October 9, 2008–March 7, 2009

This exhibition presents a sampling of the rich collection of campaign songs housed in the Music Division of the Library of Congress. From pocket-sized songsters to sheet music, the wide variety of subjects reflect virtually every party platform and national issue on which presidential elections have focused. This look at presidential campaign songs, whose melodies so faithfully mirrored contemporary popular music and whose lyrics ranged from broad satire to sincere political expression, demonstrates just how effective a messenger music can be.