Air Force pulls ad following legal threat from White Stripes

WASHINGTON -- Add the White Stripes to the long list of rockers that have purged their music from politically-charged campaigns they don't support.

The Detroit alternative rock duo consisting of Jack and Meg White has lashed out at the United States Air Force for using their song "Fell In Love With A Girl" in a recruitment ad that aired during the Super Bowl.

Posted on their main page whitestripes.com is a cutting letter explicating in no ambiguous terms the band's dissatisfaction with the Air Force's use of their works without permission. The duo said they "have not licensed" the song and "plan to take strong action" if the ad isn't pulled.

The band posted a clip of their song and a link to the Air Force ad on top of their Web site.

"The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserves presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support," read the statement.

The Air Force appears to have adhered to their demand, pulling the ad from the Web page at which it was previously located.

Shielding in advance any criticisms that they don't back the troops, the duo clarified that they "support this nation's military" but "simply don't want to become a cog in the wheel of the current conflict."

The band has over the years released several commercially successful albums as well as earned respect in the underground rock community. The song in question appeared on the band's 2002 album White Blood Cells.

The following is a screen capture of the message posted on the band's Web site.