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- Date Released: May 18, 1999
- Genre: Country/Folk
- Style: Traditional Folk
- Label: Smithsonian Folkways
Everything you always wanted to know about US presidents but forgot to sing.
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We Say...
From Doris Kearns Goodwin to Sarah Vowell, esteemed presidential scholars recognize that the one true insight to a president's character is through his campaign theme song, and often the wisdom of the choice portends the very nature of the presidency itself. Consider, for example, the cases of Hoover ("If He's Good Enough for Lindy," even though Lindbergh, of course, was infamous for his low standards), Van Buren ("Rockabye, Baby" reflecting his sleepy term from 1837-1841) and even Nixon ("Buckle Down With Nixon," reflecting an administration under siege): would their presidencies have fared better with different messages? While this debate still rages with some, among true experts, there is little doubt that these men were doomed not by character flaw or poor policy, but music and lyrics. Where was Will.I.Am when they needed him?
Among those whose administrations are revered, raw braggadocio is common. FDR's obliquely titled hillbilly stomp "Franklin D. Roosevelt's Back Again" declares, "Since Roosevelt's been reelected/ Shine liquor's been corrected," a campaign boast that no one could lose with — aspiring pols, take note! And who could forget James Monroe's playground boast from 1816 "Monroe Is the Man"? Who says Missouri was a compromise? Oh, snap!
Other presidents gave the electorate uncomfortable windows into their own insecurities. Remember Benjamin Harrison's Woody Allen-esque opening rejoinder, "What's the matter with Harrison?/ He's all right"? And who could forget Taft's very public (and pre-Oprah) weight anguish "Get on a Raft with Taft"? Americans could not help but to feel the Ohio native's pain.
On a strict musical level, no one can match Truman's sweet "I'm Just Wild About Harry," our 33rd president's well-recognized twee side coming through clear and strong (the "S" in his name actually stood for "Sarah," in honor of Sarah Records). But his was really the last, great campaign song. (Don't get us started on Bush using Guthrie or Clinton using Fleetwood Mac.) Aside the unforgivable omission of Chester A. Arthur (couldn't they turn up the lyrics to "Over His Dead Body"?), this collection does an excellent job of covering all aspects of US presidential history. Toss away those textbooks, children: this right here is everything you need to know. -
They Say...
One of the most thoroughly unique folk records released in 1999, Presidential Campaigning Songs: 1789-1996 is also a thorough and unique look at America's political history. Folk singer Oscar Brand sings campaign songs for each president, from "Follow Washington" to Clinton's campaign theme, Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" (simply titled "Don't Stop" on Mac releases). Along with tracing America's political currents, Presidential Campaigning Songs also documents the changing importance of songs in a campaign. The earliest songs, like "For Jefferson and Liberty" and John Q. Adams' "Little Know Ye Who's Coming," reflect the newness of the U.S. and how fresh the struggle for liberty was in people's minds at the time. Similarly, the songs from the Roaring '20s era, such as "Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge" and Warren G. Harding's "If He's Good Enough for Lindy" evoke the decade's free-and-easy prosperity. An important and well-crafted historical document, Presidential Campaigning Songs educates and entertains in equal measure.
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| 01. |
Free Elections |
0:29 |
|
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| 02. |  |
Follow Washington (George Washington) |
1:03 |
|
| 03. | |
Adams and Liberty (John Adams) |
1:38 |
|
| 04. | |
For Jefferson and Liberty (Thomas Jefferson) |
1:53 |
|
| 05. | |
Huzzah for Madison, Huzzah (James Madison) |
1:25 |
|
| 06. | |
Monroe is the Man (James Monroe) |
1:31 |
|
| 07. | |
Little Know Ye Who's Coming (John Quincy Adams) |
2:00 |
|
| 08. | |
Jackson and Kentucky (Andrew Jackson) |
2:12 |
|
| 09. | |
Rockabye, Baby (Martin Van Buren) |
1:26 |
|
| 10. | |
Harrison Yankee Doodle, The (William Henry Harrison) |
1:14 |
|
| 11. | |
Tippacanoe and Tyler, Too (John Tyler) |
1:17 |
|
| 12. | |
Jimmy Polk of Tennessee (James Polk) |
1:40 |
|
| 13. | |
Rumadum Dum (Zachary Taylor) |
1:21 |
|
| 14. | |
Union Wagon, The (Millard Fillmore) |
1:44 |
|
| 15. | |
Pierce and King (Franklin Pierce) |
1:38 |
|
| 16. | |
Buchanan and John Breckenridge (James Buchanan) |
1:14 |
|
| 17. | |
Lincoln and Liberty (Abraham Lincoln) |
2:12 |
|
| 18. | |
Just Before Election, Andy (Andrew Johnson) |
1:44 |
|
| 19. | |
Grant, Grant, Grant (Ulysses S. Grant) |
1:28 |
|
| 20. | |
For Hayes and Wheeler, Too (Rutherford B. Hayes) |
1:22 |
|
| 21. | |
If the Johnnies Get Into Power Again (James A. Garfield) |
1:47 |
|
| 22. | |
Democrats, Good Democrats (Grover Cleveland) |
1:40 |
|
| 23. | |
He's All Right (Benjamin Harrison) |
1:23 |
|
| 24. | |
Marching with McKinley (William McKinley) |
2:06 |
|
| 25. | |
Roosevelt the Cry (Theodore Roosevelt) |
1:17 |
|
| 26. | |
Get on a Raft with Taft (William H. Taft) |
1:37 |
|
| 27. | |
Wilson, That's All (Woodrow Wilson) |
1:53 |
|
| 28. | |
Harding, You're the Man for Us (Warren Harding) |
1:23 |
|
| 29. | |
Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge (Calvin Coolidge) |
2:20 |
|
| 30. | |
If He's Good Enough for Lindy (Herbert Hoover) |
1:38 |
|
| 31. | |
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Back Again (Franklin Delano Roosevel t) |
1:52 |
|
| 32. | |
I'm Just Wild About Harry (Harry S. Truman) |
0:49 |
|
| 33. |
I Like Ike (Dwight Eisenhower) |
0:43 |
|
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| 34. | |
Marching Down to Washington (John Kennedy) |
1:06 |
|
| 35. | |
Hello, Lyndon (Lyndon Johnson) |
1:05 |
|
| 36. | |
Buckle Down with Nixon (Richard Nixon) |
1:19 |
|
| 37. | |
I'm Feeling Good About America (Gerald Ford) |
1:24 |
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| 38. | |
Why Not the Best? (Jimmy Carter) |
2:30 |
|
| 39. |
California, Here We Come (Ronald Reagan) |
0:39 |
|
|
| 40. | |
This Land is Your Land (George Bush) |
1:31 |
|
| 41. | |
Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow (William Clinton) |
2:21 |
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| 42. | |
The Same Merry Go-Round |
1:45 |
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| 43. | |
Song of the Presidents |
4:26 |
|
43 Total Tracks, 69:05 Total Length
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Credits
- Oscar Brand - Producer // Oscar Brand - Main Performer // Charlie Pilzer - Mastering // Pete Reiniger - Sound Supervision
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