Survivor, Kim Davis In A Dispute Over Kentucky Clerk’s Use Of ‘Eye Of The Tiger’
Survivor (the 1980’s rock band) is not at all pleased with Kim Davis (the Kentucky politician) using their 1982 hit “Eye of the Tiger” during her get-out-of-jail rally and has threatened to take legal action, CBS News is reporting.
Survivor guitarist annoyed ‘Eye of the Tiger’ used at rally supporting Kim Davis http://t.co/rsKbso7xNR pic.twitter.com/SV0dq91CRQ
— ChiTribEnt (@ChiTribEnt) September 10, 2015
You may recall that before Survivor was a CBS TV reality TV show about people on a deserted island, Survivor was a 1980’s hard rock band with a string of cheesy hits that included “Burning Heart,” “The Search is Over,” and most famously, the rock anthem “Eye of the Tiger,” which was also the theme song to Rocky III.
Makes you want to stand up and punch all of your problems in the face, doesn’t it? As it turns out, someone involved in Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s campaign thought Survivor’s song was a perfect metaphor for the story of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for contempt of court for refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay couples. At a rally on Tuesday in Grayson, Kentucky, Huckabee and Davis appeared together while the strains of “Eye of the Tiger” blared in the background, arms in the air, triumphant, as Davis was released from jail. There’s just one problem: Suvivor isn’t on board with Kim Davis, Mike Huckabee, or the general idea of denying marriage licenses to gay couples. Survivor lead singer Frankie Sullivan, writing on the band’s official Facebook page, made his thoughts on the matter crystal clear:
“NO! We did not grant Kim Davis any rights to use ‘My Tune -The Eye Of The Tiger.’ I would not grant her the rights to use Charmin! C’mom Mike, you are not The Donald but you can do better than that – See Ya really SoooooooonnnnnnN!!!!!!”
Survivor member Jim Peterik, who co-wrote “Eye of the Tiger,” was similarly not impressed with Kim Davis’ use of the song.
I have not authorized the use of Eye of the Tiger for use by Kim Davis and my publisher will issue a C&D. This does not reflect my views.
— Jim Peterik (@jimpeterik) September 9, 2015
NOTE: “C&D” here stands for “Cease & Desist.”
As it turns out, stories like this, where a musician or band takes exception to a politician using their music, tend to pop up rather frequently, especially during election season. In fact, this is not the first time that Survivor has been involved in a controversy like this. In 2012, according to Rolling Stone, Survivor took exception to Newt Gingrich using “Eye of the Tiger” during his campaign. The two sides settled out of court.
Do you think Survivor is right to be upset with Kim Davis and Mike Huckabee for using their song?
[Image courtesy of: Getty Images/Ty Wright]
