To be a champion of the working class, Senator Elizabeth Warren broke the number one rule of the workplace: she stole something out of the proverbial refrigerator that wasn’t hers. Specifically, Warren used Dolly Parton’s working class anthem “9 to 5” as the flagship song of her campaign—an excellent choice, except no one at Parton’s camp approved the use of the song.
This issue seems to come up every election, despite the relatively low bar of simply asking an artist if they can license their music. The process is honestly not difficult. It also seems like someone might have clocked the fact that Parton is notorious for rarely ever voicing a partisan opinion throughout her career. It’s a fine line to walk, and one that she likely isn’t going to break for a candidate on either side of the aisle. (Or maybe Warren's camp figured Parton wouldn't approve and, because the song is so good, decided to go for it anyway.)
In a comment to the Associated Press, Parton’s manager Danny Nozell said, “We did not approve the request, and we do not approve requests like this of (a) political nature.”
Granted, Parton’s team hasn’t filed a formal complaint either, so the future of “9 to 5” on Warren’s campaign is up in the air. And while some may lean toward the argument that all stars should use their celebrity for political influence, there’s also the idea that all politicians should, you know, use the legal system that’s in place to get the license to songs they’d like to use instead of commandeering artist’s work without permission.
Parton has been pressed to issue political comments in the past—sometimes literally, as in the case when she was sandwiched between 9 to 5 costars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin at the 2017 Emmys. As the two went on a political rant against Trump, Parton stood in the middle, clearly uncomfortable, before cracking the joke: "Well, I know about support," while pointing to her chest. She has noted several times that she prefers to keep her political beliefs private.
Typically, the rift around unlicensed campaign music has been around the Republican Party, with everyone from Rihanna to The Rolling Stones issuing statements against Trump using their music at campaign events. But leave it to Warren to cross the aisle and make a partisan issue one for both parties. The takeaway—just license the music you want to use because everyone knows you have the money. As Dolly puts it, “They just use your mind and they never give you credit. It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.”
