Twisted Sister slam Australian politician for 'rewriting' We're Not Gonna Take It
Twisted Sister have threatened legal action against Australian politician Clive Palmer for allegedly using a ‘rewritten version’ of their hit ‘We're Not Gonna Take It’ in political ads.
A song that features in the right-wing United Australia Party's made-for-television advertisements features the lyrics “Australia ain't gonna cop it, no Australia's not gonna cop it, Aussies not gonna cop it anymore.”
Claiming that it rips off their 1984 single ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, Twisted Sister guitarist and manager Jay Jay French tweeted yesterday afternoon: “Twisted Sister does not endorse Australian politician Clive Palmer, never heard of him and was never informed of Clive Palmer's use of a re -written version of our song Were Not Gonna Take It. We receive no money from its use and we are investigating how we can stop it.”
Weighing in, singer Dee Snider added: “We're Not Gonna Take It is a song about EVERYONE'S right to choose. "We've got the right to choose and there ain't no way we'll lose it!" The FIRST LINE of the first verse! Clive Palmer and the @PalmerUtdParty are NOT pro choice...so THIS AIN'T HIS SONG!”
> YOU HEARD THE MAN! "We're Not Gonna Take It" is a song about EVERYONE'S right to chose. "We've got the right to chose and there ain't no way we'll lose it!" The FIRST LINE of the first verse! Clive Palmer and the @PalmerUtdParty are NOT pro choice...so THIS AIN'T HIS SONG! https://t.co/KeIiW2PHxA > > — Dee Snider (@deesnider) January 1, 2019
Asked by a fan if he backs the political group, Snider added: “No we do not endorse @PalmerUtdParty! We are contacting our legal team to address this and if that doesn't work...I'LL BE DOWN UNDER IN THREE WEEKS TO DEAL WITH IT MYSELF!”
> No we do not endorse @PalmerUtdParty! We are contacting our legal team to address this and if that doesn't work...I'LL BE DOWN UNDER IN THREE WEEKS TO DEAL WITH IT MYSELF! https://t.co/h9T2O2GAkQ > > — Dee Snider (@deesnider) January 1, 2019
Commenting on the use of ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ to The Sydney Morning Herald, Jay Jay French said: "In the history of the song being out there, whenever a left-wing politician has asked to use it, they've always called and asked. It seems that every time the song gets used illegally it's by an ultra-conservative, right-wing politician.
"I don't know why parties that consider themselves law-and-order parties have traditionally been the least adherent to the law. I'm kinda astounded by that."
In response to Twister Sister’s threats of legal action, Clive Palmer said he’s prepared to counter-sue.
"I wrote the words personally that appear on our promotion and hold the copyright for those words," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"If Twisted Sister attempt to use my lyrics in any of their songs, I'll not hesitate to take legal proceedings against them. As foreigners, they should stay out of Australian domestic politics and stay where they are. Aussies are not going to cop it at all!"
Palmer also alleged that tickets for Dee Snider’s Australian tour were selling slowly, adding: "This is understandable given how long ago they had any influence in the world of music."