"Hail to the Chief " is a
marchA march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
primarily associated with the
President of the United StatesThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
. Its playing accompanies the appearance of the President at many public appearances. For major official occasions, the
United States Marine BandThe United States Marine Band is a band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States...
and other military ensembles generally are the performers, so directives of the U.S. Department of Defense have since 1954 been the main basis for according it official status. It is preceded by four
ruffles and flourishesRuffles and flourishes are preceding fanfare for ceremonial music for distinguished people.Ruffles are played on drums, and flourishes are played on bugles...
when played for the President.
Verses from Sir
Walter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet, popular throughout Europe during his time....
's
The Lady of the LakeThe Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it is composed of six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day...
, including "Hail to the Chief who in triumph advances!" were set to music around 1821 by the songwriter James Sanderson (c.
"Hail to the Chief " is a
marchA march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
primarily associated with the
President of the United StatesThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
. Its playing accompanies the appearance of the President at many public appearances. For major official occasions, the
United States Marine BandThe United States Marine Band is a band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States...
and other military ensembles generally are the performers, so directives of the U.S. Department of Defense have since 1954 been the main basis for according it official status. It is preceded by four
ruffles and flourishesRuffles and flourishes are preceding fanfare for ceremonial music for distinguished people.Ruffles are played on drums, and flourishes are played on bugles...
when played for the President.
History
Verses from Sir
Walter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet, popular throughout Europe during his time....
's
The Lady of the LakeThe Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it is composed of six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day...
, including "Hail to the Chief who in triumph advances!" were set to music around 1821 by the songwriter James Sanderson (c. 1769- c. 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 19th 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.
-
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 YorkThe history of New York City begins with the Wappinger, a subdivision of the Algonquian speaking Lenape, who inhabited Manhattan prior to the arrival of Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524, and continues with its founding as "New Amsterdam" by the Dutch in 1624 and the period of English rule and its...
May 8, 1812, and "Hail to the Chief" was published in
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
about the same time, as 'March and Chorus in the Dramatic Romance of the Lady of the Lake'. Many parodies appeared, an indication of great popularity.
On July 4, 1828, the U.S. 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 AdamsJohn Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States from March 4, 1825 to March 4, 1829. He was also an American diplomat and served in both the Senate and House of Representatives...
. The song was first played to announce the arrival of the president at
James K. PolkJames Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States .Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, but mostly lived in and represented the state of Tennessee...
's inauguration on March 4, 1845. It was Julia Tyler, wife of Polk's predecessor,
John TylerJohn Tyler, Jr. was the tenth President of the United States and the first to succeed to the office following the death of a predecessor....
, who suggested that the song be played when a president made an appearance.
The lyrics
Lyrics that were written by Albert Gamse are set to James Sanderson's music, but they 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!
The original lyrics, written by Sir Walter Scott, read:
- Hail to the chief, who in triumph advances,
- Honored and bless'd be the evergreen pine!
- Long may the tree in his banner that glances,
- Flourish, the shelter and grace of our line.
- Heav'n send it happy dew,
- Earth lend it sap anew,
- Gaily to bourgeon and broadly to grow;
- While ev'ry highland glen,
- Sends our shout back again,
- "Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho! i-e-roe!"
- Ours is no sapling, chance-sown by the fountain,
- Blooming at Beltane, in winter to fade;
- When the whirlwind has stripp'd ev'ry leaf on the mountain,
- The more shall Clan Alpine exult in her shade.
- Moor'd in the lifted rock,
- Proof to the tempest shock,
- Firmer he roots him, the ruder it blow;
- Menteith and Breadalbane, then,
- Echo his praise again,
- "Roderigh Vich alpine dhu, ho! i-e-roe!"
- Row, vassals, row for the pride of the Highlands!
- Stretch to your oars for the evergreen pine!
- Oh, that the rosebud that graces yon islands,
- Were wreath'd in a garland around him to twine!
- O, that some seedling gem,
- Worthy such noble stem,
- Honor'd and bless'd in their shadow might grow!
- Loud should Clan Alpine then,
- Ring from her deepmost glen,
- "Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho! i-e-roe!"
Known cultural references
- In the film My Fellow Americans
My Fellow Americans is a 1996 comedy film starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner as feuding ex-presidents. Dan Aykroyd, Lauren Bacall, John Heard, Wilford Brimley, Bradley Whitford and Jeff Yagher also appear in supporting performances...
, two ex-Presidents played by Jack LemmonJohn Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts, Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger, The Out-of-Towners, The China Syndrome, Missing, Glengarry Glen...
and James GarnerJames Garner is an American film and television actor.He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
discuss their annoyance at hearing the song played wherever they would go. Humorously, they both admit they made up their own lyrics in their head ("Hail to the chief, he's the chief and he needs hailing, he is the chief so everybody hail like crazy." or "Hail to the Chief if you don't I'll have to kill you, I am the chief so you had better watch your step, you bastards")
- In the film Dave
Dave is a 1993 comedy-drama movie written by Gary Ross, directed by Ivan Reitman, and starring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, and Laura Linney. Ross was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay which is based on Anthony Hope's novel...
, the main character sings a variation including the lyrics, "Hail to the Chief/He's the one we all say hail to./We all say Hail/'Cause he keeps himself so clean./He's got the power/That's why he's in the shower."
- "Hail to the Chief" is referenced in the lyrics of the song "Fortunate Son
"Fortunate Son" is a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their album Willy and the Poor Boys in 1969. It was released as a single, together with "Down on the Corner," in September 1969. This song reached #14 on the United States charts. It won the R.I.A.A...
," written by John FogertyJohn Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. He was born in Berkeley, California and is the younger brother of Tom Fogerty...
and performed by Creedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
.
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor alumnus Gerald R. Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, the 38th President of the United StatesThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
, often had the Naval band play the U of M fight song, "The VictorsThe Victors is the fight song of the University of Michigan . It was composed by UM student Louis Elbel in 1898 following the last-minute football victory over the University of Chicago that clinched a league championship...
," prior to state events instead of "Hail to the Chief." He also selected the song to be played during his funeral procession, which took place December 2006 at the U.S. Capitol.
- "Jail to the Chief" was a slogan first seen on buttons and bumper stickers during the Watergate scandal of President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
.
- The piece features in "The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
" (2007).
- The song is featured in the film "Amistad" (1997).
- The Dixie Chicks came onstage to the strains of "Hail to the Chief" during their "Accidents and Accusations" Tour which opened in Detroit, MI on July 21, 2006
- "Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 9 June 2003. It debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and at number three in the United States, where it sold a greater number of copies in its first week than any of Radiohead's albums to date...
," a play on "Hail to the Chief," is an album by English band RadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992...
, and the phrase is contained in the lyrics of "2 + 2 = 5"2 + 2 = 5 '" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the third and last single from their sixth album Hail to the Thief in 2003. The song reached number 15 on the UK singles chart.-Lyrics and background:...
", a song on the album.
- "Hail to the Thief" was also a slogan which appeared on numerous signs on the 2001 inaugural parade route for George W. Bush
George Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
.
- When President John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was asked what his favorite song was, he replied "Hail to the Chief." The song is normally given a spirited rendering as with any march tune. During Kennedy's funeral procession on November 25, 1963, a much slower rendition was included among the funeral dirge music.
- A shortened version of "Hail to the Chief" is played at funerals of former Presidents when their coffin arrives at a venue.
- A mid-1980s Purity Dairies
Purity Dairies is a Nashville, Tennessee, based dairy company operated by the Ezell family. It offers products throughout Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. The company is owned by Dean Foods.-History:...
commercial starring Ernest P. WorrellErnest P. Worrell was a fictional character portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials and later in a television series as well as a series of motion pictures....
was aired in conjunction with the 1984 presidential election and featured Ernest talking about how his own special interest group -- "Purity lovers" -- have nominated him for president. At the end, while he is dialing the White House on a red telephone, he sings a modified "Hail to the Chief" - "Hail to the chief, he's your buddy and your neighbor."
External links