Songs of the Free

Using a popular song in a political campaign can be as much of a mine-field for the artist as for the candidate. Along with the potential impact on their public images, the variety of potential complications for both parties includes the likelihood of lawyers getting involved. Reading an article on this topic in today's Washington Post, I've determined that Guess Who/Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist Randy Bachman has the best attitude about it overall. When asked allowing his song American Woman to be used by Michelle Bachmann's presidential campaign (as a potential replacement for Tom Petty's American Girl), his manager explained that Randy Bachman routinely declines requests from political campaigns to use his songs. However, they conceded that, if Michelle Bachmann got a running mate whose last name was Turner, the artist "would really consider it."