The constant analogies of Barack Obama with John F. Kennedy have been inspiring for many, but the new president elect is lacking a certain panache: he needs a theme song.
Although the imagery of Camelot used with the Kennedy years was never invoked until after his assassination, it will probably serve the new president well to establish his own theme song prior to taking office. Camelot worked well for JFK, but the country was actually in pretty good shape back then. The economy was doing better then expected, and the fight for civil rights was, although painful, positive and hopeful.
America faces a much different world with greater threats and greater challenges. The mythical quality of Camelot would be a hard song for the majority of Americans to stomach at this particular time in history. But taking in the stature of the presidency, and the success of a show tune for a previous presidential legacy, it seems appropriate that it should be a Broadway musical that offers the required inspiration. Therefore, from the Ramapo Hills of New Jersey, in recognition of the woeful state of the country, The Journal offers a new theme song for a new president, “The Impossible Dream”.
The show Man of La Mancha offers good arguments for being the source of the official Obama theme song. Firstly, it shares a connection with the Kennedy legacy as it opened in NYC two years to the day of JFK’s assassination, November 22nd, 1965. It is also a story of struggle, perseverance, and faith, all things the country will need in the years ahead. The song itself, “The Impossible Dream”, offers its own good reason for being adopted as the official theme song. It ties in thematically with the dream imagery invoked by Martin Luther King 45 years ago, and which has come to fruition with Obama’s election. It also ties in with the concept of The American Dream.
The dream of landing men on the moon and the dream of an American from African decent being elected president were probably thought impossible by many people. Today, the vague idea of The American Dream, however it is defined, is considered by the majority of Americans to be out of reach, an unreachable star. What better theme song to inspire courage, determination, and a willingness to march into hell for a heavenly cause than Broadway’s “The Impossible Dream.”
The lyrical nature of “Obama from La Mancha” offers another consideration as it appeals to both Europeans and South Americans. And the imagery of Joe Biden as Sancho Panza has its own rewards.