Playlist: "White House Blues": Music of the Political Process by Smithsonian Folkways
The American political process has been intertwined with music as long
as there has been a United States of America. From "Follow Washington,"
one of many songs written in praise of George Washington, to the popular
theme songs used by present-day candidates, every election cycle has
had its accompanying soundtrack. Before mass media made it possible for
candidates to spread the message across the nation simultaneously,
campaign songs, often set to other popular melodies, were used to reach
broad populations, especially those that could not read newspapers.
Natural accompaniments to political campaign songs are political satire
and protest songs, and both categories are represented here by folk
singer Joe Glazer and civil rights leader Hollis Watkins. Glazer, Oscar
Brand, and Peter Janovsky each recorded albums of presidential campaign
songs that, along with the other songs presented here, are part of the
catalog of Smithsonian Folkways.
Format
Artwork
Title
Notes
Duration / Pages
Date added
Free Elections
performed by Oscar Brand, 1920-; in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1999), 30 secs
Free Elections, in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996
00:30
17 Jul 2013
Song of the Presidents
performed by Oscar Brand, 1920-; in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1999), 4 mins
Song of the Presidents, in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996
04:26
17 Jul 2013
Lincoln and Liberty (Abraham Lincoln)
performed by Oscar Brand, 1920-; in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1999), 2 mins
Lincoln and Liberty (Abraham Lincoln), in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996
02:13
17 Jul 2013
Follow Washington (George Washington)
performed by Oscar Brand, 1920-; in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1999), 1 min
Follow Washington (George Washington), in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996
01:03
17 Jul 2013
If He's Good Enough for Lindy (Herbert Hoover)
performed by Oscar Brand, 1920-; in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1999), 2 mins
If He's Good Enough for Lindy (Herbert Hoover), in Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996
01:39
17 Jul 2013
Brother Can You Spare a Dime?, in Music of American Politics
03:04
17 Jul 2013
Get on the Raft with Taft (Taft)
performed by Peter Janovsky, fl. 1978; in Winners and Losers: Campaign Songs from the Critical Elections in American History, Vol. 2 (Folkways Records, 1980), 2 mins
Get on the Raft with Taft (Taft), in Winners and Losers: Campaign Songs from the Critical Elections in American History, Vol. 2
01:58
17 Jul 2013
White House Blues
performed by John Cohen, 1932- and Mike Seeger, 1933-2009, New Lost City Ramblers; in Songs from the Depression (Folkways Records, 1959), 3 mins
White House Blues, in Songs from the Depression
03:11
17 Jul 2013
Franklin Roosevelt's Back Again
performed by John Cohen, 1932- and Mike Seeger, 1933-2009, New Lost City Ramblers; in Songs from the Depression (Folkways Records, 1959), 2 mins
Franklin Roosevelt's Back Again, in Songs from the Depression
02:22
17 Jul 2013
Al Smith for President
performed by John Cohen, 1932-, New Lost City Ramblers; in American Moonshine and Prohibition Songs (Folkways Records, 1962), 3 mins
Al Smith for President, in American Moonshine and Prohibition Songs
03:16
17 Jul 2013
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