Hail to the Chief

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For the television series, see Hail to the Chief (TV series).

"Hail to the Chief" is the official anthem of the President of the United States. The song accompanies the President at almost every public appearance. The U.S. Department of Defense made "Hail to the Chief" the official music to announce the President of the United States in 1954. The song is preceded by four ruffles and flourishes when played for the President.

[edit] History

Though one hears that it was spun off a traditional rowing song of the loch areas of the Scottish Highlands, its London author is not known to have ventured north of the Trent. Verses from Sir Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake, including "Hail to the Chief who in triumph advances!" were set to music ca 1810 by the songwriter James Sanderson (1769-1841), a self-taught English violinist and the conductor of the Surrey Theatre, London, who wrote many songs for local theatrical productions during the 1790s and the early years of the nineteenth century:

Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er,

Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,

Dream of battled fields no more,

Days of danger, nights of waking.

(The Lady of the Lake, 1810)

Scott's romance was quickly made into unauthorized romantic melodramas. In November 1810, Scott wrote to a friend that "The Lady of the Lake" was being made into a play by Martin and Reynolds in London and by a Mr. Siddons in Edinburgh. About the same time Scott received a letter from a friend and army officer who ended his note with a copy of the music of the Boat Song, "Hail to the Chief."

A version of Lady of the Lake debuted in New York May 8, 1812, and "Hail to the Chief" was published in Philadelphia about the same time, as 'March and Chorus in the Dramatic Romance of the Lady of the Lake'. Many parodies appeared, a sure sign of universal popularity.

On July 4, 1828, the Marine Band performed the song at a ceremony for the formal opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which was attended by President John Quincy Adams. The song was first played to announce the arrival of the president at James K. Polk's inauguration on March 4, 1845. It was Julia Tyler, wife of Polk's predecessor, John Tyler, who suggested that the song be played when a president made an appearance.

Lyrics by Albert Gamse are set to the tune, but are rarely sung:

Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,

Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all.

Hail to the Chief, as we pledge cooperation

In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.

Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,

This you will do, that's our strong, firm belief.

Hail to the one we selected as commander,

Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!

[edit] Cultural references

Based on the popular anthem, the expression "Hail to the Chief" is occasionally used in American culture as a friendly or not-so-friendly mocking of authority figures. In a similar satirical vein, two video productions have used this phrase as their titles. Hail (1971), also known as Hail to the Chief, was a dark comedy starring Richard B. Shull as a presidential advisor who discovers his Chief's assembling of a private army to put down domestic unrest. Hail to the Chief (1985) was a short-lived television comedy from the creators of Soap, with Patty Duke as the first female U.S. president. "Hail to the Chief" was referenced in the lyrics of the song "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Hail to the Thief (subtitled The Gloaming) is the sixth studio album by British rock band Radiohead, released in June 2003.

In the movie My Fellow Americans (1996) former presidents Russell P. Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and Matt Douglas (James Garner) had each made up their own lyrics to "Hail to the Chief". Kramer's version was "Hail to the Chief, he's the chief and he needs hailing / He is the chief so you all had better hail like crazy." Douglas's version was more sinister: "Hail to the Chief, if you don't I'll have to kill you / I am the chief, so you'd better watch your step, you bastards." The movie M*A*S*H (1970) also featured a version of "Hail to the Chief" beginning, "Hail to the Chief / He's the best of all the surgeons." The film Dave included a version of the song sung by the main character while in the shower, including the lines "Hail to the Chief/He's the one we all say hail to./We all say Hail to the Chief/'Cause he keeps himself so clean./He's got the power/That's why he's in the shower."

In Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions (1973), his character Kilgore Trout has written a short story about "an optimistic chimpanzee who became President of the United States." "Everywhere he went, bands would play 'Hail to the Chief'. The chimpanzee loved it. He would bounce up and down." In The Simpsons, Homer watches the movie Hail to the Chimp with a similar plot. When his policies are questioned, the chimp becomes frenzied and starts pummeling and screaming; seeing this, Homer jovially exclaims, "That's what you get for not hailing to the chimp!". In the episode "Deep Space Homer," he is seen wearing an apron with "Hail To The Chef" written on it. In a similar vein, Bender of Futurama has a "Heil to the Chef" apron.

The children's television series Arthur plays "Hail to the Chief" every time there is an imaginary sequence of a character, usually D.W., as the president in the future.

Washington Nationals pitcher Chad Cordero is nicknamed "The Chief", and the Nationals show the message "Hail to the Chief!" on the display screens in RFK Stadium whenever he enters a game.

During the Watergate years, protesters commonly sung this song as "Jail to the Thief".

Crazy Crakaz made a version of Hail to the Chief, which criticized President Bush (see below).

[edit] External link

• Ruffles and flourishes with "Hail to the Chief" (MP3)

Patriotic music of the United States

"America the Beautiful" | "Ballad of the Green Berets" | "Battle Cry of Freedom" | "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" | "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean" | "For The Dear Old Flag, I Die" | "God Bless America" | "God Bless the USA" | "Hail Columbia" | "Hail to the Chief" | "The Liberty Bell" | "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" | "Over There" | "PT-109" | "The Stars and Stripes Forever" | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | "There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" | "This is My Country" | "This Land Is Your Land" | "Yankee Doodle" | "The Yankee Doodle Boy" | "You're a Grand Old Flag" | "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"