“Rock around Barack”

This rock band wants Obama for president: It’s Pearl Jam. Well, not exactly. Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam, wasn’t involved.
“Rock around Barack” is a cover from Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” from 1955. Only the words “the Clock” has been replaced by “Barack”.
Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam’s guitarist and “Barack” vocalist, says this about the tribute:

“This is a track I’ve been thinking about for a while. “Rock Around The Clock” was the first mainstream rock and roll hit in 1955 and it had a transforming effect on American music. At that time, rock and rhythm and blues music was traditionally only played on black radio. I am, by no means, an expert on the history of rock & roll, but this was a big deal. The rhythm of rock music and its energy were so overwhelming that traditional barriers of race and culture broke down with an enormous crash. So here’s to new energy, rock and the breaking down of cultural barriers: Barack Around The Clock!”

No one knows exactly why Eddie Vedder refused to play that song. Probably Eddie isn’t quite sure yet because he always supported Ralph Nader. For Example: Eddie Vedder rallied for Nader in 2000 performing Steven Van Zandt’s “I Am A Patriot “ and Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing” in NYC and Chicago.
But maybe he is afraid that Pearl Jam is morphing into the world’s worst cover band for Barack Obama.