Presidential Campaign Songs: 1789 - 1996

Oscar Brand

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B00000IWN9
• In-Print Editions: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #108,750 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From George Washington through Bill Clinton, Presidential Campaign Songs celebrates American barnstorm serenades in all their dubious glory. As anyone who's witnessed a political rally can testify, pols aren't artists--and don't tend to have an appetite for understatement or elegance, as proved by the likes of "Get On a Raft with Taft" (rather a dicey metaphor for 27th president William H. Taft, given that he weighed more than 300 pounds) and "Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge" (for prez No. 30, Silent Cal). But no matter. Folk patriarch Oscar Brand knows his stuff and brings verve to some hoary but charming ballot anthems. Brand, who released a collection called Election Songs of the United States in 1952, decided to update the record in 1997, adding the likes of "Buckle Down with Nixon" and Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" (Bill Clinton's baby-boomer stump staple) to a repertoire that includes "Huzzah for Madison, Huzzah" and "Grant, Grant, Grant." Extensive liner notes make this package particularly appealing to history buffs. --Steven Stolder

Product Description

*Attack ads*, *character assassinations*, and *spin doctors* are not new in American Presidential campaigns. Before radio and television, campaign songs were written and published to transmit similar ideas and influence voters. This collection includes one song from the campaign of every President, from George Washington to William Clinton performed by folk singer Oscar Brand and recorded in 1998. Set to marches and popular tunes, accompanied by banjo, guitar, percussion, and wind, these songs present some of the enduring themes of American political campaigns and the events that have influenced them. Includes "Follow Washington," "Jefferson and Liberty," "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," "Lincoln and Liberty," "Grant, Grant, Grant," "Roosevelt the Cry," "I'm Just Wild About Harry," "Buckle Down With Nixon," "California Here We Come," "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" and 33 others. For ages 9 and up, 69 minutes, extensive notes. "One of the most thoroughly unique folk records released in 1999, Presidential Campaign Songs is also a thorough and unique look at America's political history…. An important and well-crafted historical document, Presidential Campaigning Songs educates and entertains in equal measure." -Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oscar Brand's Election Song Tribute Wins Comfortably, July 19, 1999

By	James M. Dickey (Alexandria, Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a long-time Oscar Brand fan, I was delighted to hear that he and Folkways\Smithsonian Records had issued on CD a new version of his vinyl tribute to that now nearly obsolete form of popular culture, the Presidential campaign song. Now that I have actually listened to it, I have no grounds for disappointment. Brand has recorded a song for nearly every U.S. President, some well-known, some fairly obscure for this excellent collection. I deny it a five-star rating only for a couple of factual errors in the liner notes and an extremely mild ideological bias, alas, all too typical of the folk-singing community (why is the song for President Reagan by far the shortest in the collection?) Still, highly recommended, if for no other reason than it is, to my knowledge, only the second CD on the subject released as of this date!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Music!, October 3, 2009

By	James B. Saunders (Astoria, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Campaign election songs, particularly Presidential campaign election songs are a vital part of American history. They are funny, vicious, accurate and inaccurate, and mmsically delightfull. Oscar Brand's CD of these classic songs is a treasure.
They don't sing songs like "Get On the Raft With Taft" anymore. (It's an interesting analogy; Taft weighed over 300 pounds!) And Oscar Brand's voice amazes me. He sounds the same as he did on the "Bawdy" ballads we listened to in college forty years ago!

James B. Saunders

5.0 out of 5 stars Campaign Songs, November 23, 2008

By	Conners (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent collection of campaign songs. I teach US government in a high school in Philadelphia, and I use these songs in my class to help commemorate some presidential birthdays. It's quirky, but the students enjoy it, and learn about the presidents, their campaigns, and the times. I recommend this to any history or govt teacher.