So how is it that whenever politicians pick a recent piece of popular recorded music to use as a theme song for their campaigns, they almost invariably pick a record by someone who is against their candidacy? Donald Trump used Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" as his entrance and exit music for yesterday's announcement and, of course, today we have Neil Young saying nobody got his permission and he's supporting Bernie Sanders.
Is it my imagination or does this happen all the time with every politician? Newt Gingrich used "Eye of the Tiger" in his hapless campaign without getting any sort of clearance and okay from its composer or the artists who performed the record. Michele Bachmann, back when she thought she might get more than eleven votes for president, was using "American Girl" by Tom Petty against the wishes of Mr. Petty. Petty also objected when George W. Bush used his "I Won't Back Down." I seem to recall Sarah Palin doing this several times and I'm sure there must be Democratic candidates who did the same thing.
The folks at ASCAP, the composers' society, have put together a FAQ about the use of such music. Here it is in a PDF file. It took me five seconds to find this online. Does no one running a political campaign ever bother to check to see if they need permission? Or do they just not care if they violate a musician's rights?