If you want to become the President of the United States, you need your own song. A song that goes into the ear. A song that is connected with you. A song that supports you on your rallies and travels. One’s own campaign song is a requirement.
You have several choices: You can use a well-known pop song, you can use familiar melodies and steal them, you can change the lyrics of a well-known song and put your name in it, or simply: Write your own song.
If you are lucky - because you're such a popular Presidential candidate - at least one song will be dedicated to you.
It's all been done before.
You can see several examples by clicking through my blog entries. There you will find campaign songs for Barack Obama and John McCain, but also for Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney and other Presidential candidates. These blog entries deal with all of the kinds of campaign songs, as I mentioned above: Dedicated Songs, stolen melodies and changed lyrics.
But what about the history? What campaign songs were used in the past? Did a Bruce Springsteen of the day write a song for Thomas Jefferson? Let’s have a look on the most interesting campaign songs of history:
Many musicians of the time of George Washington dedicated their own songs to him. An example is "God Save Great Washington" - based on the British national anthem "God Save the King". The song was written in 1786, three years before Washington became the president.
William Henry Harrison led his campaign, with songs, to a whole new level. During the 1840 election (between Harrison and Martin Van Buren) parades, floats, banners and concerts were organized for the first time in history.
"Tippecanoe and Tyler too" was a very popular and influential campaign song during the election in 1840 - it referred to Harrison's battle between his Indiana militia and Native Americans in 1811. Its lyrics sung the praises of Whig Party candidates Harrison (the "hero of Tippecanoe") and John Tyler, his vice president.
Franklin D. Roosevelt selected "Happy Days Are Here Again" - debuted at the Democratic Convention in 1932. It was a song from the 1930 musical "Chasing Rainbows". Roosevelt became the first President using a pre-existing song for his campaign.
Frank Sinatra changed the lyrics of his 1959 hit single "High Hopes" to cheer on the 1960 Democratic candidate John F. "Jack" Kennedy: "Everyone is voting for Jack/Cause he's got what all the rest lack/Everyone wants to be back/Jack/Jack is on the right track/Cause he's got high hopes."
Sinatra wanted to express the importance of John F. Kennedy as a president. That's why he dedicated this song to JFK.
Clinton led his campaign under the slogan "Putting people first" and chose the song "Don't stop" by the group Fleetwood Mac - this was his campaign anthem. The lyrics of the song underlined his visions to build bridges between people that will last into the next millennium.
Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop
You have several choices: You can use a well-known pop song, you can use familiar melodies and steal them, you can change the lyrics of a well-known song and put your name in it, or simply: Write your own song.
If you are lucky - because you're such a popular Presidential candidate - at least one song will be dedicated to you.
It's all been done before.
You can see several examples by clicking through my blog entries. There you will find campaign songs for Barack Obama and John McCain, but also for Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney and other Presidential candidates. These blog entries deal with all of the kinds of campaign songs, as I mentioned above: Dedicated Songs, stolen melodies and changed lyrics.
But what about the history? What campaign songs were used in the past? Did a Bruce Springsteen of the day write a song for Thomas Jefferson? Let’s have a look on the most interesting campaign songs of history:
Many musicians of the time of George Washington dedicated their own songs to him. An example is "God Save Great Washington" - based on the British national anthem "God Save the King". The song was written in 1786, three years before Washington became the president.
William Henry Harrison led his campaign, with songs, to a whole new level. During the 1840 election (between Harrison and Martin Van Buren) parades, floats, banners and concerts were organized for the first time in history.
"Tippecanoe and Tyler too" was a very popular and influential campaign song during the election in 1840 - it referred to Harrison's battle between his Indiana militia and Native Americans in 1811. Its lyrics sung the praises of Whig Party candidates Harrison (the "hero of Tippecanoe") and John Tyler, his vice president.
Franklin D. Roosevelt selected "Happy Days Are Here Again" - debuted at the Democratic Convention in 1932. It was a song from the 1930 musical "Chasing Rainbows". Roosevelt became the first President using a pre-existing song for his campaign.
Frank Sinatra changed the lyrics of his 1959 hit single "High Hopes" to cheer on the 1960 Democratic candidate John F. "Jack" Kennedy: "Everyone is voting for Jack/Cause he's got what all the rest lack/Everyone wants to be back/Jack/Jack is on the right track/Cause he's got high hopes."
Sinatra wanted to express the importance of John F. Kennedy as a president. That's why he dedicated this song to JFK.
Clinton led his campaign under the slogan "Putting people first" and chose the song "Don't stop" by the group Fleetwood Mac - this was his campaign anthem. The lyrics of the song underlined his visions to build bridges between people that will last into the next millennium.
Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop
George W. Bush used Tom Petty's 1989 single, "I Won't Back Down", during his 2000 campaign. Tom Petty asked Bush to stop playing his song during his rallies - just like John Mellencamp and Sting, whose songs were played without permission, too. Bush played their music without permission.
The history of political campaign songs will continue - it's always important to have music which belongs to a candidate and which can express the political programs on a poetic way.
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