Musicians have been making statements about our government and administrations for decades. The 60's really started to heat things up with opposition to the Vietnam War; we heard musicians such as Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, The Beatles, etc. scathe our government through their song lyrics. Later in the 70's the sentiment continued and the Eagles made some great songs about government, namely "On The Border" which was about the Nixon administration. Punk rock ushered in many bands to revolt against the system--be it British or American, and the ever popular U2 was built upon their political statements. Years later, Rage Against The Machine offered up some choice opinions of The Man.
One evening at the dinner table, our family was engaging in Presidential Trivia ... and my husband asked the kids what President was nicknamed "Tricky Dick." I could hardly contain myself when 16 year-old Andrew answered ... Bill Clinton.
Of course I have to twist things here, there & yonder and compare it to music. On this President's Day I thought it would be fun to come up with a Presidential Song List so we can celebrate the men who have led our great country. My family helped me compile a list of songs that might pair up with these good men....
PRESIDENTIAL SONG LIST:
PRESIDENTIAL SONG LIST:
George Washington - Martha My Dear by The Beatles (ok..had a hard time with George...let me know if you can think of a better song )
John Adams - "I'm Shipping up to Boston" - Dropkick Murphys
John Adams - "I'm Shipping up to Boston" - Dropkick Murphys
Thomas Jefferson - "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones
James Madison - "Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton
Andrew Jackson - "Country Man" by Buddy Guy
William Henry Harrison - "Hail, Hail to Old Purdue"
John Tyler - "Yellow Rose of Texas" - American folk song
James Polk - "Roll Out The Barrel" Polka......
Zachary Taylor - "When the Saints Go Marching In" - American Gospel Hymm
Abraham Lincoln - "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by The Band
Andrew Johnson - "Back in the USSR" - by The Beatles
Ulysses S. Grant - "Whiskey in the Jar" an Irish Folk Song
Grover Cleveland - "It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right" by Rob Base
William McKinley - "Aloha Oe" a Hawaiian folk song composed by Queen Liliuokalani
Theodore Roosevelt - "Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley
William Howard Taft - "Splish Splash" by Bobby Darin
Woodrow Wilson - "Copperhead Road" by Steve Earle
Herbert Hoover - "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" by Bing Crosby
Woodrow Wilson - "Copperhead Road" by Steve Earle
Herbert Hoover - "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" by Bing Crosby
Franklin Delano Roosevelt - "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters
Harry S. Truman - "You Dropped a Bomb On Me" by The Gap Band
Dwight D. Eisenhower - "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane
John F. Kennedy, Jr. - "Fly Me To The Moon" by Frank Sinatra
Lyndon B. Johnson - "(This is Where) The Cowboy Rides Away" by George Strait
Richard Milhaus Nixon - "Ohio" by Neil Young
Gerald Ford - "I Beg Your Pardon" by Lynn Anderson
Jimmy Carter - "If I Had a Hammer" by Peter, Paul & Mary (written by Pete Seeger)
Ronald Reagan - "America" by The Charlie Daniels Band
George Bush - "Taxman" by The Beatles
Bill Clinton - "I'm Busted" by Ray Charles(do I really have to elaborate ?)
George W. Bush - "Know Your Enemy" by Rage Against the Machine
Barack Obama -"Loves Me Like a Rock" by Paul Simon (ok the significance for this one is odd....during the last Presidential election, this song came on and my kids thought Paul Simon was singing "Loves Me Like Ba-rack" - and the song contains these lyrics "If I was President, the minute Congress would call my name... I say now "Who Do .. who do you think you're fooling?" I've got the Presidential seal...I'm up on Presidential podium... oh my Mama loves me... she loves me" ... so we thought this was perfect for President Obama.
Now for fun. The person that sends me the most answers for the significance of each song to the President will win a FREE copy of Recipe Records-the 60's Edition! Send via my email address below.
Say a prayer of remembrance and gratitude for living in our great country and appreciate the men who kept it together for us.
Peace & Rock & Roll,
Lanea
Recipe Records
www.reciperecords.webs.com
reciperecordsml@aol.com
*Thank you for all of the pre-orders for Recipe Records-a Culinary Tribute to The Beatles! Don't forget to reserve your copy TODAY at www.reciperecords.webs.com
2 comments:
What a unique idea and list of songs linking to the presidents! Making your blog fresh and fun keeps us coming back.
Carl Hoffman
The 60s Official Site
Love the list, Lanea (and wanted to try my alliteration on you, too)! Good on ya, woman.
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