Republican presidential nominee John McCain may have found inspiration in the Foo Fighter’s single “My Hero” but the rock band does not reciprocate the feeling.

The Foo Fighters are complaining over John McCain’s use of one of their songs, apparently without having sought permission first. The Republican presidential candidate has been using “My Hero” to promote his campaign.

This may very soon end, as the band sent the politician a letter asking him to stop using the song.

The band, made up of Dave Grohl, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel and Taylor Hawkins, wrote in a statement that they found it “frustrating” and “infuriating” that someone who “claims to speak for the American people,” i. e. John McCain, would repeatedly show “such little respect for creativity and intellectual property,” thus referring to previous artists who have complained over the unauthorized use of their songs at rallies.

The band goes on to say that what they find “saddest” is that they wrote “My Hero,” the third single from their 1998 album “The Colour and the Shape,” as a celebration “of the common man and his extraordinary potential.”

In conclusion, the song’s unauthorized use in McCain’s campaign “perverts” and “tarnishes” the feelings that originally inspired the band members to create it.

Previous artists to have complained over the surprise use of their songs in the Republican presidential candidate’s campaign include John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and Heart. Heart protested over the use of their 1970s song “Barracuda” for rallies featuring McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin. Their statement was just as scathing as the Foo Fighters’, if not even more so, as Ann and Nancy Wilson, who make up the duo, said Sarah Palin’s views in “NO WAY represent us as American women.”

Jackson Browne even filed a lawsuit against McCain and the Republican Party for using his 1977 hit “Running on Empty.”

A spokesperson for McCain-Palin has replied to the most recent artistic discontent by saying that the McCain-Palin campaign respects copyright and that licenses have been obtained and paid for in order to use these songs.

The Republicans are not the only ones to have faced criticism over use of inspirational songs in their campaign, as soul legend Sam Moore asked Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign to stop using his 1967 song “Soul Man.”

The Foo Fighters was formed in 1995 by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. The six-time Grammy award winning band released its sixth and most recent album, “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” in 2007.