Hail to the chief
The origin of the presidents song.
If you watched the Inauguration events for Joe Biden, on January 20 you probably heard something that you gave no thought to. The day and evening events for the 46th President of the United States included the song “ Hail to the Chief”. What you might not have realized, however, is that it has been a while since we have heard this song as it was not utilized much during the previous administration. President number 45, Donald Trump rarely used the traditional melody to introduce himself when making public appearances. He opted instead for his own pep rally music when he spoke in front of his supporters.
Most of the time President Trump used the country tune “ God bless the USA.” I found this interesting considering that the former POTUS enjoyed throwing his power around. “ Hail to the Chief” would have seemed like the ideal song for him. There is, however, no protocol regarding what is known to be the presidential anthem.
Traditionally the President's U.S. Marine Band plays “Hail to the Chief” to announce the arrival of a POTUS, who is America's current Commander in Chief. As a side note, last summer my college English teacher told the class that it is incorrect to call the president the Commander in Chief unless there is a current war taking place. He only assumes this position when making decisions related to the military. “ Hail to the Chief” is also played immediately after the inauguration of a new President to announce to the world that he has taken the oath of office. “Hail to the Chief” begins with four “ Ruffles and Flourishes" in succession which is the is the intro to the song.
The lyrics are as follows.
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 is our strong, firm belief.
Hail to the one we selected as commander,
Hail to the President!
Hail to the Chief!
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.
“Hail to the Chief" is the personal anthem of the President of the United States, of America and not used in any other venue. It was adapted by James Sanderson and published on May 8 in 1812 from an original Scottish Gaelic melody. The lyrics were penned by Albert Gamse. “Hail to the Chief" was first associated with a Chief Executive Officer on February 22, 1815, to honor George Washington as well as the end of the War of 1812. At that time, the tune was played under the title "Wreaths for the Chieftain".
The song was already pretty popular when the Marine Band played it on May 28, 1829. This was during the laying of the cornerstone for the first lock of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. President Andrew Jackson was in attendance and this was the first documented performance of "Hail to the Chief" being utilized for a sitting POTUS. We can thank two former First Ladies, Sarah Polk and Julia Tyler for being the first to use Hail to the Chief to announce the arrival of the president during an official event.
These women had the song played for their husbands John Tyler and James Polk who were the 10th and 11th US Presidents. In 1954, the Department of Defense created a policy that officially deemed "Hail to the Chief" as a tribute to the President of the United States. There is no explanation as to why Donald Trump skipped this tradition but it's nice that President Joe Biden has brought it back. Hearing this melody just makes everything seem official and presidential.
About the Creator
Cheryl E Preston
Cheryl is a widow who enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.
Keep reading
More stories from Cheryl E Preston and writers in The Swamp and other communities.
Donald Trump followers could end up in limbo with nowhere to vent their anger
News reports indicate that although he never conceded the election and continued to say it was stolen from him, Donald Trump did something quite out of character. He left the traditional letter to his predecessor, Joe Biden. No one knows what was in the note or what is now on the agenda of the former POTUS. This could, however, become a big red flag for the MEGA maniacs and Trumpeteers. After 4 years of hateful rhetoric and inciting the mob to attack the White House, the Donald might be on to bigger and better things. Consider if you will that he is a businessman who is concerned with the "Art of the Deal" and who loves winning. By leaving Joe Biden a note, it could indicate that the former President has had a brief moment of clarity.
By Cheryl E Preston3 years ago in The Swamp
We Are Not Lazy Because We Are On Benefits
My life has not been easy. I struggled at school with bullying and school work with very little support available to me, and that continued into adulthood, where it interfered with my mental health, and my ability to find work.
By Carol Townend11 days ago in The Swamp
Why Britain needs to retain its constitutional monarchy.
Why Britain needs to retain its constitutional monarchy. The British royal family under attack because it matters. In an ever-changing world, we all need some bedrock to stabilise ourselves, we need some form of baseline, a belief or feeling that we can use to compare all else against. We all unconsciously view everything, and form every opinion, by comparison to the baseline. It is almost always unconscious, but our unconsciousness is condition by experience, training, and conditioning. Sometimes there remains an “intuitive” understanding, one not based on actual remembered experience but from some much deeper understanding.
By Peter Rosea day ago in The Swamp
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.