Songs of the Political Season
Ranked #2,135 in Culture & Society, #49,678 overall
Past Campaign Songs and 2012 Campaign Songs
It is a good idea for the campaign manager to do the ground work to make sure that the musicians who perform the selection actually support the philosophies of the candidate. Otherwise there may be flack and embarassments.
See the Democratic Campaign section of this presentation for a recent list of the approved songs for the 2012 convention.
The featured illustration is courtesy of the Historical Sheet Music collection at the University of Oregon.
When the Candidate goes to Washington he may encounter the sentiment expressed in the Ziegfield lyrics.
I've been in many cities on my travels 'round the earth,
To spend some of my surplus wealth I've tried for all I'm worth,
You'd think 'twould cost a lot to live a year in gay Pa-ree,
I've spent more money in a week in Washington D.C.
Chorus:
In Wash-ing-ton, In Washington-----
Where the lim- its as high as the Capi-i-tol dome
And the best thing in the cit-y
Is the train for home.
Be sure not to miss our 'Catch the Convention Vibes' section where you can listen to the candidate tunes.
Table of Contents
- Songs used in Republican Campaigns
- Songs Used in Democratic Campaigns
- Amazon MP3 - Catch the Convention Vibes
- Amazon- A Few Words in Defense of Our Country
- Controversial Song Choice at Convention
- Recommend a song for the upcoming Political Season
- Bonus Section: Music and Dialog of White House History
- Article on Political Music with Comments
- Featured Lenses
- Sorry about this intrusion....
- The Election is Coming
- Campaign 2012 #1
- Campaign 2012 #2
- Campaign 2012 Where the Action will be
- Add to your Convention Watching Experience
Songs used in Republican Campaigns
The Elephant (courtesy, UofO sheet music collection)
- Gerald Ford- I'm Feeling Good about America
- George HW Bush This Land is Your Land (Woody Guthrie)
- George Bush We the People (Billy Ray Cyrus)
- George Bush Only in America
- John McCain Take a Chance on Me( Abba)
Songs Used in Democratic Campaigns
- Al Smith - Sidewalks of New York
- Clinton: Don't stop Thinking About Tomorrow(Fleetwood Mac)
- Johnson: Hello Lyndon (Dolly)
- McGovern - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Paul Simon)
- John Kerry - Beautiful Day(U2)
- Obama- Signed Sealed and Delivered (Stevie Wonder)
- Dukakis-America (Neal Diamond)
- John Kennedy- High Hopes
- FDR - Happy Days Are Here Again
Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man is traditionally performed at the Democratic National Convention.
An Update here of the Playlist of songs for Obama 2012 Campaign:
Different People - No Doubt
Got to Get You Into My Life - Earth, Wind & Fire
Green Onions - Booker T & The MG's
I Got You - Wilco
Keep on Pushing - The Impressions
Keep Reachin' Up - Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators
Love You I Do? - Jennifer Hudson
No Nostalgia - AgesAndAges
Raise Up - Ledisi
Stand Up - Sugarland
This - Darius Rucker
We Used To Wait - Arcade Fire
You've Got the Love - Florence and the Machine
Your Smiling Face - James Taylor
Roll with the Change - REO Speedwagon
Everyday America - Sugarland
Learn to Live - Darius Rucker
Let's Stay Together - Al Green
Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
My Town - Montgomery Gentry
The Best Thing about Me Is You - Ricky Martin, featuring Joss Stone
You are the Best Thing - Ray Lamontagne
Keep Marchin - Raphael Saadiq
Tonight's The Kind of Night - Noah and the Whale
We Take Care of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen
Keep Me In Mind - Zac Brown Band
The Weight - Aretha Franklin cover of song by The Band
Even Better Than The Real Thing - U2
Home - Dierks Bentley
Amazon MP3 - Catch the Convention Vibes
Listen to the Music
Amazon- A Few Words in Defense of Our Country
song and lyrics by Randy Newman from the album Harps and Angels
Controversial Song Choice at Convention
'Barracuda' is a nickname earned by Sarah Palin from her days as a basketball player in Alaska.
"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women," Heart members Ann and Nancy Wilson told Entertainment Weekly after the song played at the Republican National Convention.
"'Barracuda' was written in the late '70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women."
NY Daily News September 5 2008
Recommend a song for the upcoming Political Season
Pick one that people will be discussing 50 years from now. Think about how your choice will play on the internet media that wasn't available to past candidates.
-
-
Mark Gascoigne
Oct 21, 2011 @ 10:46 am | delete
- With minor reworking Paul Simon could make a classic political song out of his "Mrs Robinson" He can keep great lyrics like
"Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon
Going to the candidates debate
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Ev'ry way you look at it, you lose
-
Bonus Section: Music and Dialog of White House History
Amazon
Nixon in China is an opera by John Adams. Performances have been available on PBS. Check out Mrs Mao and Pat.
The First Family is a comedy routine that baby boomers would appreciate by Vaugn Meader. The Kennedy Family.
Amazon- book
Sloganeering in our Political History
What's the cause of this commotion, motion, motion,
Our country through?
It is the ball a-rolling on
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too.
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too.
And with them we'll beat little Van, Van, Van,
Van is a used up man.
And with them we'll beat little Van.
Article on Political Music with Comments
Check out the
Daily Kos on 'Songs For Democrats'
The themes are Unity and Solidarity and Empathy
Video: "The People Have the Power"
May 05,2011
Featured Lenses
Politically Colored Lenses
Sorry about this intrusion....
Parker the Rabbit votes for the pet lens as his favorite political lens.
Parker believes he can Web Hop over the lenses produced by LotusLandry even though he is supposed to stay with his own kind.
The Election is Coming
(the tweets are out there)
- @Maiiabdo boycotting is like voting for candidate u don't like most
Campaign 2012 #1
Newt Gingrich makes an entrance in 2011 with 'Eye of the Tiger'
Campaign 2012 #2
Mitt Romney chooses 'Born Free'
Fast, on a rough road riding,
High, through the mountains climbing,
Twisting, turning further from my home.
Young, like a new moon rising.
Fierce, through the rain and lightning.
Wandering out into this great unknown,
And I don't want no one to cry.
But, tell 'em if I don't survive,
I was born free!
Campaign 2012 Where the Action will be
The Republican Convention is in Tampa.
See the webcam
Add to your Convention Watching Experience
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