"History Repeats Itself" is a 1966 narrated song written and recorded by

Buddy Starcher Oby Edgar "Buddy" Starcher (March 16, 1906 – November 2, 2001) was an American country singer whose first record releases were in 1946, although he had been performing since his teens, often billed as "The Boy from Down Home". Born in Ripley ...

. It became his greatest hit, reaching number 39 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the Country singles chart. The lyrics recount the

Lincoln–Kennedy coincidences urban legend There are many coincidences with the assassinations of U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, and these have become a piece of American folklore. The list of coincidences appeared in the mainstream American press in 1964, a year ...

, set to the tune of "

Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic music, American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song "John Brown's Body" in N ...

" in the beginning, and "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...

" during the lyrical portion.

Lyrical content

The song begins with the conclusion of the chorus of "Battle Hymn of the Republic.''"'' The lyrics recount curious coincidences and parallels (several of them false) between the careers and deaths of Presidents

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. These had begun attracting attention in the US mainstream press in 1964 (the year after Kennedy's assassination). Starcher also recorded a "Part 2," as there are too many similarities to be recounted in just one song. Just a few of the noted similarities shared by both presidents include: Being elected in years ending in '60, both concerned with civil rights issues. Both first ladies lost a child while in the White House. Both presidents were shot in the back of the head on a Friday, in the presence of their wives. Their assassins were born in years ending '39, and both espousing radical ideologies. Their successors were both southern senators named Johnson, both born in years ending in '08. Several of these similarities are false, for example Booth was born in 1838, while Lee Oswald was born in 1939.

Cover version

"History Repeats Itself" was covered by

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

, charting concurrently with Starcher's version and debuting on the charts one week later. In 1967 it was also covered in Dutch by Gerard de Vries as ''De Geschiedenis Herhaalt Zich''.

Chart history

;Buddy Starcher original ;Cab Calloway cover

Parody

A parody of this recording, "Great Men Repeat Themselves", described purported coincidental similarities between President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

and the superhero

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

. Both

Homer and Jethro Homer and Jethro were the stage names of American country music duo Henry D. "Homer" Haynes (1920–1971) and Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns (1920–1989), popular from the 1940s through the 1960s on radio and television for their satirical version ...

and Ben Colder recorded versions of the parody.

References

External links