She’s a good girl. Crazy about Elvis (and, equally, Johnny Cash). Loves Jesus. And America, too. So why does Tom Petty want her to stop draggin’ his song around?
It may not matter. His cease-and-desist letter can simply be ignored. Because Tom Petty won’t sue.
We know this because the Red Hot Chil Peppers song “Dani California” sounds nearly identical to Petty’s “Into The Great Wide Open.” And yet, Petty graciously told Rolling Stone: “I don’t believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs.”
Case settled. If Petty wouldn’t sue a rich competitor for ripping off his song, he surely won’t sue Michele Bachmann for simply playing (and promoting) his song, “American Girl.” Right?
… Okay, so he probably would. But who needs him, anyway? It was a weird song choice.
As some on the left have already noted, “American Girl” was prominently featured in the movie “Silence of the Lambs” (you know, the movie about the cannibalistic serial killer — who was not from Waterloo, Iowa). There is also the rumor that the song is about a female University of Florida student’s suicide. (This is apparently just an urban legend.)
The bottom line is that the tune has some baggage.
Still, the song does not come anywhere close to being the worst example of a campaign song whose chorus or title belies the message.
You probably think that distinction belongs to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” — which was ironically co-opted by the 1984 Reagan re-election campaign. But I would argue the distinction actually belongs to Martina McBride’s “Independence Day.”
Most people who only know the chorus, “let freedom ring,” probably assume this is simply a patriotic ditty. But listen to the lyrics. As far as I can tell, it’s about an abused wife who torches her house with her husband in it. Maybe I’m wrong, but this seems like a weird message to convey at a political campaign rally.
Comparatively “American Girl” wasn’t such a bad choice. At least she didn’t pick Guns-N-Roses‘ “My Michelle.” Have you listened to those lyrics lately?