If there’s one thing politicians should have learned by now, it’s that using an artist’s output to further your campaign without said artist’s expressed consent will come back to bite you. Unfortunately, Bendigo councillor Elise Chapman has learned this the hard way, invoking the ire of 90’s anti-establishment punk sensations Chumbawamba.
Chapman, in all her wisdom, decided to employ the 1997 mega-hit Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down) as one of her “campaign anthems”. The ex-One Nation candidate posted the song to Facebook in a now-deleted post explaining as much:
Soon after, a former member of the band – and one of the creative geniuses behind the drinking anthem – caught wind of the councillor’s post, and made one of his own, sharing a link to her page with the copy “This idiot is using ‘Tubthumping’ as part of her nefarious election campaign. I have asked the idiot to stop. Idiot”
Zip back over to Chapman’s page, and the offending post has since been taken down.
Chapman – whom according to the ABC is known for her anti-Islamic policies – attempted to clear things up in an interview with the Bendigo Advertiser, explaining that the song’s iconic hook “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never gonna keep me down” is what drew her to the song.
Apparently unaware that the post had been removed, Chapman also added that it might have been one of her page admins’ calls to take it down.
You don’t have to look far to see where Chapman got the inspiration. Though apparently unaware that ~literally~ the exact same thing happened to UK politician Nigel Farage when he attempted to benefit from the song, she did admit that “I like his style”.
Chapman also revealed that she misunderstood the lyric “pissing the night away” to be “missing the night away.” We’re guessing after all this; a good night on the miss is what she’ll need.
Watch: Chumbawamba – ‘Tubthumping’ (I Get Knocked Down)
Screenshot from Bendigo Advertiser
