Elivs Costello: an angry young thing or an acceptable face of the establishment? Photograph: Evan Agostini/Getty
The announcement this week that Elvis Costello was to play at Hillary Clinton's 60th birthday bash - a simultaneous fundraiser for her presidential campaign, with tickets available to the public at prices ranging from $250 tp $2,300 (the limit under US electoral law) - hardly raised an eyebrow. Costello was a savvy choice for Clinton, with a wide-ranging appeal she no doubt hopes will reflect well on her: he can be seen as an angry young thing or an acceptable face of the establishment, depending on your entry point into his career.
Already, the political sketch writers have been trying to shoe-horn in some terrible setlist puns - (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea being an obvious favourite. But how does it feel for the songwriters who find themselves part of a political campaign by accident? Massive Attack made their feelings perfectly clear when they threatened to take legal action against William Hague for using their cover of Man Next Door at a Conservative policy launch.
Other artists are more bemused than enraged. Iain Baker, radio DJ and former member of the 90s band Jesus Jones, recently found his old song Right Here, Right Now was in the running to be Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign theme tune. "The politicians only ever choose your song because it says something about how they perceive themselves, not how they perceive you," says Baker. "Knowing this, it's difficult to refuse them." Presuming you share the same politics. Baker compares the process to any other advertising campaign. "We got a message from the Democratic party to let us know, and to be honest, it's exactly the same as B&Q wanting to use a song, but just a bit ... bigger." And of course there's always a plus side. "In the unlikely event that your song does a D:Ream and becomes ubiquitous as a result, you can balance that knowledge with a HUGE royalty cheque."
In the end, Jesus Jones lost out to Celine Dion's You and I. But Baker wasn't too disappointed; it wasn't the first time. "Right Here Right Now was in the running for the Democratic theme song once before," he points out, "in the build up to Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign." The secret of a good campaign song is usually a generic good times vibe: the message of the Jesus Jones song, "There is no other place I'd rather be / ...Watching the world wake up from history", may have been about the end of the Cold War, but it is just as applicable to a change of fiscal policy. Just as Bill Clinton's final choice - Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow) - is.
"It's odd that Hillary wanted to use our song again," says Baker. "I get the feeling that they've only got a couple of CDs in their car; ours and Fleetwood Mac."
