By Diane Toroian

"Natural High," the 1973 hit by the group Bloodstone , is about a man who loves a woman from afar. It's also about getting "high naturally," says songwriter Charles McCormick.

McCormick says he is enraged that Anheuser-Busch played his song in a Michelob beer television commercial. The ad, which ran last March and April, features a man who confuses his lover's name with Michelob. "It is horrifying to think that our fans will think that we 'sold out' to Anheuser-Busch to make a few bucks," said McCormick, bassist for Bloodstone . "The use of this song in a beer commercial completely compromises our integrity."

Bloodstone and the song's owners and administrators, Crystal Jukebox Inc. and Wixen Music Publishing, filed suit against Anheuser-Busch and its advertising agency, Leap Partnership, in federal court in Los Angeles this week. Their suit claims the brewery did not obtain a license to use the song and that the commercial hurts the band's reputation.

Anheuser-Busch officials said they cannot comment until they review the complaint.

David Nugent, a spokesman for Leap Partnership Inc., said the song was used "by mistake." He said "Natural High" was one of many songs under consideration for the commercial. Another song was chosen, but somehow a tape of "Natural High" was sent to the commercial studio. "This really was a fluke. Everyone is apologetic," said Nugent."We were moving towards an amicable settlement when out of the blue a suit is filed."

In 1997, a jury found Leap Partnership and Miller Brewing Co. plagiarized the Spin Doctors' hit "Two Princes" in a TV ad.

Bloodstone , which formed in Kansas City in the 1960s, has released several records in the past 30 years and is featured on many soul compilation albums. The band never made the big bucks, but it still attracts fans when it tours. This weekend the band is playing in Philadelphia.

Crystal Jukebox President George Braunstein has worked with Bloodstone since the 1970s, when the band produced R&B hits like"Outside Woman" and "My Little Lady." He said the band would have welcomed the right commercial deal. "We would love to use the song for a fruit juice commercial or to advertise Clairol," said Braunstein. "But the fact that it was used to sell beer is just the height of irony."