Musicians have long fought against the unwanted and illegal use of their music—particularly when their art is appropriated by controversial brands or problematic politicians. Just this week, in fact, Aerosmith dropped the hammer (again!) on popular vote loser Donald Trump for playing their song Livin’ on the Edge at a West Virginia rally. While many musicians don’t actually have the rights to pull their licenses, most brands and humans with consciences tend to retreat when faced with public shaming or lawsuits—emphasis on “most.”
A less controversial use can be found in the world of television news, where short clips of popular songs are often used as bumpers to start or end a segment, all protected under the wide umbrella of fair use. This brings us to the recent headline-making and tasteless usage of Bulletproof, by British artist La Roux, in a super capitalistic and soulless segment on Fox Business, about ballistic backpacks designed to protect children in the event of a school shooting. It’s super gross. Take a moment and see for yourself. It only takes the first 30 seconds or so to get the hideous gist of the wildly inappropriate puff piece.
The strange song choice, of course, did not go unnoticed, by the public, nor La Roux. The lyrics are about a relationship, for one thing—not protecting oneself (or one’s children) from gunfire.
I’m not turned on to love until it’s cheap
Been there, done that, messed around
I’m having fun, don’t put me down
I’ll never let you sweep me off my feet
This time, baby I’ll be bulletproof
This time, baby I’ll be bulletproof
Fox Business, of course, only used the hook about babies being bulletproof.
Elly Jackson, the woman whose voice was used to sell bulletproof backpacks and $1,500 ballistic wearables, has spoken out about the inappropriate and unwanted usage of the 2009 hit.
“Using 'Bulletproof,' a song I wrote about relationships, for a piece like this is abhorrent," La Roux's Elly Jackson said in a statement to Billboard. "I have never, and would never approve my music to be used in this way.”
Fox did acknowledge the questionable song choice on Monday. Sort of.
In a statement to Newsweek, a Fox Business Network spokesperson said: "The song was chosen by the production team and the selection has been addressed.”
It’s obvious that the “production team” is following the old adage that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. But has anyone at Fox Business actually apologized to Jackson, though? We’ll wait.