Even though Starbucks has already declared that pumpkin spice latte season has started, we are not talking about the holiday season. We are talking about campaign season and presidential campaign songs have an interesting history. Campaign music goes all the way back to George Washington’s time. In those days, candidates adapted popular songs of the day with lyrics specific to the candidate. Think about songs like “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” which some historians believe helped William Harrison into office in the election of 1840. Original songs written for a candidate were also common for a while. Connie Francis sang “Nixon’s the One” in 1968, but the song didn’t catch on. It didn’t matter. Nixon was elected in spite of his lukewarm campaign song.

It was really Ronald Regan who started the modern-day practice of walk-on, walk-off music using popular songs of the day. He chose Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” for his campaign music. Here are the candidates and the songs they used during their campaigns. How did you do?

“Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac Bill Clinton

“Crazy” by Patsy Cline Ross Perot

“Signed Sealed Delivered” by Stevie Wonder Barack Obama

“Take A Chance on Me” by ABBA John McCain

“American Girl” by Tom Petty Hilary Clinton

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones Donald Trump

“Freedom” by Beyonce Kamala Harris

Music critic for Variety, Chris Willman, points out that most songs chosen recently for campaign music come out of the rock-and-roll genre. Most of these performers identify as Democrats, so the candidates who typically get in the most trouble for appropriating campaign songs without permission are Republicans. At least they are the ones who get the most cease-and-desist letters.

Happy Election Season! You’ll probably need that pumpkin spice latte.