The White Stripes plans “strong action” against the Air Force Reserve over its Super Bowl commercial, which the duo claims is an unauthorized re-recording of its song “Fell in Love With a Girl.”
On its official Web site, the White Stripes posted a video of its song alongside a link to the Air Force Reserve commercial.
“We believe our song was re-recorded and used without permission of the White Stripes, our publishers, label or management,” said the statement, attributed to Third Man Records, the White Stripes and their management. “The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve’s 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 did not specify which conflict it did not support. President Obama has increased the U.S. military’s troop commitment to Afghanistan while announcing that combat troops will leave Iraq by Aug. 31.
The White Stripes statement continued: “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 we plan to take strong action to stop the ad containing this music.”
The Air Force Reserve has not yet responded to requests for comment. The 30-second commercial on its Web site did not work when Billboard attempted to access the video in order to compare the two recordings.
A statement alongside the video explained: “The spot features the high-octane thrills of action sports at its best. This is sure to capture the interest of even the most enthusiastic sports fan.”