Roundtable

Hot Tracks for Campaign Trails

From “God Save George Washington” to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

By Emily Burns, Tatiana Dubin, and Pietro Reviglio della Veneria

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Some campaign buttons for the 1960 presidential election, pitting Senator John F. Kennedy against Vice President Richard Nixon, on display. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, University of Massachusetts Boston.

 Some campaign buttons for the 1960 presidential election, pitting Senator John F. Kennedy against Vice President Richard Nixon, on display. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, University of Massachusetts Boston.

A short history—with a playlist—of an American political tradition: the campaign song.

George Washington, 1788: “God Save George Washington”
Although Washington never had to campaign to win the presidency, much less come up with his own campaign playlist, his supporters wrote songs such as “God Save George Washington”—a thinly veiled adaptation of “God Save the King”—and “Follow Washington,” which recalled his military leadership and the experience of all veterans of the Revolutionary War. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson would follow suit and adopt their own campaign songs during the election of 1796, thus establishing a now unshakable precedent.

John Quincy Adams, 1824: “Little Know Ye Who’s Comin’”
Noted for his staunch opposition to slavery, New England native Adams ran against populist Andrew Jackson in 1824. Political attacks came from both sides, but Jackson may have crossed the line when he accused Adams of being a pimp. Adams then released his ominous campaign song “Little Know Ye Who’s Comin’,” warning of an apocalyptic future if Jackson were elected president: “Plague and pestilence is comin’ / if John Quincy not be comin’.” Adams’ fearmongering did not capture the electoral college—neither candidate secured a majority. The House of Representatives chose Adams. 

William Henry Harrison, 1840: “Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too”
Incumbent Democratic candidate Van Buren was facing off with Harrison, the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe. Harrison capitalized on his military fame with the song “Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too,” which attacked Van Buren as “little Van…a used up man.” Van Buren fired back with a version of “Rockabye, Baby” that attacked Harrison’s image as a homespun man, suggesting that his hard-cider habit would bring about the demise of both his campaign and the country. Harrison ultimately defeated Van Buren easily but died of pneumonia after only thirty days in office.

Abraham Lincoln, 1860: “Lincoln and Liberty”
Modeled on the earlier political song “Jefferson and Liberty,” “Lincoln and Liberty” was Lincoln’s most popular campaign song. The Hutchinson Family Singers had adapted their song “Liberty Ball” for Lincoln; it explored themes of abolitionism, freedom, and nationalism while praising Lincoln for being a favorite son of three states: Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. The Hutchinsons toured with Lincoln all over the nation and became a campaign highlight.

Franklin Roosevelt, 1932: “Happy Days Are Here Again”
Roosevelt’s campaign song “Happy Days Are Here Again,” from the popular 1930 musical Chasing Rainbows, was chosen on the fly to rectify a political mishap during the Democratic convention: a dud of an introductory speech before Roosevelt took the stage. Meant to liven the mood, the song succeeded, inspiring cheers: “So long sad times, go away bad times / Your cares and troubles are gone.” Before the convention, Roosevelt’s anthem was “Anchors Aweigh,” a seafaring tune first performed on Franklin Field in Pennsylvania; today it is the unofficial song of the U.S. Navy.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952: “I Like Ike”
Eisenhower was the first presidential candidate to promote his campaign on television with short “spot” commercials, featuring Walt Disney’s animations. Unlike most early campaign songs, Irving Berlin’s accompanying song “I Like Ike,” using Eisenhower’s nickname, did not refer to his platforms or policies; rather, Berlin kept the refrains simple, repeating “I like Ike” and “Ike is easy to like.” His Democratic opponent Adlai Stevenson protested the use of spot ads in a political campaign: “This isn’t Ivory Soap versus Palmolive.” He relied instead on traditional half-hour televised speeches, and Eisenhower won by a large margin.

John F. Kennedy, 1960: “High Hopes”
Frank Sinatra’s “High Hopes,” featured in the movie A Hole in the Head, won an Oscar for Best Original Song, and the Kennedy campaign had lyricist Sammy Cahn rewrite it, with Kennedy’s name now repeated several times. Then Sinatra, a Democrat and supporter of Kennedy, agreed to record the new version. The hit song played on radio and TV and at rallies—and for those who couldn’t attend in person, the campaign offered JFK-autographed copies of the record in exchange for a $1 contribution.

Ronald Reagan, 1984: “God Bless the U.S.A.”
This country tune by Lee Greenwood was the official theme song of Reagan’s 1984 presidential campaign, a musical embodiment of his emphasis on American exceptionalism. The song was played heavily at that year’s Republican National Convention and was rerecorded two decades laters as “God Bless the USA 2003.” It became a popular choice for campaigns, including George H.W. Bush’s in 1992.

Ross Perot, 1992: “Crazy”
Running as an independent against Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, Perot baffled many when he chose Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” as his campaign song. The slow love song seemed to match Perot’s offbeat personality, and his opponents didn’t hesitate to accuse him of being “crazy” himself. Perot owned the epithet, saying, “I bet tomorrow will be a crazy day at the polls” the day before the election. He ended his last campaign event by dancing to the song with his wife and daughters in a mostly empty stadium.

John McCain, 2008: “Take a Chance on Me”
During the Republican primaries, ABBA fan McCain used “Take a Chance on Me” as his theme song, and later expressed confusion that the band was perceived to be uncool. He then opted for Heart’s “Barracuda,” a tribute to his running mate, Sarah Palin, who claims her high school nickname was Sarah Barracuda. Heart issued a cease-and-desist letter to the campaign. McCain also received complaints from other artists, including John Mellencamp, Boston, and Van Halen, for using their songs during his campaign.

Newt Gingrich, 2012: “Eye of the Tiger”
When Gingrich, campaigning for the Republican nomination, began leading his entrances with Survivor’s 1982 hit “Eye of the Tiger,” the song’s cowriter decided to sue. Gingrich fought the cease-and-desist letter until the race was lost and his campaign was $4 million in debt. Four years later, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee reportedly paid $25,000 to settle a lawsuit after he played the same song at a rally for Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Donald Trump, 2016: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
Trump has proved himself a Rolling Stones fan throughout his campaign, playing “Start It Up” after winning the Indiana Republican primary and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” after his hour-and-fifteen-minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. The band, which had previously asked the campaign to stop using its music, tweeted an exasperated objection: “The Rolling Stones do not endorse Donald Trump.” Other musicians who have complained about Trump playing their music: Adele, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Queen’s Brian May, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and Neil Young.