Business tycoon Donald Trump has infuriated the rock band REM by playing their hit song It's the End of the World as We Know It at a campaign rally.
The band's lead singer Michael Stipe was outraged when he learned of the controversial White House hopeful's move. In an email to the Daily Beast, he wrote: "Go f*** yourselves, the lot of you – you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men. Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign."
This is not the first time that a rock star has clashed with a politician over music. In fact, there is a rich heritage of such spats.
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Marr vs Cameron[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"84385","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
In 2010, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr demanded that David Cameron stop saying that he was a fan of the Mancunian band. After the Tory leader chose Smith hit This Charming Man on Desert Island Discs, Marr tweeted: "Stop saying that you like the Smiths. No you don't, I forbid you to like it".
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Back in 2008, the rock duo Heart were livid when Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin used their song Barracuda as a campaign theme. "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission," they said.
However, within days Palin had used the song again, prompting an angrier statement. "Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women," the band said. "We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image."
Foo Fighters vs McCain[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"84387","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
During the same electoral bid, Palin's boss John McCain fell foul of the Foo Fighters. He used their song My Hero during his bid for the White House.
Lead singer Dave Grohl was livid. "The saddest thing about this is that My Hero was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential," he reflected.
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In his 1984 campaign, Ronald Reagan wanted to use the Bruce Springsteen song Born In The USA. "America's future," said Reagan, "rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen." Reagan seemed unaware that Springsteen's song was a smouldering protest over the impact of the Vietnam War on American veterans.
