Presidents Day (Single)
PRESIDENTS DAY (REDUX) March 2018
Cast your minds back fourteen years to a now seemingly and somewhat normal time, when George W. Bush was campaigning for his 2nd term as U.S. president. His opponent in November would be John Kerry. A lot of us didn’t believe Bush could possibly be elected again, but nonetheless were nervous at such a prospect. That’s because in America not only can anything happen, it usually does. When I wrote “Presidents Day” in 2004 the 2nd chorus ended with the line “'Cause there’s been more than one George, I’m sorry to say.” Now (calendar pages flipping, autumn leaves swirling) in the updated, rewritten 2018 version of the song, that line is “There’s a nut job in the White House, I’m sorry to say.” There’s not much new under the sun, but the weird does seem to be getting weirder. Below is the original blurb I wrote for “Presidents Day” back in 2004. I’m sorry to say (yet, again) the adjectives “dreadful” and “reckless” still apply today. - LW3
April 2004
Good People - Kindly lend an ear or even 2 to this recording of my song “Presidents Day.” It is my sincere hope that, because of its particularly timeliness with regard to our nation’s impending electoral decision in November, those of you who like the song will assist me in spreading the word about it in order to inform and/or inflame any swing voters out there who remain at all ambivalent or apathetic about the current administration and its reckless, dreadful policies. I also look forward to performing “Presidents Day” in the coming seven or so months anywhere within reason, to anyone willing to listen. It is not the least I can do and therefore seems to me worth doing. Thanks for listening - Loudon Wainwright III
Release Date: March 30, 2018