Eye of the Tiger co-writer tells Nikki Haley to STOP using the song she played at the launch of her presidential bid – after he won cases against Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich
- Eye of the Tiger’s co-writer wants Nikki Haley to stop using the song
- Survivor’s Frankie Sullivan said he would never let a politician have the track
- Sullivan told DailyMail.com the song ‘stays with the Rocky franchise’
Nikki Haley launched her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, walking on to the stage to the 1982 hit Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.
The song’s co-writer and Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan told DailyMail.com that he did not sign-off the song being used at the rally and wants the former UN ambassador to stop using it immediately.
Sullivan said that his decision is not political saying that he would not approve any politician from either side of the aisle using his songs. In the past, he won cease and desist cases against Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee.
‘No, f*** them. Write their own [songs]. Half of them don’t know what the hell to do, why don’t they try writing songs? They’ll probably be lousy songs but they won’t be any lousier than the way they run everything else,’ Sullivan said.
He added: ‘They don’t belong going anywhere near Eye of the Tiger. That song stays with the Rocky franchise.’
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley used Eye of the Tiger at the launch of her presidential campaign in Charleston. Survivor founder and co-writer of the song is furious saying he would never allow a politician to use the track
The song was used in the hit movie Rocky III in which the eponymous hero, played by Sylvester Stallone battles Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T.
Survivor was formed by Sullivan and Jim Peterik in Chicago in 1978.
Sullivan said that the best case scenario following Haley’s use of the song will be a ‘slap on the wrist. And then it all goes away.’
‘Get it down. I don’t want it up there. It’s up on YouTube. I didn’t look but I know. I’m sure it is,’ Sullivan continued.
The songwriter said that he wanted the footage from the rally removed from YouTube but conceded that doing so would be a ‘b****.’
In the past, Republicans such as Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have used the songs in their campaigns. Sullivan said Wednesday that in those cases he filed lawsuits and won.
He added: ‘I would never let a f*****g politician use that song because entertainment and politics don’t mix.’
On Wednesday morning, Sullivan said that his phone began ‘exploding’ with messages and calls after Haley used the track.
The song was used in the hit movie Rocky III in which the eponymous hero, played by Sylvester Stallone battles Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T
The song was nominated for an Academy Award while Rocky III brought in over $270 million at the box office
He originally thought that something had happened to his 93-year-old mother. When he was told that he was trending on Twitter, Sullivan said that he knew right away that the song had been featured somewhere.
Another prominent Republican who once used the song, Donald Trump, was described by Sullivan as ‘very affable’ in his conduct when the band asked for him to stop using the song and simply relented.
In the case of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Sullivan said that he had to go all the way in court before being awarded $25,000, which he donated to charity.
At Wednesday’s rally, Haley blasted President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats as too liberal and insisted there’s not a problem with racism in the U.S. as they contend.
But there were occasional notes that could appeal beyond the GOP base, including appeals for unity and criticism of corporate bailouts.
Haley, who is 51, said that Republicans have repeatedly lost the popular vote in recent elections because they ‘failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans.’ The solution, she said, was to ‘put your trust in a new generation.’
‘America is not past its prime,’ she told a crowd of several hundred people gathered near Charleston’s visitors center. ‘It’s just that our politicians are past theirs.’
Haley, who is 51, said that Republicans have repeatedly lost the popular vote in recent elections because they ‘failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans.’ The solution, she said, was to ‘put your trust in a new generation’
An obvious knock on Biden, who, at 80, is the oldest president in history, a fact that makes even some Democrats uneasy.
But it was also a slight of Trump, who has launched a third White House bid and remains popular with wide swaths of Republican voters. Trump is 76 and has had an up-and-down relationship with Haley from the early days of the 2016 campaign through her time in his administration.
Haley said she would support a ‘mandatory mental competency test for politicians over 75 years old.’
While Haley is the first major Republican to officially challenge Trump, she will hardly be the last. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are among those expected to launch campaigns in the coming months. Haley’s fellow South Carolinian Sen. Tim Scott is also weighing a White House bid.
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