Palin-McCain should have used Heart’s ‘These Dreams’ instead of ‘Barracuda’

Sell me sell you the porpoise said
Dive down deep down to save my head
You…i think you got the blues too. - Heart, “Barracuda”

Heart - Barracuda

First off, Sarah Palin is known from her high school basketball days as “Sarah Barracuda”. The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Barracudas possess strong, fang-like teeth. It would follow that the campaign use Heart’s famous song about the fish, right?

Of course, Heart isn’t so happy about the decision for McCain-Palin to use the 1977 “Barracuda” at the recent Republican National Convention. It wasn’t legal. The Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune writes:

John McCain’s campaign has suffered a Heart attack — of the legal variety.

TMZ.com is reporting that Ann and Nancy Wilson are upset that their 1977 rock hit “Barracuda” was used without their permission in the Xcel Energy Center at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

The Heart duo has “fired off a cease and desist letter” to the McCain/Palin campaign, the gossip website is reporting this morning.

Specifically, TMZ.com says, Heart is upset that the GOP is using “Barracuda” as a theme song for veep candidate Sarah Palin. Her “Sarah Barracuda” nickname dates back to her high school basketball days as praise for her intensity on the court.

TMZ.com says it obtained a statement from Heart’s rep, who says, “The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission.”

The statement goes on: “We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored.”

However, the killer is in the song meaning. I doubt the McCain-Palin ticket realized this before choosing it as the Palin theme song. From songfacts.com:

Ann Wilson revealed in interviews that the song was about Heart’s anger towards Mushroom Records attempted publicity stunt involving sisters Ann and Nancy and a made up lesbian affair. The song focuses on Ann’s rage towards a fan who came up to her after a concert asking how her “lover” was. She initially thought he was talking about her then boyfriend band member Michael Fisher. After he revealed he was talking about her sister Nancy Wilson, Ann became angry and went back to her hotel room to write the song.

Gwen Stefani vs. Heart - Hollaback Barracuda

A much better choice would be the classic love ballad “These Dreams”. One applicable line of powerful lyrics:

…I walk without a cut through a stained-glass wall…

So good. But “These Dreams”, too, would cause a ruckus due to the subconscious promotion of love-making. Bristol knows what I’m talkin’ bout. Oh, soft rock…

Heart - These Dreams
http://tkbb.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/palin-mccain-should-have-used-hearts-these-dreams-instead-of-barracuda/

Audio for all these songs at link