Opinion: Boston rocker to Mike Huckabee: No more covers

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You know how music is the great unifier, crossing cultures, races and religions? Well, some divides apparently are too wide.

Pop music lovers of a certain (advancing) age will recognize a song on the playlist of Mike Huckabee‘s band, Capitol Offense, as Boston’s ‘More Than a Feeling,’ a hit from the band’s eponymous 1976 debut album. And a former Boston band member, Barry Goudreau, has done appearances with Huckabee, leaving the impression that the band is backing the bass-playing Baptist preacher. But band leader Tom Scholz, whose guitar forms Boston’s signature sound and who wrote ‘More Than a Feeling,’ says nope, and has asked Huckabee to drop the song from the playlist.

‘Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and with all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for,’ Scholz, a Barack Obama supporter, wrote to the Huckabee campaign.

And apparently John Mellencamp, whose populist songs were unavoidable at John Edwards rallies in 2004 and in this cycle, is miffed that John McCain has been using his music. Both of which bring to mind another notable smackdown from artist to politician. Never mess with ‘The Boss.’

Oh, and one song you won’t be hearing any of the candidates play: Billy Bragg‘s ‘Ideology.’

-- Scott Martelle