Wednesday, February 10th 2010
News: The White Stripes
Air Force Ad Musician Apologizes For White Stripes Song Theft
Imagine that, a high-profile musician not wanting to provide the soundtrack for the deceitful recruitment of our brothers and sisters into the grinding war machine of the U.S. government.
The jingle musician who scored the Air Force Reserve’s Super Bowl commercial that sounds nearly identical to the White Stripes’ Fell In Love With A Girl has taken full responsibility for the plagiarism. Which would be honorable, if it weren’t for the fact that he claims any resemblance between the two songs is pure coincidence.
“I’m sorry it sounds the same. It wasn’t my intention, truly, truly, truly,” composer Kem Kraft told the New York Times, adding that if the White Stripes “want to call me and talk to me, as far as I’m concerned, I’m responsible for this. Just me.”
The White Stripes and their management have threatened legal action over the commercial, which was removed from the Air Force Reserve Website once the controversy began to spread. The band posted the following statement on their label Third Man Records’ site Monday night:
“We believe our song was re-recorded and used without permission of the White Stripes, our publishers, label or management.
The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support.
The White Stripes support this nation’s military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don’t want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops.
We have not licensed this song to the Air Force Reserve and plan to take strong action to stop the ad containing this music.”
Kraft told the NYT that he submitted three high-energy pieces of music to the producers of the ad, which makes joining the military seem like an extreme-sports getaway and makes no mention of choking on sand for months on end while being made to take part in the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, only to be short-changed on therapy and rehabilitation when they return home. The producers told Kraft to “beef it up, make the drums stronger and put on an echo guitar” on the track in question. Which, in military terms, evidently means “copy Jack White directly, and use a guitar solo for the vocal melody.”
Fast Forward Productions’ Mike Lee, whose company produced the ad, says he never heard Fell in Love with a Girl. He told the Times, “I wasn’t familiar with the White Stripes song. I’ve heard of the White Stripes but I’m not a listener of theirs. I had no idea there was similarity until after the fact.”
In a statement yesterday, the Air Force Reserve reiterated the claim, saying, “There was never any intention to utilize any existing music or to sound like any music by the band White Stripes or any other musical performer. Any similarity or likeness to any other music is completely unintentional.”
This story would’ve been so much cooler if the song in question was Seven Nation Army, or if the real culprit were Jason Stollsteimer.
Ya know, I thought I noticed something familiar during that commercial,I remember seeing it, but the similarity slipped totally under the radar. Glad someone noticed and called them on it. Subliminal advertising is alive and well………..
*goes to local recuritment office w/Snowboard in hand*
Well, I saw the news of the split on MSN & it actually got me curious about their music, so I listened to a few which I found somewhat enjoyable. THEN I happened to find THIS page, wih wording showing just how big of hypocrites they seem to be, and evidently some of their fansites are too. 180 degree turn for me. I’ll happily chunk all of the links to their songs that I favorited, intending to listen to them soon. And I’ll happily pass along to anyone who evr asks me about them exactly what I feel they are. And also, I’ll say “Good Riddance. Tickled to hear about the split & hope you never ever have another successfull song again.” I DESPISE hypocrites.
I also DESPISE those who think they were placed here on a mission to save all of us poor ignorant stupid people from stuff we are clearly to dumb to understand, such as this, “deceitful recruitment of our brothers and sisters into the grinding war machine”. “Deceitful”?? You DO know that the draft ended 4 decades ago …. right? And you DO know that every single one of us soldiers, former soldiers, & all other professional military personnel freely volunteered for what we WANTED to do.
Oops, I apologie, dumb question. Obviously you AREN’T aware of those little facts above. Just 2 more washed up wannabe super-famous musician celebrities who haven’t a clue when to keep their mouth shut about certain things which will quite possibly alienate people who like their music …. or MIGHT have liked it, as in my case.
But just as they claim they don’t support what our military is doing, although they also claim they DO support what our military’s purpose is …. I also don’t support something. That is people who obviously haven’t a clue about the world outside their little studio, who try to issue their knowledge about affairs that are completely foreign to them.
Good bye Stripies. I didn’t know you very well, but MIGHT have, if only you wouldn’t have jumped on the “Let’s Bash The Military, But Pretend We Aren’t” bandwagen. At least we almost certainly won’t have to hear your crap again, as you fade off into the bottomless pit that is musicians who had no staying power like the TRUE good ones did & do.
Like Godsmack. Now *there’s* some good towelhead-killin’ music, right? Official music of the US Army, by the sound of it. Yeehaw, hoo-rah and pass the ammunition. Fuck who’s right or wrong or what the fightin’s for – there’s some killin’ to be done. Right? RIGHT?!