Whatever Happened to Political Campaign Theme Songs?

It wasn’t that long ago that every Presidential campaign had its own theme song. Even George Washington had one. Thomas Jefferson. Abraham Lincoln. Even Jimmy Carter.

But in recent decades, the music stopped. Or at least went Top 40. Presidential campaigns switched from original campaign themes to using hit pop songs, which has sparked a flurry of lawsuits from artists.

Whatever happened to the original campaign theme song?

Folk music historian Oscar Brand has recorded many historical Presidential campaign theme songs with a record for Smithsonian Folkways

William Hochberg of Greenberg Glusker discusses the long history of President campaign theme songs from the days of Washington to modern era of artist lawsuits.