In 1960, John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign featured the popular song “High Hopes,” with lyrics written especially for the song by Frank Sinatra.
KE Double N EDY
Jack is the nation’s favorite man.
Everyone wants to root for Jack
Jack is on the right track
He has high expectations
He has high expectations
1960 was a year of great hope for him.
Music has been part of the American political landscape since day one, because the right music can set a candidate apart from the others. Mark Craig, a professor of music history at the University of Michigan, says election music dates back to the founding of the country, “going back to George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. In fact, it goes back even further than the days of the broad popular vote, when the Electoral College was at the center. Music has still been part of the debate and a way to bring passion to politics.”
Talk about passion: The 2024 election is taking on the appearance of a battle of the bands, starting with Kid Rock at the Republican National Convention in July.
Then, a few weeks later, Democrats turned a roll call into a dance party led by DJ Cassidy.
A catchy song can become a campaign’s calling card, a perpetual free ad. Take Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” for Bill Clinton or Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” for Ronald Reagan, which took on special meaning in the days after 9/11.
Greenwood said he wrote the song for all Americans and that he initially didn’t want it to be used in political campaigns. “No, I was concerned at first. In 1984, the Democratic Party called me and asked me to perform ‘USA’ at their San Francisco convention, but I refused. The Republican Party also invited me to perform at their Dallas convention, but I refused that too.”
However, in 1988, when President Reagan asked Greenwood to sing the song, he agreed, and it has since become the Republican Party’s national anthem.
Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the USA” at the 1988 Republican National Convention.
Greenwood also sang the song at the Republican National Convention last summer.
So if a Democrat asked him to use the song, would he give permission? “If that question came up, I’d have to consider it,” Greenwood says. “This is the fourth or fifth Republican president I’ve sung for, but I’ve sung for 10 presidents – Obama, Clinton, Carter, Nixon, Bush. So if another Democratic president wanted to use ‘God Bless USA,’ I don’t know if it would be wise, but I’d have to consider it.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has musician friends, most notably Beyoncé, who has given her permission to use her song “Freedom” on the campaign trail.
The Harris campaign ad, “We Choose Freedom,” features Beyonce’s song “Freedom.”
But what if a musician doesn’t want their music to be used? Abba To The Rolling Stonessaid “no” to the Trump campaign.
of Isaac Hayes’ family disagreed. The Trump campaign’s use of “Hold On, I’m Comin'” and an Atlanta judge last week A preliminary injunction was issued prohibiting its use..
and Celine Dion When the Trump campaign used the theme song from the movie Titanic, “My Heart Will Go On,” he protested, asking, “Is that really the song?”
Lawrence Eiser is a Los Angeles music copyright attorney who successfully sued the John McCain campaign for use of music copyrights. ‘Running on Empty’ by Jackson Browne. “If you’re told not to use it and you continue to use it, that’s copyright infringement,” Eiser said, “and it’s actionable. It’s actionable in federal court, which means you can sue them.”
“So if you’re a political candidate, you need to respect the constitutional right of musicians and songwriters to say no to their songs being used in political campaigns,” Iser said.
Music may not be able to change voters’ minds, but it can move their hearts. “Music has choruses that stick in your head and you can’t forget them,” Craig says. “And that’s part of the power of music, and you know, a campaign speech never can.”
More information:
Story Producer: Jon D’Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.
more