CHICAGO — Jim Peterik felt like he's been knocked out when he heard the iconic song he co-wrote, "Eye of the Tiger," accompany Kim Davis to the podium after the county clerk in Kentucky was released from prison Tuesday.
"They took a very popular song and used it for their own motives without any permission at all," Peterik, founder of the band Survivor, told DNAinfo Chicago during a phone interview Wednesday. He wrote the classic song with Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan in 1982 for the movie, "Rocky III."
"That's what really gets me more than anything. It was shocking when I saw it. I thought I was watching a movie. It was totally out of the blue."
Peterik, a Chicago area native and resident, said Davis had no right to use the song without his permission. Davis, the clerk in Rowan County, Ky., had been jailed for refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples but was released Tuesday.
Justin Breen says Peterik wants his music separate from politics:
During the rally and while the song played, Davis held her arms up in exhilaration and cried.
"My songs are my children," Peterik said. "You have to be careful how they're perceived. I don't want anybody imagining Kim Davis sobbing when they hear our song. Let people make their own memories. I'm a musician, not a politician. The song wasn't meant to be a divisive thing."
Peterik tweeted Tuesday that his publisher would issue a cease and desist order, telling DNAinfo Chicago Wednesday "to make sure it doesn't happen again."
I have not authorized the use of Eye of the Tiger for use by Kim Davis and my publisher will issue a C&D. This does not reflect my views.
— Jim Peterik (@jimpeterik) September 9, 2015It's not the first time Peterik's been upset with the use of his song, citing when Newt Gingrich played "Eye of the Tiger" during his 2012 presidential campaign.
"The bottom line, this song wasn't meant to be a political statement," Peterik said.
Peterik hasn't reached out to Davis, but said if he talked to her, he'd tell her: "Probably something like, you should have gotten permission to use our song, Kim."
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