Top 10 Songs About A President

A bronze sculpture by Robert Graham of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. President (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

On this day in 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used a campaign dinner with the Teamsters to do what any red-blooded American would do: he defended his own reputation and the honor of his dog.

Seems that the opposition party during the then-current election campaign claimed that FDR had left his trusty companion, Fala, in the Aleutian Islands and then had him returned to the US on an aircraft carrier at the cost of $20 million dollars. Not true, FDR declared with tongue in cheek, saying that his critics had “sullied the reputation of a defenseless dog” as a distraction to voters.

No one has written a song about that incident that I know of, but there are plenty of songs about Presidents floating around.

Here are the Top 10.

10. Devo – “Whip It”: Supposedly the line about whipping your problems was intended as encouragement to then President Carter.

9. Stevie Wonder – “You Haven’t Done Nothin’”: Stevie putting the hammer down on Nixon.

8. The Honey Drippers – “Impeach the President”: Appeared in 1973. You can guess who they were talking about.

7. Charlie Poole – “White House Blues”: A grim Carolina folk song about the assassinated President, William McKinley.

6. The Byrds – “He Was a Friend of Mine”: A sorrowful tune about the assassination of JFK.

5. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Ohio”: “Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming…”

4. Bright Eyes – “When the President Talks to God”: Giving Nixon a break, Conor Oberst takes a shot at Dubya.

3. James Brown – “Funky President”: Supposedly about Gerald Ford, who could apparently both got down and fell down.

2. They Might Be Giants – “James K. Polk”: Fun and educational.

1. Dion – “Abraham, Martin and John”: Fairly well says it all.

More of Michael’s Top 10 picks can be found here …