Obama has released his campaign playlist. and I’m quite shocked by it even though I guess I shouldn’t be. I mean, the guy is only 2 years older than I am so it stands to reason he’d like the same kind of stuff I do. Except for the country. I don’t like country.
I’m wondering though if the President personally picked these songs, his campaign handlers picked them and he approved them or if he had any input in this list at all. I’d like to think this is a glimpse into the President’s musical tastes.
It’s supposed to be a list of songs he likes, not a list of stuff they’ll be using at campaign events. So I don’t think any kind of clearance is required. Most of this stuff isn’t really my taste, but this one put a smile on my face:
Amazing song, and a great cover that has Aretha backed by Duane Allman and the Muscle Shoals session band of the late '60s.
Does the song Mr. Blue Sky conjure images for anyone else of Obama cackling maniacally while slowly lowering his finger on the nuke button? Seems like one of those semi-incongruous songs for such a situation. Just me?
I think that also requires interpreting ironic lyrics in a literal fashion, like when a very left wing artist’s songs are used by a Republican.
Seems like an okay idea to me - to release a list of songs he’d like to use at various campaign events and make sure the various copyright holders are okay with it. No point having to deal with the nuisance of having some singer or songwriter airing his objections.
I’m not trying to get into an argument. I am saying I don’t know if it’s just a list of stuff he is supposed to be listening to (probably not), a list of stuff that is supposed to sort of set the mood for the re-election campaign, or a list of songs they’ll play at campaign events. I don’t think they need any kind of clearance from the artist unless they’re actually playing the song at events. That’s where candidates from Reagan to Gingrich and Romney have gotten into trouble. You don’t need clearance to say ‘here’s some stuff we like.’
That, unlike the more vague article in the OP, settles it.