Nike Rights, Revolution

Nike
- Song: Revolution
o Recorded at EMI studios in London, 10-12 July 1968.
o Album: Hey Jude – released U.S. 26 February 1970.
o Written by lennon, credited as a lennon/mccartney composition
• The first version of "Revolution" to be released (though the last to be recorded) was the B-side of the "Hey Jude" single, released in late August 1968. The single, as a stand-alone, reached #12 in the U.S.
• A product of the recording sessions for The Beatles (aka The White Album), "Revolution" featured distorted guitars and an electric piano solo by session musician Nicky Hopkins. This track is said to be one of the loudest and most aggressive Beatles songs; it begins abruptly with a loud, overdriven electric guitar played by John Lennon, a thundering, compressed drum beat from Ringo Starr and a ferocious scream from Lennon (the scream was an overdub added when Lennon double tracked his vocal. Paul McCartney performed the scream on the semi-live performance for the promotional film because Lennon could not deliver the scream and catch his breath again in time to launch into the first verse).
- Rights:
o Published by Northern Songs
o 1987: MJ holds publishing rights as owner of ATV music
o (Original?) Recording company: Capitol Records
o Apple Corp – in charge of beatles interests
o Sold to Nike for reported $250,000.
• Clearance for Nike granted by ono on basis that Lennon wrote the song (she owned the master rights). Following that, Jackson agreed to issue a license and capital records, not wanting to oppose Ono, agreed to allow the use of the beatles original version of the song.
• Unfortunately, neither Capitol nor Ono had bothered to alert or ask Apple, the company which represented Beatles and their business interests, which Ono was obliged to do under the terms of Apple board which required unanimous agreement of all directors.
• Apple’s opposition might have been enough, in normal circumstances, to persuade capitol from withholding the original recording. As it was, apple sued capitol and nike for $15 million, but nike continued to run the ad for another year while the law suit was pending.
• Speaking nearly 10 years after the original nike commercial, MJs attorney said Yoko liked it. (southall, 191)
• McCartney and Harrison very upset about it. 191
• In 1988, Nike switched to instant karma, to which ono owned the publishing and masters rights, while apple, emi, and capitol agreed that no beatles version of any lennon & mccartney song would ever agan be used to sell products. 191


Southall, Brian and Perry, Rupert. Northern Songs: The True Story of The Beatles Song Publishing Empire. London: Omnibus Press, 2007.