Survivor members blast use of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at Kim Davis’ release from jail

When Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, there was a full-blown celebration, organized with the Mike Huckabee campaign. As she was released from jail, Huckabee blared Survivor’s iconic hit “Eye of the Tiger,” which has mortified the surviving members of the band.

Davis was released on Tuesday after the Rowan County deputy clerks began to issue licenses to same-sex couples. Huckabee had praised her for standing by her religious beliefs, since she believed that god’s authority trumps the U.S. courts.

Members of Survivor, whose song appeared in Rocky III and was nominated for an Oscar, came out against Huckabee’s use of the song. They stressed that they do not agree with Davis or Huckabee.

Co-writer Jim Peterik tweeted that he will send a cease and desist letter to stop Davis from using it in the future. Guitarist Frankie Sullivan, who wrote the song with Peterick, also complained on Facebook.

“I was gobsmacked,” Peterik told CNN. “We were not asked about this at all. The first time we saw it was on national TV."

This is the latest in a long list of instances of a group complaining about a politician using their song without their permission. Most recently, Neil Young complained about Donald Trump using “Rockin’ In The Free World.”