Gore Resurrects the Call for Campaign Song

September 15, 2000 -- Bill Clinton's use of "Don't Stop" during his first presidential campaign helped revive interest in Fleetwood Mac. But even though Al Gore is using his group's 1989 hit "Let the Day Begin" as his campaign theme song, Michael Been of the Call isn't expecting similar fortunes.

"I don't think you can compare us to Fleetwood Mac's stature," says Been, who led the Call during its 10-year run from 1980-90. "I don't think we rate at that level." The band has regrouped sporadically since then, and is planning to tour during 2001 in the wake of a new concert album, Live Under the Red Moon, scheduled for a November release.

Been was in a Los Angeles recording studio on the last night of the Democratic National Convention, when "Let the Day Begin" — which originally peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — was unveiled as the campaign's theme song.

"It was incredibly shocking," Been admits. "It was out of the blue. No one told us anything about it. When I got home at four or five in the morning, I had messages on my answering machine from friends. It was a big shock. I don't know Gore's motive behind it, but I'm glad they picked it. Any way you can get a song heard by as many people is great by me. I hope he wins; I'm definitely voting for him. I'm not a [George W.] Bush supporter."

Been notes, however, that "Al hasn't called me yet," nor has anyone else associated with the campaign. Hip-O Records (a subsidiary of the band's former home, MCA), however, is considering a Call retrospective to take advantage of the group's renewed notoriety. Despite all that, Been isn't anticipating an invitation to play at the inaugural bash should Gore emerge victorious.

"It would be nice; if they asked us [to play], you bet we would," he says. "But I don't see that [happening]. I'm certainly not buying my ticket to Washington."