Psychedelic eccentrics The Flaming Lips have scored a major victory over the US House of Representatives in their bid to have ‘Do You Realise??’ elected as the official Oklahoma State Rock Song.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives rejected the bid, despite it winning over 50% of the popular vote in the original poll and being passed unanimously in the Senate.
However, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has overruled the House’s rejection due to his belief that, as it was chosen by a public online vote, it was truly "the people’s choice".
Governor Henry said: "For more than 20 years, Oklahoma’s own Flaming Lips have produced creative, fun and provocative rock music. The music of the Flaming Lips has earned Grammys, glowing critical acclaim and fans all over the world. A truly iconic rock ‘n’ roll band, they are proud ambassadors of their home state. They were clearly the people’s choice, and I intend to honour that vote."
Before Henry’s statement, the Flaming Lips posted the following MySpace bulletin in response to the House’s decision.
"As many people around the world know, the Flaming Lips are proud to be from Oklahoma. We want everyone to understand that only a minority of the representatives voted against this law. The facts are that ‘Do You Realize??’ won over 50% of the popular vote in the original poll, passed unanimously in the Senate, and won over a majority of the Representatives in the House (48 were for the law passing, 39 against – 14 were absent from the vote – you need 51 to pass the law).
"Regardless of what the minority in the House of Representatives wish, the Flaming Lips remain proud ambassadors of the state. We are honored that the majority of the people who voted, hoped to have ‘Do You Realize??’ be the Oklahoma State Rock Song. Perhaps there is still a way it can be."
