: In 1864, the year Abraham Lincoln ran for a second presidential term, dirty politics was accepted campaign procedure on both sides. So it was not unexpected to find campaign songs that year casting aspersions at Lincoln’s enemies. One song that castigated the most Lincoln opponents was written by J. William Pope and was entitled Uncle Sam’s Menagerie.
| : Probably the longest remembered of the “dog” songs was one written by Septimus Winner, which he called Der Deitcher’s Dog, but which is more familiar as “Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone.” His Little Wee Dog, written in 1864, was a favorite stage number by actor A. W. Yong, who affected ridiculous Dutch attire and sang an altered version of the popular song |
| : In the 1880s. Felix McGlennon wrote a tune which he christened But Oh! What a Difference in the Morning. It appeared in many editions, with lyrics by several authors, each of whom felt that he could improve on the verses of his predecessors, but all tell the tale of a young man who overindulges at the bar with unfortunate results. | : Nathaniel Currier’s early lithographs included some eighty sheet music covers, and he seemed particularly fond of illustrating comic songs. One of Currier’s most amusing covers adorns The Table D’Hote, an English composition first published around 1840 in New York.
| : In the 1850s the popular song My Grandma’s Advice was “dedicated to all good children,” and its catchy lyrics were sung by a group called the Tremaine Family. The tune’s author remains unknown, the title page indicating only that the words and music are by “M.” |
