More Music Problems For Candidate Bachmann

Bachmann’s musical woes began Monday when Petty’s “American Girl” played over the P.A. during campaign stops in Iowa. Within 24 hours Petty’s publishers issued a C&D ordering the campaign to stop playing the song without permission.

But on Tuesday during a rally in South Carolina, the campaign played approximately 25 seconds of “American Girl” and then followed it with Katrina & The Waves’ 1985 hit, “Walking On Sunshine.” As you might guess, Katrina heard about it and she wasn’t exactly walking on, well, you know.

Katrina Leskanich posted a message on her website saying she nor The Waves endorsed Bachmann’s use of the song and they have “instructed their lawyers accordingly.”

Leskanich also sent a statement to Rolling Stone expressing her feelings in more detail.

“As the singer of ‘Walking On Sunshine’ I don’t endorse its use by Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign.” Leskanich told Rolling Stone. “I’ve performed ‘Walking On Sunshine’ for so many years in so many different countries that it’s become the one constant in my life and the one thing I can count on to bring happiness to myself and others. The song is used in commercials and movies as a vehicle for a feel good moment or empowerment but if I disagree with the policies, opinions or platforms for its use, I’ve no choice but to try and defend the song and prevent its misuse. Music can be both powerful and moving and sometimes even a little dangerous.”

Maybe candidate Bachmann would be better off selecting a tune by an artist who’s also an outspoken political conservative in his or her own right. We’d love to see a campaign, any campaign, introduce a candidate to the strains of Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever.”

Click here for the complete Rolling Stone article.