History Leitmotif / RealLife

** The destroyer USS ''Gatling'' (DD-671) had a song [[http://www.destroyers.org/uss-gatling/DD671_shipssong.htm set to the tune]] of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygxDs_zcayo "The Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech."]]

** Gerald Ford, however, preferred when possible to have the band play the [[FootballFightSong fight song]] of his ''alma mater'', the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan, "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF--ldYIBnM (Hail to) The Victors]]".

* Believe it or not, but this was a common occurrence for actual people during the AmericanCivilWar. Composers from both sides of the war wrote and published many songs honoring individual politicians, generals, and victorious campaigns, including--

* Beethoven's 5th Symphony was appropriated as a LeitMotif for the Western Allies in WorldWarTwo for a number of reasons. The first bar matched the Morse Code for the letter V (dot-dot-dot-dash). V was for Victory, and the two fingered hand gesture popularized by Churchill. The propaganda value of Germany's greatest composer was being used against Germany was not lost, either.

** Gerald Ford, however, preferred when possible to have the band play the [[FootballFightSong fight song]] of his ''alma mater'', the University of Michigan, "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF--ldYIBnM (Hail to) The Victors]]".

** Typically, comedians used to have leitmotifs when they entered a room. Most notably, Jack Benny had ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13bqRDYEuoE Love in Bloom]'', Bob Hope had ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKgUq5dziEk Thanks for the Memory]]'', Johnny Carson had ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keiuXB3dJ0E the theme to The Tonight Show]]'', and, currently, George Lopez has ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro4yhp9L6Ok War's Lowrider]]'', which was the themes to his sitcom, comedy specials, and talk show.

** GeraldFord, however, preferred when possible to have the band play the [[FootballFightSong fight song]] of his ''alma mater'', the University of Michigan, "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF--ldYIBnM (Hail to) The Victors]]".

* Beethoven's 5th Symphony was appropriated as a LeitMotif for the Western Allies in WorldWarTwo for a number of reasons. The first bar matched the Morse Code for the letter V (dot-dot-dot-dash). V was for Victory, and the two fingered hand gesture popularized by Churchill. The propaganda value of Germany's greatest composer was being used against Germany was not lost, either.

** Birdseye and Alfred Lee's "[[http://data.mediarecall-data.com/wgbh/stills/mid/3T55R07_mid.jpg U.S. Grant is the Man]]" (for Union General Ulysses S. Grant)
** Hermann L. Schreiner's "[[http://www.library.jhu.edu/collections/specialcollections/sheetmusic/musictours/confederacy/leemarch Gen. Lee's Grand March]]" (for Confederate General Robert E. Lee)

** The famous ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSpZCTWsqjw Marching Through Georgia]]'', for WT Sherman.

* Beethoven's 5th Symphony was a LeitMotif of the Western Allies in WorldWarTwo from a build up of memetic symbols. The first bar matched the Morse Code for the letter V (dot-dot-dot-dash). V was for Victory, and the two fingered hand gesture popularized by Churchill. The propaganda value of Germany's greatest composer was being used against Germany was not lost, either.

* Despite being about the First Patriotic War, when Napoleon was driven out of Russia in a brutal winter campaign, and including leitmotifs from both ''God Save The Tsar'' and ''La Marseillaise'', the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2W1Wi2U9sQ 1812 Overture]] by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsiy is still used to denote Independence Day in the United States. For added {{Irony}}-points, the version used is often the post-1917 version, which replaces the leitmotif from ''God Save The Tsar'' with one from ''Slavsya Rus'', by Mikhail Glinka. This arrangement was one promoted by the Soviet Union, so as to avoid having to expose their citizenry to ''God Save The Tsar''.

** GeraldFord, however, preferred when possible to have the band play the fight song of his ''alma mater'', the University of Michigan, "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF--ldYIBnM (Hail to) The Victors]]".

* In the US at least, many high schools and colleges have fight songs and official hymns. Most Americans are probably at least passingly familiar with the Notre Dame fight song as an audio shorthand for college football, especially if they have ever seen ''{{Rudy}}''.

* Fight sports like Boxing and MixedMartialArts usually followed the ProfessionalWrestling example where a fighter's entrance is accompanied with a song. While most fighters usually used different songs for their entrance, some fighters would usually end up being associated with one particular song.

* Every new U.S. President gets treated to ''Hail To The Chief''.
** Every U.S. Military General and Admiral also gets a the same, relatively simple series of ruffles and flourishes (which are played on drums and bugles, respectively), one of each per star (4 for a full General/Admiral, 3 for a Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral, etc.).

* Despite being about the First Patriotic War, when Napoleon was driven out of Russia in a brutal winter campaign, and including leitmotifs from both ''God Save The Tsar'' and ''La Marseillaise'', the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2W1Wi2U9sQ 1812 Overture]] by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsiy is still used to denote Independence Day in the United States.

* Fight sports like Boxing and MixedMartialArts usually followed the ProfessionalWrestling example where a fighter's entrance is accompanied with a song. While most fighters usually used different songs for their entrance, some fighters would usually end up being associated with one particular song.

** The famous ''Marching Through Georgia'', for WT Sherman.

* DonRickles apparently gets [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=595Dx74KNoY this.]]

* [[DonRickles]] apparently gets [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=595Dx74KNoY this.]]

* Who's the [[DonRickles warm, gracious and funny person]] that comes to mind when you hear [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=595Dx74KNoY this?]]

** Every U.S. Military General also gets a the same, relatively simple flourish. Its length is tied to the number of stars the general has.

* Close your eyes and imagine a wedding. See the bride walking down the aisle? Now, ''what do you hear?''

** [[CompletelyMissingThePoint The sound of a divorce lawyer's car pulling up outside the church to hand out business cards?]]

* In the US at least, many high schools and colleges have fight songs and official hymns. Most Americans are probably at least passingly familiar with the Notre Dame fight song as an audio shorthand for college football, especially if they have ever seen ''{{Rudy}}''.

** Every U.S. Military General also gets a the same, relatively simple flourish. Its length is tied to the number of stars the general has.

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFTnFErJEu4 Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride)]]: RichardWagner's Bridal Chorus from the opera ''Lohengrin'' (Here comes the bride...) or JeremiahClarke ''The Prince of Denmark's March''

* National anthems

* Who's the [[DonRickles warm, gracious and funny person]] that comes to mind when you hear [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=595Dx74KNoY this?]]