from Heaven, curses public domain laws. Arlo complains. Irony Meter explodes.
Bob Dole uses "Dole Man," a brilliantly clever reworking of "Soul Man" sung by the only black Republican in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr. Sam Moore, of Sam and Dave; composer Isaac Hayes reportedly "upset." Despite election loss, ED and snow-blinding whiteness, Bob Dole eventually increases size of his soul, cites "better living through chemistry." Libby seeks elected office, further from Watergate apartment home.
Bill Clinton uses "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow"; Fleetwood Mac plays Inaugural.
George W. Bush uses Orleans' "Still The One"; composer/Rep. John Hall, D-NY, says "Stop it!"
McCain uses "Our Country"; Mellencamp says "Stop it!" McCain uses "Running On Empty"; Jackson Browne says "Stop it!", sues. McCain uses "I Won't Back Down"; Petty says "Stop it!" McCain backs down, uses "Take A Chance on Me"; ABBA silent. Rebuilt (Finally!) Irony Meter rattles like a threatened Diamondback.
Sarah Palin uses "Barracuda"; Heart says "Stop it!"
Now, über-dweeb (Seriously. Is there a bigger money-grubbing dweeb than this guy in Congress today?) Rep. Eric Cantor, R-VA, uses "Back in the Saddle"; Aerosmith says "Stop it!" Senator David Vitter, R-LA, applauds choice, loves song subject, disappointed in outcome, cried "Waah!"
Sure, we all recognize the pattern. But we must keep in sight what is truly important: There has been no resurrection -- yet! -- of Lee Greenwood and the suffocating cheese of "I'm Proud To Be An American".
February 18, 2009 1:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
BTW: Chrissie is laughing all the way to the bank.
Rush is the face of the new GOP. Let's hope the song gets out there and understood.
Eh, oh, way to go, Ohio
February 18, 2009 1:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Senator David Vitter, R-LA, applauds choice, loves song subject. . .
And that's when the Diet Pepsi came flying out of my nose. . .
February 18, 2009 9:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
How can you possibly leave out the most misguided GOP rock themesong choice EV-uh? That would be Lamarr Alexander, 1996: "Same As It Ever Was." I mean, "You may find yourself/living in a shotgun shack"??? Great choice there, Lamarr.
February 18, 2009 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. Lamar used "Once In A Lifetime"? Unbelievable. NOT!
February 18, 2009 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lamarr's thing was the plaid shirt and reg'lar murikan valyahs schtick, and I guess he thought "Same As It Ever Was" was just the ticket. Must never have listened to any of the other lyrics. On the other hand, you have to admit that...
"You may say to yourself/My god! what have I done!"
...makes a heckuva fine slogan for the entire GOP.
February 18, 2009 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just don't think Republicans should be allowed to even listen to the Talking Heads.
February 18, 2009 5:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Other fun lines from "Once in a Lifetime"
'Same as it ever was, just look where my had was'
-paging rep David Vitter
'You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"'
-Sarah Palin stump speech
Of course now that banks are failing and the economy is in shambles, the Dems have to put things back together...
'Into the blue again, after the money's gone'
February 18, 2009 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm still surprised that The Fat Man (Limbaugh) gets to use a Pretenders song for his theme music.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5923659/really_randoms_chrissie_hynde_ricky_martin_jimmy_page
"The standoff between CHRISSIE HYNDE and radio right-winger RUSH LIMBAUGH is finally over. Since 1984, Limbaugh had been using the "My City Was Gone," the Pretenders lament about the mall-ification of America, without Hynde's consent. According to Hynde's manager, Limbaugh had not licensed the song for his nationally syndicated radio show, nor had he even asked for permission to use it -- something that didn't seem to bother Hynde all that much until Limbaugh told a pair of reporters in 1997 that "it was icing on the cake that it was [written by] an environmentalist, animal rights wacko and was an anti-conservative song."
February 17, 2009 6:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I noticed that my song inspired by Eric Cantor hasn't been pulled and it uses Living on The Edge also by Aerosmith.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMJXLF4mFlY
Nate Peele
www.thatsrightnate.com
February 17, 2009 6:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fantastic Video!! Nice work!
February 17, 2009 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice!
February 17, 2009 9:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, sometimes you right-wingers are not very smart. They haven't pulled your pathetic little vid because they haven't known about it. Thanks to your post, here, Einstein, they will now know about it. I've already sent a mail to Stage Three Music with a link to your video and a link to this blog. I've also sent a link to your post here to YouTube, who also frown on copyright violation. Consider your video history.
You people just don't get it, do you? You can't steal people's music and use it for your own purposes! It's not yours to take. You fascists keep getting into trouble for this. Rich Tarrant in Vermont. McCain with the Pretenders. Now this. YOU CAN'T STEAL OTHER PEOPLE'S MUSIC!
Idiot.
February 18, 2009 12:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Did you even look at Nate's video??? It is actually very good and really does a wonderful job of putting Cantor and all the Republican's in their place. For you to come down on him like that was totally uncalled for.
You owe him an apology.
February 18, 2009 12:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I sure wish people would quit saying "steal" when they mean "pirate." Copyright violation and theft are two separate things. If I steal your shoes, you don't have your shoes any more. If I pirate your song/movie/software, you still have it.
Note, I am not saying piracy is OK. But it isn't "stealing" and the distinction is important.
(Oh, and also, maybe you should watch the video before you go calling this guy a right-winger. He is attacking Cantor.)
February 18, 2009 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll tell you what. Please look at the video and if you find it offensive then I'll remove it myself.
Youtube has software that matches music to the company that publishes it and sends them notification. I believe that my video is protected under one time parody use laws, but the music publishing company has given me at least temporary rights. However, my video is blocked in some countries and if you notice there is a link to buy the music on ITunes and Amazon that gets inserted in the video too. This definitely isn't stealing and the music publisher has been notified. It is different than saying using the song in a commercial.
If you watch it all the way through and tell me you still are upset by it I'll remove it.
Nate Peele
www.thatsrightnate.com
February 18, 2009 3:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know how the House Republicans figure that a unanimous vote against the stimulus bill puts them "Back in the Saddle" again. They contributed nothing, accomplished nothing, did nothing.
February 17, 2009 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
But . . . . they're "Back in the Saddle." Me thinks 2010 will be interesting at this rate.
February 17, 2009 6:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have to figure they can't possibly be as stupid as they seem to be. At some point they're going to figure out that they are going down the drain if they don't wise up.
February 17, 2009 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
As you can probably surmise, I thought that a couple of weeks ago. Now, I don't. They obviously are really, really stupid and short sighted. Kind of like american industry, what's left of it. I'm guessing if they keep this up, the republican party won't make it past 2010. They will have 20 senators max and about a hundred house members. The american public has finally woken up and they are not taking it any more. Thank God.
By the way, this is a very interesting graph about the economy. I don't necessarily agree with all the alleged glory of the clintons years, but it does speak volumes. Even the republican "rich" portion of the base has to be freaking out at this point. I am still of the opinion that real american wages have not increased since nixon and this graph kind of ratifies that. The definition of "real net income" is obviously an issue as well, but the trend is obviously horrendous regardless of how the definitions are presented.
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/02/clinton-economic-record-and-rising.html
February 17, 2009 7:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
If I understand it right, the definition was set by the Congressional Budget Office, so it shouldn't be a source of major controversy.
In his wonderful book We're Right and They're Wrong James Carville provides similar graphs that are even more striking. Instead of using income he compares the change in total wealth of the various segments over the periods 1950-1980 and 1981-1992. The first one has all quintiles within 15% of doubling their wealth...the richest did the best with something like 110% return, but the poorest were still doing well at like 85% and it was a smooth stairstep between them. Then under Reagan and Bush the top quintile got I think 120% or so (higher return in 12 years than the previous 30!), the second quintile also did well, and the other three all lost wealth. Again the numbers came from the CBO.
I can't remember whether he included a third graph of the Clinton years or whether he just claimed verbally that we were growing together again. I think he wrote the book while Clinton was still in office, so probably the latter. But anyway, put together like that it's startlingly apparent what the effects of supply-side policies really are.
February 18, 2009 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
If they're back in the saddle, they must be riding the horn as the colonoscopy performed by direct inspection found the remnants of a primitive brain and they collectively knew it required removal.
February 17, 2009 7:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans are back in the saddle, on a horse with no name, on a highway to hell.
February 17, 2009 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Confused the heck out of me too!
February 17, 2009 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh come on !!! You gotta give'm credit where it due!
If it weren't for them, we would need this stimulus!
February 18, 2009 8:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
GOP: "Back in the Saddle"
Aerosmith: "Dream On"
February 17, 2009 6:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
To Eric Cantor from the Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KynpC1e9I9E
February 17, 2009 7:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Guess we know who wears the pants in that family....Stephen Tyler.
February 17, 2009 7:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
very, very VERY tight pants
=D
February 17, 2009 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish someone would make an iMix of all the songs the GOP has been asked to stop using.
February 17, 2009 7:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
If we're doing youtube tributes to the demise of the republican party, this one takes the cake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwnqqj5Q1BU
February 17, 2009 7:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
If this stimulus actually works, the repugs are fucking screwed.
February 17, 2009 7:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
And if it doesn't, Obama and the Dems are screwed. As much as many of you like to rag on the republicans (many times deservedly so, I admit), the equation here is very simple. If the stimulus works and the economy turns around, the Dems will pick up still more seats and Obama will win re-election easily no matter who runs against him. If it doesn't, the Repubs will cry "see, we told you so," they'll take back Congress by 2012 (if not in 2010) and Obama will get booted out in 2012 and go down as this generation's Jimmy Carter.
February 17, 2009 8:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I do not know if this is true either. FDR was re-elected in 1936 and the Depression was still going on. The Republicans are attached to the policies of Bush now like they were to Hoover back then. Obama is not Carter and I do not see any Republican on the horizon as being on the scale of Reagan.
February 17, 2009 9:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
While it's true that the economy had not returned to its pre-Depression peak by 1936, it was dramatically better than it was when FDR took over. He came into office with 25% unemployment; it's no surprise that the electorate was thrilled with the 8% they had by '36. The truth is that FDR had much luckier timing than Obama; the trough in both unemployment and GDP actually occurred a couple months before he took office. We still haven't found bottom this time around, and it may take a while.
February 18, 2009 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's actually much worse than that. Even if the stimulus works exactly as intended it could be a political disaster.
Here's the problem: say the stimulus actually creates the 4 million jobs Obama's shooting for. That's 2.6% of the U.S. workforce. But some of the projections for unemployment have it rising by more than that over the next two years. So, if the correct forecast without stimulus turns out to be 11% unemployment by November 2010, a completely successful stimulus will take it down to 8.4%, which is still a half-point or so worse than it is right now. Republicans everywhere would be screaming about how the economy is in worse shape than it was the day the stimulus was signed. And frankly, I don't see the far more complex argument about how much worse things would be without the stimulus playing too well in the soundbite press, or for that matter with the public.
I should note that the Fed's projection is much less dire, and if it's correct we should be OK, with unemployment back down around 6% (with stimulus) by 2010. And of course when Pelosi starts drafting the budget we may find that it has a lot more stimulus-type stuff in it. Reconciliation is an awfully powerful tool. But still, my biggest fear is that we'll have an economically successful stimulus that turns out to be politically radioactive anyway.
Anyway, no matter what I think the midterms are a lot more dangerous than 2012. By then we should be in good shape, barring a total failure of Obama's economic policy. Such a total failure seems highly unlikely given the historical record.
February 18, 2009 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
The whole thing was badly thought out from the start. "Back in the Saddle" is about having sex with a prostitute. One wonders if Eric identified with the john, or the whore. Party of family values, indeed.
February 17, 2009 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe they consulted with vitter, or craig, or any number of other members of the republican caucus in congress. Larry Flynt please help your country and get some video on these bozos. Thank you.
February 17, 2009 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're implying repugs have some innate intelligence with which to differentiate cause, effect and outcome. Get real!
February 18, 2009 8:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have wondered for a long time if there isn't a mole somewhere deep in the levels of the RNC staffers who makes these theme song suggestions counting on Republican politicians not to have a clue what the song is about. Remember Bush, Sr. using "We Are Family" at the GOP national convention in 1992? The convention that featured the fiery culture war speech by Pat Buchanan that Molly Ivins said probably sounded better in the original German? Too funny.
February 18, 2009 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seeing the Cantor video with Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle," which I believe is about illicit sex with a whore, produces the same cognitive dissonance and flinching when I see a commercial featuring a family enjoying their Carnival cruise to "Lust for Life," Iggy Pop's love ode to to joys of mainlining heroin.
Gives me the shivers.
February 17, 2009 8:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
That ranked up there with Target using DEVO's "Beautiful World" for one of their ads a few years ago. Earth to Target's ad agency, the song is satire and railing against everything suburban consumer culture entails.
February 17, 2009 9:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I remember growing up in the 60's and learned listening to music included understanding the lyrics of the songs being played - they were messengers of their days. Seems the lesson has been lost - it's the melody that's important, not the meaning behind the lyrics.
February 18, 2009 8:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's remarkable how these Republicans delude themselves into thinking they're cool. Did Cantor actually think that the band would allow their identity to be poisoned by association with the wingnuts? Joe Perry or no, Aerosmith had to freak out the minute they heard about the Cantor video - I'm surprised it took them this long to get out a cease and desist letter.
February 17, 2009 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cantor is SUCH a loser....Let's see what he has to say about his wife's employer taking over $250 million in bail out money and his Newt-inspired spewing of lies and venom about anything that may help THE COUNTRY that HE didn't think up along the same lines...
Let's see if Cantor glows green or pink when he goes nuclear about the latest Detroit bailout !!
Time to send these children out for recess....
February 17, 2009 8:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I heard the Grateful Dead's "Touch of Grey" lyric, "We will survive" as a commercial cut away on Hannity's radio show the other day. That's Blasphemy baby.
February 17, 2009 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone tell them they look up at the drain.
They be way gone now.
They flushed long ago.
It's the media that has to stop wasting time on that steaming mess.
February 17, 2009 9:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lars,
Lust for Life is not a 'love ode to the joys of mainlining heroin', it is in fact, a song of redemption and holds up dealers and addicts to ridicule. Stop flinching. BTW, if I were in the Republican's position, I'd be betting against tangible results in the next two years and standing up high and shrill in my stirrups too.
February 17, 2009 10:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Love it.
February 17, 2009 10:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why don't the Repugs play it safe and pick a good Toby Keith song or a Billy Ray Cyrus song for their videos?
February 17, 2009 10:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Too small of an audience.
February 18, 2009 8:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Democrats should make a video and steal the Toby Keith song "Who's Your Daddy?"
February 17, 2009 10:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I remember in the mid-90s NJ Republicans used "Born in the USA" for a rally and Bruce Springsteen wrote a letter to the Asbury Park Press saying, "I have never supported the Republican Party," etc. They ran a picture of the letter on the front page.
And as for Hannity, I shot a quick email to Bruce Hornsby's management, (just out of curiosity) to see what the rules were regarding him using the instrumental part of "That's Just The Way It Is" almost every day. (Hey, a guy's gotta get the traffic report.)
He should keep it on for the lyrics, an unambiguous anti-Republican statement if ever there was one. "They passed a law in '64 to give those who ain't got a little more, but it only goes so far."
Meanwhile Hannity spends his entire career trying to roll back that law. Unreal.
Tone-Deaf, you might say.
I got a nice reply saying that they didn't want to give him the publicity. And besides, I think everything's fair game on radio, as long as the station pays its dues to the artist-royalty organizations, ASCAP, BMI, etc.
February 17, 2009 10:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
For the being the party of "business", the republicans sure are dumb when it comes to using music. Didn't ANYBODY think to find out if it was okay to use a famous song without asking the writers and/or licence holders permission? That's basic copyright infringement and these muppets have done it REPEATEDLY!!!!
As mentioned above, the depths of their stupidity used to be astounding but at this point it's just funny to watch them self-destruct.
As for the pathetic logic that unanimous opposition to the stimulus indicates strength, PUHLEASE!!!
February 17, 2009 11:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Re: "fun to watch them self-destruct."
Be careful what you wish for. If they really do totally implode (and I'm starting to be concerned that it's a live possibility) I think you'll find that the years between then and the reestablishment of the two party system won't be a lot of fun. We'll start with single-party rule (read: corruption, backroom deals, voter confusion, policy chaos) and move to several weak parties (read: gridlock, voter confusion, policy chaos). From there it can take a long time to weed out and combine the parties, and when we're done we'll be right back where we started with a left and a right. I'd much rather see the Republicans moderate themselves just enough to hold about 45 Senate seats and 180-200 in the House.
February 18, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
A more fitting song would be "Dazed and confused"!
February 18, 2009 6:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's not just stupidity. It's the deadly combination of arrogance and stupidity.
February 18, 2009 9:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
You know, if they were honest they'd just go paw through a hymnal and find something that fits.
Shouldn't be hard.
February 18, 2009 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
You guys all forgot "Having my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby".
Baby's on taxpayer dole, woowoo! Bible sponsored reproduction for everyone to pay for.
February 18, 2009 11:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wait, isn't that the Sarah and Bristol Palin theme song? Speaking of which, did anyone see the interview with Bristol in which she says that abstinence only education is not realistic? I wonder who pulled Sarah down from the ceiling after she heard those words come out of her daughter's mouth?
February 18, 2009 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've already done a remix that features Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Trails". Look for it on YouTube soon. Hey, if you wanna have some fun, set Cantor's idiocy to a new soundtrack and post it on YouTube. You can grab the download link from the video itself. Then use keepvid.com for the download.
February 18, 2009 12:21 PM | Reply | Permalink