Two candidates vying for Waxman seat add campaign theme songs

Two candidates in the crowded field to succeed longtime Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) have decided to add campaign theme songs to their election arsenal -- and maybe at least entertain, if not win over, music-minded voters.

Matt Miller, a Democrat, author and former radio talk show host, last week launched an upbeat ditty, “Matt Miller for Congress,” on YouTube that his campaign warns “will get stuck in your head.”

On Monday, singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette added her voice -- and a new song -- to those rooting for spiritual teacher/best-selling author Marianne Williamson, an independent.

The song, “Today,” and its accompanying video also are on YouTube and can be downloaded free from Williamson’s campaign website.

Campaign songs aren’t new, of course. And at least one of them, “Happy Days are Here Again,” has its place in American history as the anthem for FDR’s 1932 election as president. It was also the Democratic Party’s unofficial theme song for many years after that.

Unlike these two new songs, however, “Happy Days” was not an original composition for the campaign. It was already known to many Americans from the 1930 film “Chasing Rainbows.”