Presidents in Parody: My Daddy is President
In the summer of 1962, John F. Kennedy was President and his daughter Caroline was only four years old. The child was a media sensation and pictures of her flooded many magazines of the day such as Life and Look. Caroline had a pony that she named Macaroni. It was that summer that a seven year old singer named Jo Anne Morse, who was called Little Jo Anne released a single called My Daddy is the President. It was sung in the voice of a child, intended to sound like Caroline, and she sang about her life as a pre-schooler first daughter.
The lyrics to the song went as follows:
My Daddy is President
What does your Daddy do?
I live in a big White House on Pennsylvania Avenue
I always hide behind the desk in Daddy’s den
When I play hide and seek with Secret Service men
My Daddy is President
We had a busy day
I’m learning the alphabet
ABCD – JFK
I don’t play house, I play the game of government
’cause my Daddy is the President
At Daddy’s first press conference, I made news
Wearing Mommy’s high heeled shoes
and every time I’m able
I’m under the conference table.
My Daddy is President
We make a happy pair
I go for my pony rides
He rides in his rocking chair
No matter what I do, it makes a news event
’cause my Daddy is the President!
If you've never heard it, here is a YouTube version I found:
On the B-side of this 45rpm vinyl disc (remember those?) was an instrumental piece called "Macaroni (Caroline's Pony)," by Harmony Jones & his Orchestra, (who also backed Jo Ann on the A side). The record was released by the label Kapp 467. It received brief airplay on a number of U.S. and Canadian stations, including New York's legendary WABC in July 1962. It's peak chart position in Billboard was #67 over a five-week run.
It turned out that this would not be the only song that Caroline Kennedy inspired. Years ago, singer Neil Diamond revealed that 12-year-old Caroline Kennedy was the inspiration for his popular tune “Sweet Caroline.” The singer said he was inspired by a photo of Caroline Kennedy in her horse-riding clothes. He said: “It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony. It was such an innocent, wonderful picture, I immediately felt there was a song in there.”
The lyrics to the song went as follows:
My Daddy is President
What does your Daddy do?
I live in a big White House on Pennsylvania Avenue
I always hide behind the desk in Daddy’s den
When I play hide and seek with Secret Service men
My Daddy is President
We had a busy day
I’m learning the alphabet
ABCD – JFK
I don’t play house, I play the game of government
’cause my Daddy is the President
At Daddy’s first press conference, I made news
Wearing Mommy’s high heeled shoes
and every time I’m able
I’m under the conference table.
My Daddy is President
We make a happy pair
I go for my pony rides
He rides in his rocking chair
No matter what I do, it makes a news event
’cause my Daddy is the President!
If you've never heard it, here is a YouTube version I found:
On the B-side of this 45rpm vinyl disc (remember those?) was an instrumental piece called "Macaroni (Caroline's Pony)," by Harmony Jones & his Orchestra, (who also backed Jo Ann on the A side). The record was released by the label Kapp 467. It received brief airplay on a number of U.S. and Canadian stations, including New York's legendary WABC in July 1962. It's peak chart position in Billboard was #67 over a five-week run.
It turned out that this would not be the only song that Caroline Kennedy inspired. Years ago, singer Neil Diamond revealed that 12-year-old Caroline Kennedy was the inspiration for his popular tune “Sweet Caroline.” The singer said he was inspired by a photo of Caroline Kennedy in her horse-riding clothes. He said: “It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony. It was such an innocent, wonderful picture, I immediately felt there was a song in there.”