It’s that month when every four years a President is inaugurated. As we might imagine, over the decades the music around that ceremony and its attendant events has varied with the times. “Hail to the Chief” is the one tune that remains attached to the inauguration of the President of the United States, officially, since Andrew Jackson used it in 1829. The tune has been associated with the office since 1815 when it was played to honor George Washington and the end of the War of 1812, though it was then called “Wreaths for the Chieftain”. Subsequent to Jackson’s tenure, Martin van Buren, John Tyler, and James Polk continued the tradition. In fact, Polk’s wife, First Lady Sara Childress Polk, requested the anthem’s use on a regular basis to announce the arrival of the President. A historian of the day noted that “Polk was not an impressive figure, so some announcement was necessary to avoid the embarrassment of his entering a crowded room unnoticed. At large affairs the band rolled the drums as they played the march… and a way was cleared for the President.”
President Chester Arthur did not like the tune, so he asked John Philip Sousa to compose a new song titled “Presidential Polonaise”. It didn’t catch on, and after Arthur left office, the Marine Band resumed playing “Hail to the Chief” for public appearances by the President. In 1954 the Department of Defense made it the official tribute to the President, and the song, preceded by four ruffles and flourishes on drums and bugles, accompanies the appearance of the President at many public events, including inauguration ceremonies. It is also played during a President’s state funeral specifically after the casket is removed from the hearse, every time. Incidentally, the four ruffles and flourishes represent the highest number of such tributes reserved to only the highest office in the United States.
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“Hail to the Chief” has lyrics, though 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 is our strong firm belief.
Hail the one we selected as commander,
Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!