Tuesday, September 18, 2007

It's All in the (Vice Presidential) Game

Listening to a BBC programme on-line I made an interesting discovery. After playing a particular recording the presenter explained that the music had been written by a former Vice President of the United States. I pricked up my ears. Thoughts of the likes of Dick Cheney writing a beautiful melody boggled my mind.

Vice President Charles Gates Dawes had penned the music in 1911, it was originally known as " Melody in A Major", and became a kind of signature tune for him when he later became President Calvin Coolidge's VP.

40 years later lyricist Carl Sigman came along, added words and VP Dawes' work became the pop song "It's All In the Game". It is the only number one pop single in history written by a Vice President of the United States. Tommy Edwards sang the hit version in 1958, since then many other artists have recorded it.

You can be reminded of the song at YouTube HERE




VP Dawes must have been quite a character. He was Vice President between 1925 and 1929. According to Wikipedia:

"Dawes' Vice Presidency was one of the most disastrous on record. Soon after his election he sent an insulting letter to President Coolidge informing him that he would not be attending cabinet meetings. This is believed to be the beginning of a feud between the two which brought the Vice Presidency to its nadir for the 20th century.

Having insulted the President, he then proceeded to publicly insult the entire US Senate. The inauguration of the Vice President was held in the Senate Chamber in those days, and the VP would give an inaugural address before everyone headed on to the outside platform where the President would take the oath. Dawes made a fiery, half-hour address denouncing the rules of the Senate, the seniority system and many other things that Senators held dear.

Eveyone was so shocked at the speech that President Coolidge's own inaugural address was completely overshadowed, leaving him even angrier at Dawes than ever before."


Charles Gates Dawes was born 27 August 1865 in Marietta, Ohio. The chart above is calculated for 12 noon in absence of birth time. Sun at 4 Virgo, Mercury 22 Virgo, Mars 28 Virgo. Jupiter in Sagittarius is square his natal Mercury. We can see here the aggressive, critical and outspoken character he obviously was! Mars (aggression) conjunct Mercury(communication) in Virgo(critical), squared by Jupiter(excess) in its own sign of Sagittarius(outspoken), with Sun in critical Virgo also, and natal Moon in passionate Scorpio, though the degree is uncertain without birth time. Venus and Uranus in gentle, sensitive Cancer may indicate his musical abilities. Uranus sextiles his natal Sun - here may reside the rebel.

This tale makes some current dramas seem pretty mild. I reckon the United States could use someone like the obtuse and outspoken VP Dawes right now.

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