Please don't sing my song

"Music can change the world because it can change people."  Bono

In the feeding frenzy for votes, candidates often use music to change people, so they can get elected and change the world. Republicans are famous for misappropriating songs to use in their campaigns. Among the most notable is Ronald Reagan's 1984 misunderstanding of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA". Used in his campaign to stir up patriotic pride, the lyrics tell of the shameful plight of a returning Vietnam veteran. Springsteen asked him to stop. He did.

"Born In The U.S.A."

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "son don't you understand now"
Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a long gone daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A.

There have been plenty of others - I'll let you look them up. But as recently as last week, Neil Young objected to Donald Trump using "Rocking In The Free World". Reading the lyrics, I can't really figure out why he chose it, can you? Anyway, he has promised not to use it any more.

"Rockin' In The Free World"

There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign
on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin'
we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan,
but I am to them
So I try to forget it,
any way I can.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores
and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes
for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

I suspected that this might be a bi-partisan issue, and it took a little searching, but, yes, the dems are equal opportunity offenders. In 2008, then Senator Obama used Sam Moore's soul classic, "Hold On, I'm Coming". In a very polite request, Mr. Moore said that it might be assumed that the use of the song implied his support for the candidate, and, while he wished Senator Obama the best of luck, he did not officially endorse him or anyone, and his vote was private.

Man, that's a great song! Don't you want to listen to that again? Makes me want to go vote!

Hold On, I'm Comin'

Don't you ever feel sad
Lean on me, when the times are bad
When the day comes and you're down
In a river of trouble and about to drown

Just hold on, I'm comin'
Hold on, I'm comin'

I'm on my way, your lover
If you get cold, yeah, I will be your cover
Don't have to worry, 'cause I'm here
No need to suffer, baby, 'cause I'm here

Just hold on, I'm comin'
Hold on, I'm comin'
Hold on, I'm comin'
Hold on, I'm comin'

Reach out to me for satisfaction, yeah
Call my name, yeah, for reaction
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Now, don't you ever be sad
Lean on me, when the times are bad
When the day comes and you're down, baby
In a river of trouble and about to drown

Just hold on, I'm comin'
Hold on, I'm comin'

Just hold on
(Don't you worry)
I'm comin'
(Here we come)

Hold on
(We're about to save you)
I'm comin'
(Yeah)

Just hold on
(Don't you worry)
I'm comin'
(Here I come)

You know, they have speech-writers. Maybe they should just hire song-writers?