A U.S. vice president had a #1 hit song.
In 1911, before Charles G. Dawes became Calvin Coolidge’s vice president, he composed a song which made #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dawes was VP 100 years ago so how is this possible?
in an image created by Me & ChatGPT
Well, Dawes was not only a statesman and Nobel Peace Prize winner but also an accomplished musician, composing an instrumental piece titled āMelody in A Majorā. Decades later, a songwriter named Carl Sigman added lyrics and renamed the song āItās All In the Gameā. In 1958, singer Tommy Edwardsā rendition hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Dawes the only U.S. president or vice president to have written a chart-topping pop song.
Tommy Edwardsā version is one of my favorite pop tunes from that era; it went on to be covered by stars like Nat King Cole, Elton John and Van Morrison.
This is āItās All In The Gameā by Tommy Edwards.
Now hereās a true collectorās item ā¦.. Elton Johnās soul/pop/gospel-ish version of āItās All In The Gameā.
You heard it here first, kids. See you on the flip side. š
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The Elephant's Trunk 
Very interesting, Elton does well also…
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Elton had a fabulous voice.
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Thanks for sharing an interesting bit of history. That’s pretty cool!
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My pleasure, Dan. This reminds me of Jeopardy! and Trivial Pursuit. I’m a fan of both and this is great fun for me.
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I had no idea – I learn so much from your posts!!!
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So do I! It’s great fun doing these little trivia posts! Thanks, dear Keith.
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Wow, you really are the DJ of obscure tunes. I had to read the Elton John cover twice to make sure it was him! Thank you for expanding my musical knowledge, DJ Nancy. š¶
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This was great fun, Michele; I didn’t know this little piece of musical history either; I can’t imagine who would! It’s a wonderful song which I’ve loved since the first time I heard it. Pleased to know you enjoyed my post today. Thanks for a lovely comment. š¶
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This is so interesting! Tommy Edward’s version came out the year I was born and I love to think of my parents listening to this when they were young and in love. I loved hearing the song again ā¤ļø
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What a lovely comment, Lisa. Thank you for sharing this beautiful image of your parents young, in love, listening to this song and maybe dancing in the kitchen as so many of our parents did back then. I was happy to find this bit of trivia as this song is one of my favorites from that era. Thank you, Lisa.
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That is really interesting.
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I thought that was pretty cool. It’s one of my favorite songs from that era, too. Thanks, Fan.
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Hey did you watch the new Outlander last night? OMG! I love it! I am so glad they’re spending minimal time in Claire’s world āŗļø
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I recorded it to watch tonight. So glad you gave it a šš¼. Really looking forward to it. I absolutely loved the original.
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One of my favourite Four Tops singles. I’ve heard this version though, but not Elton John’s!
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And I’ve not heard the Four Tops version! Going to check it out now. Thanks, Di.
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You’re welcome.
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That Tommy Edwards version is perfect. Absolutely perfect.
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It’s been close to my heart for a very long time. Thanks, John.
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Amazing! So much in this life I have yet to learn- and that being said by a kid they used to call ‘little miss know it all’ hehehehe
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Jodi, I would have be shocked if you knew this …. and I say that meaning no offense! š
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There’s a feather in your cap
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Maybe his but not mine. I had no idea!
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Wow….never would have guessed this.
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Me either! Unless you’re a trivia expert or someone with a photographic memory, how could you know something like that? This would make a tough Jeopard question.
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Yes it would!
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I never would have guessed, but it is a really nice song.
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Never heard of him, but I’ve heard this song many times and love it.
Thanks, Jim.
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Good to know, Nancy!
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Just in case you get called to appear on Jeopardy! š
Thanks, Chris
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š¤£š¤£
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What an intriguing post, and I enjoyed Tommy Edwards version …
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That’s one song I know very well and, for some reason, always sing in the shower! Go figure! š¤·š¼āāļø
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Well, you learn something every day!
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Stick with me, mon amie!
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Fascinating stuff Nancy! Coincidentally Van Morrisonās version came up in a playlist yesterday. āŗļø
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Now that is serendipity! It’s such a beautiful song. Thanks, Christine.
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Fascinating background history to this one. The Four Tops had a big hit with it here.
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No kidding? I didn’t even know about the Four Tops. The Elton John version is …. interesting!
Thanks, Clive.
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Yup. And I didnāt know about Elton John š¤£
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That is so cool! Thanks for sharing this as I never knew! Fascinating stuff!
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So glad you enjoyed this, CA. Thanks very much.
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