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Campaign songs have been a fixture of the American political system since the days of fifes and powdered wigs.

The election of 1800 showcased the first real “hit,” a tune called “Jefferson and Liberty” penned by Robert Treat Paine Jr., that took sitting president John Adams to task for his Alien and Sedition Acts.

It would hardly be shocking to discover that there’s a cover of that very tune on YouTube, what with the torrents of campaign songs that are hitting the Web. What is surprising is the sheer amount of them that are made specifically and exclusively for online purposes. These are not songs featured on somebody’s album that have lyrics vague enough to reflect a candidate’s doctrine. No, these are original compositions aimed at getting out the message to the Internet-loving masses.

Of the three candidates still in the race — and, yes, that includes feisty Hillary Clinton — Barack Obama is the clear front-runner when it comes to songwriting support.

Most notable is the viral sensation “Yes We Can” by will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame.

The black and white video incorporates a speech Obama gave following January's New Hampshire primary - one which he lost, incidentally." Produced by will.i.am and directed by Jesse Dylan (son of Bob Dylan), the video is a collage of harmonies that complement this live speech layered over a lone acoustic guitar. Dozens of celebrities add their voices, including John Legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Scarlett Johansson. Already the song has received 17 million hits on its various YouTube postings.

It has also inspired parody versions, including one directed at candidate John McCain titled john.he.is.

Shot to mimic the style of “Yes We Can,” the video utilizes soundbites of the Republican nominee — including his improvised spouting of “Bomb Bomb Iran” to the melody of The Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann” — while the performers react with confusion and revulsion.

The video ends with the tag: “McCain 08 — Like Hope, But Different.”

Poor McCain. Whereas Obama has dozens upon dozens of songs dedicated to his candidacy, the Arizona senator must deal with far more tunes on YouTube that attack his campaign rather than support it.

However, one amateur fan named Judd Kessler addresses this on his posting. The 69-year-old decided to write an anthem for McCain called “Lead the Way.”

“As I do this, I want you to imagine someone with a real voice singing it,” Kessler says before turning his back to the camera and launching into a quaint but listenable piano ditty with the chorus: “Lead the way, lead the way, John / To where we want to be / Lead the way, lead the way, John / To strength and unity.”

Clinton is not all that much better musically represented on YouTube.

That disparity was noticed by Texas musician Dulce Maria Gonzalez, a Clinton supporter who reacted by penning the track “We Need a Woman.” The grooving piano anthem brandishes the lyrics: “If a woman can carry the weight of a child / She can carry the weight of the nation.”

Unfortunately, it has only been viewed 5,000 times — though that is still 3,000 more times than “Lead the Way.”

If the hits on YouTube are any indication of how November’s vote will turn out, Obama might need to brush up on the lyrics to “We Are the Champions.”

— Entertainment editor Jon Niccum explores facets of pop culture that have established a unique niche on the Internet in Net Worth. He can be reached at 832-7178.