Journal Article Analysis

The article “The American Tune: Postwar Campaign Songs in a Changing Nation” by Jodi Larson highlights the popular use of songs for political campaigns beginning in the postwar era with such songs as Irving Berlin’s “We Like Ike”. This article explores how campaign music has evolved over time from the political songs that appealed to many to the campaigns of today that use many unmemorable songs throughout the campaign, irrelevant to all politics (Larson, 2009).

The main idea the author portrays is that campaign songs give us a glimpse into the time period they are used in. They “not only reflect important shifts in American political culture but also mark a shift from a clear dichotomy on consensus and counterculture to a blended and borderless era of cultural niches” (Larson, 2009, p.4-5.)

The campaign songs of the postwar era give much historical background to help us understand that time period. From post World War II until the mid 1960s, it was popular for show tunes to be rewritten as campaign songs and celebrities were used to reinforce a candidate’s relevancy. Campaign songs also referenced The New Deal either positively or negatively which reflected a candidate’s position on issues. During this time period, “the New Deal led to a consensus in politics, and ultimately in culture, which was formed around the Cold War and the principles of unity [and] economic growth” (Larson, 2009, p. 4). But during the late 1960s and 1970s this consensus started to become split due to escalation in the Vietnam War, The Civil Rights Movement and a recession. People either wanted songs from the past or looking ahead to the future because they were dissatisfied with the present. Counterculture became the driver for campaign songs because people took pride in their specific culture. Instead of rewritten show tunes, campaigns used folk music, country, or rock n roll to reach voters. However, they still incorporated relevant political issues into the songs. Ever since, campaigns have stayed away from the “musical traditions established during the postwar era”(Larson, 2009, p 5). The author states, “The end of this era and the subsequent changes to American politics can be heard in the evolution of campaign music from the postwar era to the present. When the nation lost direction, so did its campaign songs” (Larson, 2009, p.5).

In the 1980s a new, more emotional style of campaign songs emerged and the political references within them began to disappear. “After the Iran hostage crisis, inflation, unemployment, and a decade of what was termed ‘malaise,’ the American people did not respond to politics in campaign music but rather the lack of it” (Larson, 2009, p. 17). Since the 1980s, campaign songs have tried to elicit emotion rather than a message concerning politics. The author states, “The use of formerly countercultural music in political campaigns has become ubiquitous. The once marginalized genres are now the primary source for political music”(Larson, 2009, p. 21). Today, the multiple songs used in campaigns are chosen to target specific demographics (Larson, 2009).

This article makes it clear how the events and beliefs during specific time periods have influenced campaign songs and how an analysis of these campaign songs gives us a glimpse into the past and present. Today I find that campaign songs are much like any marketing campaign. If you want a specific audience to buy into it, you must tailor your message to their needs and wants which is basically what the multiple songs in today’s campaigns do.

References
Larson, J. (2009, February). American tune: Postwar campaign songs in a changing nation. Journal of Popular Culture, 42(1), 3-26.