Californian band Silversun Pickups have issued a cease-and-desist order to Mitt Romney, US Republican presidential candidate.
Romney has been using the track Panic Switch in his campaign, a surprising choice for official rallies given its ‘90s guitar-heavy sound and lyrics like “i'll try to hold on tight tonight/pink slip inviting me inside,” and “i'm waiting and fading and floating away.”
Vocalist/guitarist Brian Aubert said in a statement:
“We don’t like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don’t like the Romney campaign. We’re nice, approachable people. We won’t bite. Unless you’re Mitt Romney! We were very close to just letting this go because the irony was too good. While he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign, we doubt that Panic Switch really sends the message he intends.”
Romney’s party, who have also been using Kid Rock’s Born Free(with permission) has replied through the Los Angeles Times, stating the track was “not a song we would have played intentionally.”
“The song was inadvertently played during event set-up before Gov. Romney arrived at the location. As anyone who attends Gov. Romney’s events knows, this is not a song we would have played intentionally. That said, it was covered under the campaign’s regular blanket license, but we will not play it again.”
Silversun Pickups join a long line of artists irked by the misuse of their tracks. Foo Fighters, Tom Petty, Talking Heads and Jackson Browne are just some acts who have spoken up to presidential candidates in previous campaigns.
- Poppy Reid, The Music Network
