| The Country's in the Very Best of Hands | Li'l Abner (OC 1956) | Stubby Kaye, Peter Palmer, Company | In Impeachment! - The Musical, this would be sung by a chorus of American TV viewers |
| I Believe in You | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (OC 1961) | Paul Reed, Robert Morse, Men's Chorus | Originally, World Wide Widget executives sing "Gotta stop that man" while J. Pierpoint Finch sings "I Believe in You" to himself in a mirror. In I-TM, it's the Republican House and President Clinton. We'll keep the mirror. |
| Progress is the Root of All Evil | Li'l Abner (OC 1956) | Howard St. John | Originally "sung" by General Bullmose. In I-TM it's Henry Hyde. Or Dan Burton. Or Bob Barr. Or.. |
| Washington Square Dance | Call Me Madam (Decca OC 1950) | Ethel Merman, Company |
"Democrats dance to the left, Republicans dance to the right." As the House prepares for hearing, everyone tries to show the spirit of bipartisanship.
Regarding this recording: RCA made the original cast recording but without Merman, who was under contract to Decca. This is from the Decca recording of selections from the show with Merman (whose 91st birthday was January 16th). |
| Senate Roll Call/Impeachment | Of Thee I Sing (Revival Cast 1952) | Company | President Wintergreen faces impeachment because of a romantic indiscretion. Not too many changes necessary for our show. |
| I'm Nothing But a Plain Old Soldier (1863) | Songs by Stephen Foster (1972) | Leslie Guinn |
A Revolutionary War veteran complains that vets get no respect and the country is going to hell. In I-TM this is sung by a character called
The Unknown Soldier. The character is played by different actors and actresses to emphasize the characters univesality. |
| Who Shall Rule This American Nation? (1867) | Tippecanoe and Tyler Too (1992) | Chestnut Brass Company and Friends |
Not Andrew Johnson, as far as Henry Clay Work was concerned. Johnson was considered too conciliatory towards the newly-defeated rebels (ironically, a policy initiated by the now-revered Lincoln). He went on to become the first president to be impeached by radical Republicans.
In I-TM, Hilary Clinton sings this while the faces of members of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy are flashed on a screen upstage. |
| Ma, Ma, Where's My Pa? (1884) | The Hand that Holds the Bread (1978) | Joel Imbody, Vera Grujin, Marianne Specht |
One of the nastiest campaign songs ever written. Grover Cleveland, the Democratic candidate for President, was exposed by the press as the father of an illegitimate child of ten. Cleveland admitted it and noted that he'd been supporting the child and his mother financially all along, but the Republicans were as obsessed with sex then as they are now, and hired songwriter Monroe Rosenfield to write this. Cleveland was elected anyway.
In I-TM, this is part of a video produced by Jerry Falwell that also accuses Clinton of infidelity, murder, child abuse, drug dealing, earthquakes, tornadoes, and bad breath. |
| Go Go Pogo | Songs of the Pogo (1956) | Walt Kelly |
Very rare recording of some of Kelly's songs, long out of print.
This was Pogo's campaign song when he unwillingly ran for President in 1952. In I-TM, Pogo becomes the Republican nominee for 2000. |
| Cool, Considerate Men | 1776 (OC 1969) | Paul Hecht, David Ford, Chorus | We've always had a right wing that wanted to erase recent history. Here's the first bunch from the Continental Congress of 1776. In I-TM, of courese, this is sung by the House Republicans. |
| Is Anybody There | 1776 (OC 1969) | William Daniels | Sung by John Adams originally. In I-TM it's the character of J. Doe. Like the Unknown Soldier, Doe is played by various actors of varying gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. |
| Mr. Premier, distinguished guests | Nixon in China (OC 1987) | James Maddalena |
Alice Goodman's libretto for the 1987 John Adams opera tells a somewhat surrealistic version of the historic trip (2/21 - 27, 1972). In these excerpts from Act I, Scene 3, Nixon speaks at a state banquet.
Nixon later quit before he was fired. |
| Whatever Became of Hubert? | That Was the Year That Was (LP 1966) | Tom Lehrer | Time to think about vice presidents. Here's one who never quite made it to the top. |
| *Acronyms and other mysteries defined:
OC: unless otherwise indicated, the Original Cast recording of a Broadway show, along with the date. OS: unless otherwise indicated, the Original Soundtrack recording of a film, TV show, etc. |
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