Who Won This Election? You Might Be Surprised

Presidential Campaign Songs Through the Years..

Presidential Campaign Songs Through the Years.

The early results are in already. We know who’s won the 2012 election as President…..with the best campaign song.

After a summer and fall of endless stories about the campaign songs which won the presidency for candidates since 1896, and with the opportunity to listen and discern to all twenty of them, they were grouped into four categories within which readers had the chance to chose the best one.  You can hear them all at this link: https://carlanthonyonline.com/2012/10/24/vote-here-now-for-president-with-the-best-campaign-music/

And here are the results…

JFK & Frank Sinatra.

Fourth place is actually a tie between two men who ran against each other for the 1960 Democratic nomination, then served together as President and Vice President, the latter going on to serve in his own right.

LBJ & Carol Channing.

From the third category of “Adapters,” each polling at 26.67 percent each were John F. Kennedy, whose campaign song, High Hopes was adapted and performed by Frank Sinatra, and Lyndon B. Johnson, whose campaign song Hello Lyndon! was adapted and performed by Carol Channing. They beat out FDR, Truman and Eisenhower.

Harding & Al Jolson.

Taking third place, topping his opponentss McKinley, Rosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Coolidge and Hoover of the “Originals” category with 27.27 percent. is Warren G. Harding, whose campaign song, Mr. Harding, We’re All For You was written as an original song and performed by Al Jolson.

Nixon & Connie Francis.

The second highest rate of all the presidential campaign songs came from the “Revivalists” category with 54.55 percent among his competition of Ford and Carter was Richard Nixon. His song, Nixon’s the One was performed by Connie Francis.

Clinton & Nicks.

The winner of all the twenty Presidents came from the last category of the “Appropriators.” That President whose song earned the greatest number of votes was Bill Clinton. His campaign song, Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow took 56.25 in his category, beating out Reagan, Bush, Bush and Obama.

What conclusion might political analysts reach? Winners from two entries were Republicans and winners from the other two were Democrats – so the nation is evenly split on which party turns out Presidents with the best campaign songs. Four of the five were U.S. Semators whereas only one, Clinton, was Governor. Two died in office – and one resigned. Two were impeached. Two led us through war. Three (Harding, Nixon, Clinton) proposed national health care programs of varying degrees.

Perhaps no conclusion can be definitively made except that by intent or luck they had fun songs.

So, as the more important election is going on today, if you are waiting on line to vote and your smartphone is juiced up, listen one more time to the four winning Presidential campaign songs.

Here they are:


Categories: Campaign Music, Politics, Pop Culture, Presidents

4 replies »

  1. Carl,
    I enjoyed your thoroughly researched blog on the intersection of political campaigns and pop music to help influence voters. One pop culture icon, Mae West, who wisely stayed out of these murky waters, sagely quipped, “I don’t know a lot about politics, but I can recognise a good party man when I see one.”
    Interestingly enough, when Mae recorded her MGM record album, “Great Balls Of Fire,” in 1968, one of the tracks was “How Miss West Won World Peace.” Because the original session tape sat in the MGM vault for a few years, when the recording was finally released, West had to re-record the song because some of the world leaders mentioned in the lyrics had long since left the political arena.

    • I think I have heard that one – an assiduous chronicler of her life and career once sent it to me 🙂 One fact I wanted to share, something I learned from former President Carter – he and Mae West exchanged signed autograph pictures and admired one another! Of course, she had a fairly good dead ringer for him do a “cameo” at the end of her last film, when all the leading representatives of the United Nations are gathered together. Anyway, thank you so much – you add quite a bit to stories about her. Cheers.

  2. What about Nixon’s ’72 song (Nixon Now)?

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