Chicago's "Harry Truman" Is Played On Morning Joe

 

In just a couple of days we'll  be publishing the final installment of  Women's Music Month but first we are interrupting the program for some breaking news.

As a daily viewer of Morning Joe on MSNBC I've been watching Joe Scarborough's informative segments the last two weeks promoting his recently released biography on the late President Harry Truman (1945 - 1953).

Because Scarborough is a musician who has recorded and released an EP I thought he might be interested in a song about the 33rd president. So, I sent him a YouTube video of the single "Harry Truman" by the rock band Chicago via a private message on Twitter.

At around 8:30 yesterday morning, as Scarborough was beginning his segment on the book, he played "Harry Truman" on the air and posted the lyrics on our TV screens. I haven't heard from the popular and controversial host - and I don't expect to - but I'm 100% convinced I gave him the idea after he opened and read my message on Twitter at 6:34 PM Tuesday evening. It's too much of a coincidence that Scarborough featured the song the very next morning after I sent it to him when he could have aired it during his Truman segments on previous days. I'm taking full credit for making it happen. You're welcome, Joe.

"Harry Truman" was released in 1975 on both the Chicago VIII LP and as a single in the aftermath of the infamous Watergate scandal that forced Richard Nixon's resignation in August 1974. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Harry Truman" is an unusual track for Chicago, but in those days the band was still experimenting - especially Robert Lamm who wrote almost all of the band's social commentary and political  songs. James Pankow's trombone solo and Walt Parazaider's clarinet solo sound dated on purpose to fit in with the time period. (Actually, they would have sounded old even in Truman's day). The song closes with a full chorus vocalizing over top of Terry Kath's guitar and the complete horn section blaring away at full throttle. It's an uplifting piece of music.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!