John Rich Pens John McCain Anthem "Raising McCain"

While Barack Obama has the support of Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, John Mellencamp, Tom Morello and pretty much every rapper, Republican candidate John McCain has managed to lure at least one musician: Big & Rich's John Rich. Rich has penned a "rock-infused" song for McCain titled "Raising McCain," focusing on the five-and-a-half years McCain spent in a POW camp in Vietnam. "He stayed strong, stayed extra long 'til they let all the other boys out. Now we've got a real man with an American plan, we're going to put him in the big White House," go the lyrics. "We're all just raising McCain."

Rich will debut the song tomorrow at a concert in Panama City, Florida, with McCain in attendance. "I wanted to offer him something that he didn't have, a rally song, one that really captures that maverick spirit," Rich said. While Rich is "proud as an American" that Obama is the Democratic candidate, he said he differed with Obama on major issues and doesn't think Obama is experienced enough. "The entire world is looking for a way to sucker punch us. National security is absolutely at the top of the list of issues. That's why I think John McCain is the guy to keep us safe," Rich said.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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