Presidential Groove: Weekend Update

Here are the biggest music related news items since we last met.

Your Top Story:

John McCain runs into music issues.

APPLETON, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Would Abba take a chance on him? Republican presidential front-runner John McCain is not so sure and said he opted against playing the 1977 hit "Take a Chance on Me" by the Swedish group at his campaign rallies because of licensing and other concerns.
"It's more difficult to play 'let's take a chance on me' than I thought," the four-term Arizona senator told reporters aboard his campaign plane.
"It gets expensive in a big hurry and if you're not careful you can alienate some Swedes," he joked. "If word gets out to Stockholm that we're using Abba music, then there'll be a worsening in U.S.-Swedish relations."
The hit disco song, which begins "If you change your mind, I'm the first in line," could sum up McCain's courtship of the powerful conservative wing of the Republican Party.

McCain also ran into issues using the theme song to "Rocky".

After playing the anthemic horns of the "Rocky" theme song at his rallies, the owner of the song's copyright telephoned the McCain campaign to politely complain it was being used without permission, McCain said.
"It wasn't a formal complaint or a letter. Someone just called on the phone and said 'Hey, that's our property,'" he said.

Follow-up story: Will.i.am follows up the popular Obama- themed YouTube video "Yes, We can" with a song called "We are the Ones".

The video is based on a line Obama delivered in a speech: "We are the ones we've been waiting for," and it features folks like Jessica Alba, George Lopez, Luis Guzman, Ryan Phillippe, John Leguizamo, Kate del Castillo, Malcolm Jamal Warner and Macy Gray.

Clinton backers respond:

Not to be outdone, the Clinton campain this week released its own Mexican cumbia, a Latino campaign theme song called "Hillary, Hillary Clinton," and featuring noted Tejano musician Johnny Canales. Latino supporters of Clinton in the Washington area also created a Spanish music video, called "Oye Hillary."

From the YouTubes:

Check out Roy Zimmerman and his song "Superdelegate". Like that? "Eine kleine Barackmusick" is even better.

Behold the Power of Obama? Checkout this Bollywood-themed video.

Let's not forget the GOP. There's Huckabee Girl.

On a more serious note:

In Ohio, Bill Clinton has been taking the stage to the Top Gun song "Danger Zone". In Texas, he is being accompanied by a Mariachi band.

Melissa Ethridge has changed her support from Clinton to Obama.

When he's not promoting his new album "Love grenade", Ted Nugent is writing a weekly article about the Presidential campaign for the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Finally:

This New Republic blogger speculates Obama is Jay-Z, Hillary is Cam'Ron