“Huzzah for Madison, Huzzah.”

I wrote my music column this week about campaign songs. Things like George’s “Follow Washington,” which was, no doubt, the earliest. George showed up in his general’s outfit when they were picking the President, despite no longer being in the Army; he knew how to make the right impression.

John Adams used “Adams and Liberty,” while Thomas Jefferson had “For Jefferson and Liberty.” If it worked for one person, it might very well work for the next, so just change the names. Now here’s a campaign song you don’t hear very often: “Huzzah for Madison, Huzzah.” You don’t even hear “huzzah” that much anymore.

“Little Know Ye Who’s Coming.” Little know ye this was John Quincy Adams’ weird campaign song. A picture of the apocalypse that will descend on the United States if Adams doesn't win the election. The song predicts that violence will break out, warns that plagues and famine will sweep the land, and warns that Satan will stride the nation. All this will "be comin' if John Quincy not be comin'." [From hulver.com]

“We’ve Got Another Washington and Wilson Is His Name,” for Ph.D. (I think) Woodrow. Then Rutherford (or “Rutherfraud,” for how the election was supposedly thrown) Hayes had “The Boys In Blue Will See It Through.” Then there was “Get On A Raft With Taft” (William Howard, I presume), while Old Rough-and-Ready Zach Taylor settled for “Rumadum Dum,” which may refer to drum beats, rather than an effective beverage.