Theme Ride Thursday: Presidents’ Day Playlist—Songs to Celebrate Our Forefathers

Get ready to pedal through history this Presidents’ Day with our specially curated playlist! 🎶🚴‍♀️🇺🇸

As we gear up to honor our pals George and Abe, along with the esteemed line of presidents that followed, we’ve put together a selection of tunes guaranteed to get your indoor cycling ride moving and grooving.

In our presidential bucket playlist, we’ve been gathering over the years almost 160 songs featuring the word “president,” the name of a president, or sentiments about our nation’s leaders, both past and present. Calling all fans of the musical sensation Hamilton and lovers of hip-hop—we’ve sprinkled in some tracks from The Hamilton Mixtape to spice up your ride with a modern twist on American history.

So whether you’re feeling patriotic or just in the mood for some presidential humor, there’s something here for everyone. And hey, why stop at Presidents’ Day? If you want to mix it up, keep the momentum going with our Election Day Playlist for even more political pedal power! 

So hop on your bike, channel your inner commander-in-chief, and let’s spin through the annals of presidential tunes together! 

Now, let’s dive into some fun presidential trivia to keep the energy high and your riders smiling:

• Did you know that the 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, enjoyed having his head rubbed with Vaseline while he ate breakfast in bed? Talk about starting your day off right!
• The second president, John Adams, and his wife, Abigail, had a dog named Satan. One has to wonder how that would go over in modern days! 
• President Teddy Roosevelt was the youngest president at age 42 and was the first president to ride in a car while in office. While president, he (and his children) owned a menagerie of pets, including horses, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, a lizard, a badger, a snake named Emily Spinach, and a bear named Jonathan Edwards, among others.
• The 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, was given a $20 speeding ticket for riding his horse and buggy too fast down a street in Washington, D.C….while he was in office!
• George Washington’s false teeth weren’t made of wood, as many believe, but rather a combination of human teeth, animal teeth, and ivory. Now that’s a smile worth commemorating!
• Abraham Lincoln, known for his towering height at 6’4″, was also an accomplished wrestler in his youth. Talk about throwing down in the Oval Office!
• Thomas Jefferson was quite the foodie and is credited with introducing America to macaroni and cheese. Who knew our third president had such cheesy tastes?
• Martin Van Buren, the eighth president, is sometimes credited with creating the expression “OK.” Van Buren was from Kinderhook, New York. During his campaign, Old Kinderhook (O.K.) clubs formed to support the president. Later “OK” came to mean “all right.”
• Warren Harding bet priceless White House china on a poker game. And he lost. (Note that it wasn’t the only example of corruption in his administration.)
• Hats off to #22 and #24, Grover Cleveland, the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Oh, and before he was president, he was a sheriff. He personally carried out two hanging sentences to save his Ohio district money,
• Franklin D. Roosevelt, fifth cousin to Teddy and the only president to serve four terms in office, had a beloved Scottish Terrier named Fala. Fala became so famous that he received more fan mail than most humans! FDR was the first president to ride in an airplane.
• William Howard Taft, the heaviest president in U.S. history, famously got stuck in the White House bathtub on one occasion. This incident led to the installation of a larger bathtub during his presidency.
• James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, was ambidextrous and could write in Greek with one hand while simultaneously writing in Latin with the other.
• President John F. Kennedy, aside from his political prowess, was also a published author. His book Profiles in Courage won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1957. He was also the first president to pardon a turkey on Thanksgiving (many attribute that act to Truman).
• Richard Nixon proposed to his wife the day they met. Then he obsessively pursued Pat for two years until she finally said yes. His favorite snack was cottage cheese with ketchup.
• Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, was a peanut farmer prior to becoming president. He was awarded a Nobel Peace prize in 2002. Oh, and he wrote a children’s book called The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer. (RIP, Mr. President! ❤️)
• Ronald Reagan, known for his acting career before entering politics, once appeared in a film with a chimpanzee co-star named Bonzo. The film was titled Bedtime for Bonzo.
• Lyndon B. Johnson, while serving as president, had a special phone installed in his White House office specifically for contacting his tailor. Johnson was known for his sartorial preferences and often ordered custom-made clothing. He was also known for being particularly boorish and crude.
• Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president, was an avid reader and reportedly read every book in his hometown library by the age of 15. He continued his passion for reading throughout his life, often enjoying historical and biographical works.
• Herbert Hoover, the 31st president, and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, were both accomplished geologists. They even translated a 16th-century mining textbook from Latin to English together.
• Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States and the first Black president, is known for his basketball skills and often played pickup games during his time in the White House. He is left-handed, which made him a formidable opponent on the court. He has a Nobel Peace Prize and two Grammy Awards to his name.
• Gerald Ford—birth name Leslie Lynch King, Jr.—was a model for Cosmopolitan, appearing in a cover illustration in 1942. He also met his wife through modeling.
• Prior to his political career, George W. Bush was the co-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. He became the first U.S. president to have played in the College World Series, where he was a cheerleader for the Yale baseball team.
• Bill Clinton, famously known for his charisma and saxophone playing, was also known for his love of junk food and his penchant for late-night cheeseburger runs. His first job at age 13 was selling comic books—he made $100. 
• Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, is known for his love of ice cream. He has a well-documented affinity for the frozen treat and is often seen enjoying scoops of various flavors. Biden overcame a debilitating stammer as a child, often teased relentlessly by his classmates.

With these presidential nuggets in mind, let’s pedal through history with pride and a playlist that’s sure to make even the Founding Fathers groove in their graves! 🇺🇸🚴‍♂️🎶. ICA members can access the bucket playlist below. 

Gentle warning…

Seeing as we’ve just had an election year that one might call divisive, it’s essential to remember that not everyone shares the same political beliefs and tempers are a bit…heightened, shall we say. With that in mind, instructors should be mindful and respectful of diverse perspectives during their presidential theme ride.

Also, be aware that not all of the songs in this playlist necessarily portray American presidents in a flattering light or adhere to conventional political correctness, so make sure to listen to the lyrics carefully! 

That said, feel free to embrace the spirit and have as much fun with this as you feel comfortable!

And as usual, if you have a gem of a song we’re missing from our playlist, let us know in the comments.