Angela Merkel, Rock Star Campino: Apology Revealed By Rocker In New Book

Angela Merkel sent rock star Campino an apology after she used one of the songs by his band at a victory party for her campaign. Campino, from the German rock band Die Toten Hosen, revealed in his new autobiography, Die Toten Hosen. Am Anfang war der Lärm (At the Beginning of the Noise ), that Merkel called him back in 2013. BBC News reported on the new revelation in advance of the book’s release. The book will hit store shelves in Germany on Friday.

Campino revealed that he was surprised by Angela Merkel’s call in his new book. The rocker had asked that none of his band’s songs be used for political campaigns. However, the song “Tage wie diese” was used during the celebration party held for Merkel’s re-election in 2013. The song’s title is translated to “Days Like These” in English.

Merkel’s staff did know that the song was not allowed for use during political campaigns, but Campino did not include victory celebrations in his request. The event aired live on German national television, and the song’s usage at the event angered fans of the group. Those fans went to Facebook and Twitter to express their outrage over Merkel’s usage.

This prompted Merkel to call and formally apologize to the group’s frontman. Her call went out four days after the party. Merkel apologized for using the song, and she made sure he knew that the song would not be used as the anthem for the Christian Democratic Union. Merkel went on to tell him that it was “a beautiful song that he’d written.”

Campino shared his reaction over the call in his book, according to The Spread It.

“It was a mixture of surprise and horror. Horror that she didn’t have anything else to do except call me. But also touched that she explained all that in such a relaxed and humorous way.”

It is not uncommon for musical artists to request their songs not be used for political events. Several American musical artists have asked political campaigns to not use their songs. During the McCain-Palin campaign, several groups asked that their songs not be used by the campaign at their events. These artists include Heart, Foo Fighters, Jackson Browne, Bon Jovi, and Van Halen, according to FutureofMusic.org.

News of Angela Merkel’s apology to Campino is causing a bit of a stir on social media once again. Her action surprised more than just the German rocker. According to the Inquisitr , Hillary Clinton called Merkel the “greatest leader in Europe” at an event held over the summer.

What do you think of Merkel’s apology to Campino? Are you surprised she reached out to the singer after using his band song’s in error?