Among the many traditions for presidential candidates: Kissing babies and getting kiss-offs from rock musicians.
Just one day after the official start of her campaign for the White House, Rep. Michele Bachmann already faced the latter. Rock Hall of Famer Tom Petty sent the Minnesota congresswoman a cease-and-desist order after she used his 1977 classic "American Girl" as background music at her campaign kickoff Monday in Waterloo, Iowa.
This is not a first for Petty, who is relatively apolitical. He sent George W. Bush's team an order in 2000 when the future president used "I Won't Back Down" at campaign stops -- but he allowed Hillary Clinton to play "American Girl" at campaign rallies in 2008.
Music publishing laws allow recording artists to deny use of a song if the appropriate license was not obtained or if it's used with video footage. Jackson Browne sued Sen. John McCain for using "Running on Empty" in a 2008 commercial.
The first high-profile case was in 1984, when Bruce Springsteen denounced Ronald Reagan's use of "Born in the USA." As with that song -- aimed at America's mistreatment of Vietnam vets -- "American Girl" might not make good campaign material. The "girl" in the song is hung up on a man, and she appears to be contemplating suicide. It ends with these lyrics:
And for one desperate moment, there he crept back into her memory. God it's painful when something that's so close is still so far out of reach.
Petty might be doing Bachmann a favor, in other words.
