It’s presidential election season again. I’m not looking forward to this one, because California has moved its primary up enough so that now it actually plays a part in deciding candidates, which means that I’ll actually have to figure out who I’ll support. But it’s also bringing to mind a Peanuts novelty song… but probably not the one you’re thinking about.

Oh, I know, some of you are going “Of course! It’s ‘Snoopy for President’, one of the follow-ups that the Royal Guardsmen did to their hit ‘Snoopy vs. the Red Baron’!” But no.

You see, in response to the Royal Guardsmen issuing that song, another artist – one Jerry Annan – offered up an answer song, a song meant as a response to a prior work. In this case, as the title explained, “Snoopy Couldn’t Be President”. Why? Well, according to rumor… he wasn’t housebroken. It seems a very non-Snoopy concern. (It also seems like something that would not be a Constitutional impediment… and, given the politics of today, perhaps not even a practical impediment.)

In 1984, Annan updated his song for the new election season, giving it new lyrics referencing the current candidates and changing the title slightly to “Snoopy Can’t Be President”. By this time, he was performing under the name Jerry Eugene (at times, Jerry Bobby-Bob Eugene.)

Neither version appears to have been a big hit, and the original singles are not common. Mister Annan was murdered in ’93. They seem to play the original version occasionally on a novelty music show.

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