The Republicans keep getting in trouble for using rock songs at campaign events.
We've got Jackson Browne complaining about the use of "Running on Empty" by the Ohio Republican Party.
We've got Van Halen objecting to the McCain campaign using "Right Now."
And now Heart is riled up about usage of "Barracuda" at the Republican National Convention in conjunction with Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin; an allusion to her nickname as a High School point guard.
Of course, we should mention the granddaddy of political misappropriation of rock songs when, in 1984, Ronald Regan began using Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" without permission.
This was particularly misguided because the song itself is about the destructive effects of the Vietnam War and the ensuing disaffection of the working class. Not exactly Yankee Doodle Dandy.
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Was it intentional or a happy coincidence that you chose to distinguish "Born in the USA" from "Yankee Doodle Dandy"? "Yankee Doodle", the progenitor of "Yankee Doodle Dandy," happens to share with "Born in the USA" a similar history of misappropriation. Originally intended to be insulting and dismissive by the British, "Yankee Doodle" was eventually adopted as a patriotic song, in much the same manner as "Born in the USA."
Well observed! Oddly, the example of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" wasn't clearly intentional or a happy coincidence. When authoring the post, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" flashed in my mind as a patriotic song. Specifically the section of lyrics from the chorus, "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy, A Yankee Doodle, do or die;"
I then did a little research in order to provide a link. It was only then that it fully dawned on me that "Yankee Doodle" and "The Yankee Doodle Boy" (aka "Yankee Doodle Dandy") were separate, though connected, songs. With the full picture, I was comfortable calling "Yankee Doodle Dandy" a patriotic song.
But I agree the history is interesting; I should have referenced it. Although "Yankee Doodle" is more closely related to the British pre-Revolutionary War tunes, I think it must also sine qua non be considered patriotic, especially in Connecticut where it's the state anthem!
In the case of "Yankee Doodle", at least the appropriators had the sense to change the lyrics! With "Born in the U.S.A.", they just flat out used the same song so we had Regan wandering on-stage to the thunder of "Born down in a dead man's town..."
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