Penn State can't steal from the public domain

The recent posts about Special K's P.A. RAWK music have emphasized that the RAWK music would be better if the songs in question had ties to Michigan. Ace at MGoBlog is angry because

Penn State, for better or for worse (okay, definitely worse), stole "Seven Nation Army" from the heart of Michigan and made it so I can't hear that song without thinking of Beaver Stadium, of all things. Why? Because that song is amazing, and they played the living hell out of it.

Had PSU chosen any other White Stripes song to overplay, I could agree with this sentiment. However, the famous seven-note riff from "Seven Nation Army" is not a Jack White original. It was actually lifted directly from Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major.

 

The popularity of the opening riff of "Seven Nation Army" at sporting events is probably is large part due to the fact that it's #1 on Tommy Boy's collection of "Greatest Public Domain Jock Jams." Perhaps, in a cost-saving measure, Special K can use more public domain hits, like Mozart's Dies Irae (especially appropriate when Notre Dame's in town), Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (cannons are always awesome), or Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks (fireworks are also awesome).