Silversun Pickups Tell Mitt Romney To Stop Using 'Panic Switch,' Say They Dislike The GOP Candidate

The Silversun Pickups have asked Mitt Romney's campaign to stop using their song "Panic Switch" at events. The band has issued a cease-and-desist order and

released a statement Wednesday, roundly denouncing Romney and his campaign.

"We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign," frontman Brian Aubert wrote. "We're

nice, approachable people. We won't bite. Unless you're Mitt Romney!"

A spokeswoman for the campaign told the Associated Press that while the campaign did not ask for permission for the song, it was allowed to play it under a

"blanket licensing agreement." The campaign also said it would not play "Panic Switch" again.

The band suggested that Romney's use of the single was ironic because "he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign."

Here's the song's chorus, as posted on online lyric websites:

    When you see yourself in a crowded room
    Do your fingers itch, are you pistol-whipped?
    Will you step in line or release the glitch?
    Can you fall asleep with a panic switch?

Romney wouldn't be the first politician to run afoul of a musician's wishes. Tom Petty sent Rep. Michele Bachmann a cease-and-desist after she used "American

Girl" when announcing her presidential campaign. Talking Heads singer David Byrne sued then-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for using "Road to Nowhere" in an

attack ad Crist's campaign used in a race against Marco Rubio.

In fact, Romney himself faced similar issues in February, when singer K'Naan said the campaign used "Wavin' Flag" without permission. Like the Silversun

Pickups, K'Naan said he did not support the Romney campaign and would not have given allowed the use of the song even if he was asked. (More examples of

artists suing politicians are available at the bottom of this article.)

TMZ has obtained a copy of the letter the Silversun Pickups' attorney sent Romney's campaign. "As the former governor of the state of Massachusetts, a

graduate of Harvard Law School, and candidate for U.S. President, we're pretty sure you are familiar with the laws of this great country of ours," the snarky

missive reads. "We're writing because, like you, we think these laws are important."

Here's the full statement:

    Seems as if the GOP is once again whimsically ignoring our great nation's laws to do whatever it wants to do, and shooting itself in the foot in the

process. Without any regard for copyright or intellectual property laws, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has, without permission, begun to use

Silversun Pickups' 2009 smash "Panic Switch" at campaign stops across the country. Neither the band nor its representatives were contacted to gain permission

for the use of the song and the band has no intention of endorsing the Romney campaign. The band's attorney issued a cease and desist today.

    "We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign. We're nice, approachable people. We

won't bite. Unless you're Mitt Romney! We were very close to just letting this go because the irony was too good. While he is inadvertently playing a song

that describes his whole campaign, we doubt that 'Panic Switch' really sends the message he intends."