Music is an integral part of marketing in the modern era, and presidential campaigns are nothing if not major marketing campaigns. Thus it's absolutely required that every campaign have a catchy theme song which is familiar, singable, and excites the popular imagination.
Way back in the beginning of the Democratic party Andrew Jackson started it all with "Hunters of Kentucky". FDR had "Happy Days are Here Again" and JFK had "High Hopes." Some presidential hopefuls have tried to use original material with very limited success, so in recent years they've kept coming back to popular music for inspiration.
Although Democrats are better known for their stirring campaign songs, Republicans understand the effectiveness of music too and in recent campaigns they've tried to stir up the voters with the occasional rousing tune. The irony is that most pop musicians tend to be fairly left-leaning politically, and whenever Republicans try to use their songs in a campaign they cry out loudly in objection. The average popular songwriter seems to think that only songs appropriate for a Republican campaign are "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana and the "Darth Vader theme" from Star Wars. Not exactly music to inspire the audience to anything but terror and the expectation that the candidate's head will spin around while his eyes glow red.
The history of artistic objection to Republican theme songs began with Bruce Springsteen's request that Ronald Reagan stop using his song "Born in the USA" in the 1984 campaign. Subsequently George W. Bush angered Tom Petty by using the prophetically appropriate "I Won't Back Down" for his 2000 campaign.
In the current campaign Mike Huckabee angered Tom Scholz of the band Boston by using his "More Than a Feeling" while campaigning in New England, and frontrunner John McCain stirred up the ire of ultraliberal John Mellencamp by using his songs "Pink Houses" and "Our Country" at appearances. Some of these artists have threatened to sue - though the chance of success in such a suit would be small - and all have written letters of protest or issued public complaints, after which most of the candidates politely stopped using the songs, Reagan being the notable exception.
McCain has agreed to stop using Mellencamp's working-class anthems in the future and he'll probably end up falling back on some bombastic ultrapatriotic country song as Bush did with Brooks and Dunn's "Only in America" a few years ago. McCain might well end up dragging Toby Keith around to campaign appearances to sing "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" or "American Soldier" to promote McCain's hawkish stance on the Iraq War.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Irene Wagner
Amen.
*clappin'* Amen. *sing it louda* Amen. Amen. Amen!
2 - Dave Nalle
I forgot about campaigns using gospel songs. That's an old tradition too. Back in the 30s when country singer Jimmie Davis was a Senator and later Governor of Texas he used his song "You Are My Sunshine" in his campaigns and Louisiana Governor Pappy O'Daniel was a band leader band and used gospel music and dixieland.
BTW, this is the first article I've written in 4 years that's at least vaguely related to my masters thesis in Medieval Lit. I wrote on propaganda songs of the Hundred Years War, which is at least in the same ballpark.
Dave
3 - Baronius
Dave, you can't write an article about this subject without mentioning "Proud To Be an American", which has become the de facto Republican theme song. It's such a heavy-handed song, but I'll admit that it can sometimes leave me misty-eyed.
Clinton should use "Good-hearted Woman in Love with a Two-timing Man" in her ads. And Obama could use, I dunno, maybe something by Bowie.
4 - Dr Dreadful
And Obama could use, I dunno, maybe something by Bowie.
Actually, I'm surprised GW didn't use a Bowie song for one of his campaigns. You know, something like 'The Man Who Sold the World'.
I'm sure Pablo would appreciate that...
;-)
5 - Baritone
I think the Reps should use country songs. They can use the tunes and rewrite or alter the lyrics.
How about one of the following:
"She Broke My Heart at Walgreens, and I Cried All the Way to Sears"
or
"I Got Tears in my Ears, from Lyin' on my Back, Cryin' all Night Over You"
or, maybe
"Loneliness is Eating Me"
I'm not sure where to put the emphasis on that last one.
I know Dave's article was more about the "spirit" of the issue, than the legalities. However, since the artists who wrote and/or recorded many of the songs he mentions also own the copyrights, it seems to me that they have a perfect right to say yea or nay regarding who uses their material and for what purposes.
B-tone
6 - Dr Dreadful
Exactly, B-Tone. It's perfectly reasonable for Mellencamp to withhold permission for the use of his songs if he doesn't wish to be perceived as a McCain supporter.
He has just as much right to do so, in fact, as a corporation which doesn't wish one of its brands to be associated with a certain issue.
7 - Irene Wagner
Somewhere in a room full of policy wonks, Democrats and Republicans are singing together in perfect harmony. They just don't want us to hear the music. It works out best for them if we're too busy fussing with one another to pay attention to what they're up to.
I liked your article very much Dave Nalle. The only thing I'd change is to recommend that We The Peons--Democrats, Republicans, and Independent find ONE song we can all sing together.
*tips my tin hat and strides away*
8 - Dave Nalle
And Obama could use, I dunno, maybe something by Bowie.
I was thinking something from the weirder part of the Blue Oyster Cult library. One of those songs based on a Michael Moorcock story like "Fireclown" would work well.
However, since the artists who wrote and/or recorded many of the songs he mentions also own the copyrights, it seems to me that they have a perfect right to say yea or nay regarding who uses their material and for what purposes.
Actually, I think you're wrong here. Once the song is being distributed under an ASCAP license the artist has very limited control over how it's used if they get paid for it. I believe that in the Springsteen vs. Reagan dispute (never went to court) Springsteen resigned himself to the reality that he couldn't exert any direct restraint on the Reagan campaign.
Dave
9 - handyguy
The Reagan campaign didn't use "Born in the USA" as a pro-veteran song. The song has been misunderstood by many as a shout of ultra-patriotic defiance, and it was being used as a peppy anthem at Reagan rallies. But Springsteen actually wrote a wail of despair and frustration, and the title is bitterly ironic.
Republicans and irony...not such a good mix.
10 - Dave Nalle
I think you miss my point and see irony where it doesn't exist, Handy.
Yes, Reagan chose the song because it was catchy. That's advertising.
However, the song IS about a toubled Vietnam veteran, and the point is that the Reagan administration rebuilt the military and the VA after the post-Vietnam neglect of the Carter administration.
Reagan didn't intend the use of the song as a tribute to veterans, but he certainly justified the use of the song by his efforts to address the issues it raises. Make sense?
Dave
11 - Alec
Dave - Interesting post.
RE: When Republican candidates have used songs from liberal songwriters for their campaigns, the main objection from the outraged masses seems to be that the populist themes of these songs are inherently incompatible with Republican policies and beliefs. ... The flaw in this reasoning is that these songs are usually ones which express common American values and which address concerns which cross party lines, and which are of as much importance to Republicans as they are to Democrats.
The irony is that some conservatives, egged on by goons like Limbaugh and Hannity, don't realize this. It becomes decidedly odd, for example, to smear Hollywood and supposed liberal-types, while simultaneously attempting to appropriate their works.
RE: I forgot about campaigns using gospel songs. That's an old tradition too. Back in the 30s when country singer Jimmie Davis was a Senator and later Governor of Texas he used his song "You Are My Sunshine" in his campaigns and Louisiana Governor Pappy O'Daniel was a band leader band and used gospel music and dixieland.
This aspect of history and pop culture was treated with great comic effect in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
RE: It's a symptom of the tragic divisiveness which has gripped our nation in recent years, that we've forgotten that even though we believe in different methods and different institutions, most Americans share many of the same basic values regardless of political persuasion.
But of course there have been some (not all) conservatives who want to try to insist that only conservatives and Republicans are real Americans, and everyone else is, well, probably, French.
12 - handyguy
I wasn't arguing with you, exactly, but if I were Bruce Springsteen I would resent a right-winger using my songs too. It's perfectly understandable. And the song is about anger, not reconciliation.
13 - Clavos
"But of course there have been some (not all) conservatives who want to try to insist that only conservatives and Republicans are real Americans, and everyone else is, well, probably, French."
Oh please. Even Democrats are superior to the Frogs.
Actually, the only real Americans are the Mexicans and their northern brethren, the Native Americans; all the rest of you are uninvited illegals.
14 - Dr Dreadful
Clav, be careful off at whom you shoot your bouche.
I am one-sixteenth French, m'sieur, and proud of it.
So are you, if je me souviens correctly.
Merde!
15 - Clavos
Ribet.
16 - Alec
RE: Oh please. Even Democrats are superior to the Frogs.
Chill out. My comment that "everyone else is, well, probably, French." was a dig at the Freedom fries foolishness foisted on us by conservative dim bulbs, and also a nod to a little whimsy from Mark Twain, which has often been mis-interpreted to be Franco-phobe.
"I have no special regard for Satan; but, I can at least claim that I have no prejudice against him. It may even be that I lean a little his way, on account of his not having a fair show. All religions issue bibles against him, and say the most injurious things about him, but we never hear his side. We have none but the evidence for the prosecution, and yet we have rendered the verdict. To my mind, this is irregular. It is un-English, it is un-American; it is French."
17 - Dr Dreadful
Oh, come on, Alec. It's Saturday night. You should know we're just avin a laff.
18 - Alec
RE: Oh, come on, Alec. It's Saturday night. You should know we're just avin a laff.
Well, I'm blogging on a Saturday evening because I have a badly sprained ankle, and a handful of medications. My ear for humor may be slightly off. But point noted.
19 - Clavos
"Chill out"???
OK, most Democrats are superior to Frogs.
Obviously, you're the exception that proves the rule...
20 - Alec
RE: OK, most Democrats are superior to Frogs. Obviously, you're the exception that proves the rule...
Not a Democrat. In fact, from the very first time that I was eligible to vote, I registered as an Independent.
Permanent allegiance to any political party is for the weak minded, and the French.
21 - Clavos
Ah, well, that explains it.
Independents are definitely not superior to the Frogs.
22 - Christopher Rose
Doc, exactly which part of you is French? Have you considered surgery?
23 - Silver Surfer
I suggest he get 7/8s of his brain removed.
No, hang on, that's the operation you have to turn yourself into a Frenchman.
Get all of it removed Doc, just to be on the safe side. Imagine that. And you're living Stateside, too, so you'd fit in perfectly and wouldn't have to do anything else to keep that green card.
Everyone would just realise straight up that you're a Pom :)
24 - Colin
And, to think America and France used to be so close! Fellow revolutionaries and all that. I felt sorry for the Bruce, and, whatever the copyright rules are it must be painful for an artist to have their work used by someone, or think, they don't approve of.
After there are many thousands of equally talented right wing artists who would be only too happy to have their songs used - Ted Nugent and Dave Mustaine could, I'm sure, come up with a compelling tune for the republican party! And, we Brits, are of course mightily pleased that our Conservative party can use the inspirational vocals of former Spandau Ballet leader Tony Hadley - go on Camo, you know it makes sense! Gold, always believing in Gold!
Could I suggest a general political anthem Nine Inch Nails' Head Like a Hole: "Bow down before the one you serve. you're going to get what you deserve."
25 - Colin
Sorry, that should read "someone, or thing"