Twisted Sister is not happy with an Australian businessman and politician who has co-opted its 1984 Top 25 classic “We’re Not Gonna Take It” for his political campaign.
The band is threatening legal action against the United Australia Party and its leader, Clive Palmer, who hired a sound-a-like group to record the iconic track with the newly written words: “Australia ain’t gonna cop it/no Australia’s not gonna cop it/Aussies not gonna cop it.”
https://youtu.be/JFtLrB6Z5HI
Twisted Sister frontman and the song’s writer, Dee Snider, tweeted: “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
Co-founding guitarist Jay Jay French also tweeted: “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.”
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.— Jay Jay French (@jayjayfrench) January 1, 2019
Billboard reported, “The federal member for Fairfax from 2013 to 2016, Clive Palmer relaunched the Palmer United Party as United Australia Party last year, and has vowed to contest the next federal election. . . When asked for comment, Palmer told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation via a text message that he ‘wrote the words’ (to the new version of the Twisted Sister song.) He added, ‘Old rocker who can not sell enough tickets to their last gig need publicity . . . No communication from their lawyers, I own the copyright for my own lyrics.'”
Palmer is even trying to use his “right to free speech” as his defense for stealing the Twisted Sister song. “We believe in everyone’s right to choose and freedom of speech. Why try to stop us promoting freedom of speech & free choice?,” he tweeted to which Snider replied, “You need to write your own song, son”.
You need to write your own song, son. https://t.co/m0AvQ6ROQh
— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) January 2, 2019
In 2003, Dee Snider granted permission for Arnold Schwarzenegger to use the song during his California gubernatorial contest, yet raised a fuss back in 2012 when Rep. Paul Ryan used the song during a GOP rally. Snider went on to allow then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump to play “We’re Not Goinna Take It” at his own 2015 campaign events.
“We’re Not Gonna Take It” is from the album Stay Hungry. It was first released as a single (with “You Can’t Stop Rock & Roll” as the B-side) on April 27, 1984. The Stay Hungry album was released two weeks later, on May 10, 1984. The single reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, making it Twisted Sister’s only Top 40 single. The song was ranked No. 47 on 100 Greatest 80’s Songs and No. 21 on VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.
Last July, Dee Snider released his latest solo set, For The Love Of Metal.
Dee Snider will next perform on January 31st and February 1st in Sydney, Australia’s Manning Bar at the University of Sydney.
