Wilson sisters slam GOP's use of Heart's "Barracuda"

Sen. John McCain's use of the Heart song "Barracuda" after his acceptance speech Thursday night is causing heartburn with the Seattle-based rock group.

Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson posted a message Friday on their Web site condemning the use of their 1977 hit at the Republican convention. The song was played when McCain, the party's presidential nominee, was joined onstage after the speech by his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The sisters were initially irritated after the song was first played when Palin spoke at the convention Wednesday, according to the Web site EW.com.

The Wilsons said their representatives, Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG, have sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign to not use the song as the congratulatory theme for Palin.

Palin reportedly earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" as a high-school basketball player in Alaska.

Republican officials didn't ask for permission to use the song and would not have been given the OK if they had done so, the Wilsons said.

In a statement posted Friday on the EW.com site, the Wilsons wrote:

"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late '70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

Steve Miletich: 206-464-3302 or smiletich@seattletimes.com