For the third time, McCain’s campaign uses music without permission

From Prefixmag.com, 10/8/08

The Republican Party has courted plenty of trouble with its appropriation of popular songs during the presidential election campaign.

Heart’s Nancy Wilson memorably said she felt “completely fucked over” by Sarah Palin’s use of the band’s “Barracuda,” while Van Halen asked John McCain to stop using their Sammy Hagar-era song “Right Now.”

Now Foo Fighters have stepped into the breach, issuing a statement denouncing McCain’s use of “My Hero” during his campaign. Here’s the official statement from the band:

"This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist. It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song--and start asking artists' permission in general!"