From Charlie xcx memes fan made Interpolating the cover Famous “coconut tree” quoteKamala Harris’s last-minute presidential bid against Republican nominee Donald Trump has a fascinating and outsized relationship with pop music.
Various progressive singers viz Ariana Grande And Olivia RodrigoPledged their support. Katy Perry to give One of her latest singles, “Woman’s World,” is for the current vice president to use in her campaign, though Harris doesn’t seem to have accepted it. Meanwhile, Harris’ staff found ways to use pop music to appeal to Gen Z voters Megan the Stallion Perform at an Atlanta rally and fully embrace brat memes. This onslaught of memes and coconut-themed “remixes” almost overshadowed the most important music-related decision involving Harris’ candidacy: his campaign song.
Last month, it was Report That Beyonce Harris (now Harris-Walz) allowed the campaign to use her song “Freedom” featuring Kendrick Lamar. Since then, the rousing gospel-tinged music from his 2016 album Lemonade soundtracked Harris’ rally entrance and will inevitably be heard several times at this week’s Democratic National Convention. There is even speculation that Beyoncé herself might make an appearance.
The modern campaign song in electoral politics has become its own character – and object of inspection. Most of these songs have already gained popularity outside of the promotion way, so they have to be important enough to revive the material. They also need to be memorable and on message, embodying the candidate’s values and commitments. But are they actually useful? What does it mean for a song to belong to a campaign?
Post-Trump, pop music is also something Democrats have been able to leverage against the right — not just the big hits themselves but the endorsements from the artists who created them. Conversely, there is a Wikipedia page for musicians Those who opposed Trump as president as well as opposed the use of their music in the campaign. However, the results of the 2016 presidential election have been revealed to the public Second guess This sphere is the power of pop music.
Despite this skepticism, Dana Gorzelani-Mostak, associate professor of music at Georgia College, argues that music can be an effective medium for politicians. “While it may not drive people to the polls, music creates ways of being in the world and connecting with others,” she says.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
For a campaign like Harris’ that has mostly trafficked in the likes of “good vibes” and policy talk — the vice president just unveiled his policy agenda — Harris’ campaign playlist provides an interesting window into what he represents and which demographics he’s counting on for support. As Jonquilne Hill writes for Vox, Harris’ proximity to Beyoncé may even hint at how she plans to conduct herself.
I spoke with Gorzelani-Mostak to get more insight into Harris’ musical selections and the overall effectiveness of the campaign song. his book, Track on the Trail: Popular Music, Race, and the US PresidencyPublished last year, the chart is notable campaign songs and how these musical moments are used to accent the nation.
When did presidential campaign songs really become a thing?
The election of 1840 was a watershed moment for campaign songs. Supporters of Whig candidate William Henry Harrison promoted singing as a campaignable activity and published pamphlets called “Gunstars” with pro-Harrison songs. These candidate-inspired songs were set to popular tunes of the time.
What goes into picking a campaign song? Is the candidate directly involved in this process?
It varies depending on the promotion. In 2008, Barack Obama’s staff kept the candidate’s musical tastes in mind when selecting his playlist. His was the continuity among artists Discussed in the interview Trail and his ensemble playlist, which includes Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, and the Isley Brothers. Donald Trump has been known to select his own soundtrack for campaign rallies, and when the clock ticks off, he “spins” on Mar-a-Lago from his iPad.
What is the function of campaign songs and why are campaign songs important?
Candidates use music to build their identity into sound, to construct themselves sonically in a way that appeals to the public as well as providing insight into their character and their beliefs.
A campaign song is more than its lyrics. Candidates should think about the myriad ways that songs can signal messages in a political context. This means taking into account the artist’s biography, the composition and character of the artist’s fan community, the meaning attached to the song’s genre, and of course, the meaning a song has garnered through its presence in other media. While pundits may privilege spoken words or images, words and music can be just as powerful motivators.
As a whole, preaching music promotes the choir. I don’t think it converts people or drives them away.
In Track on the trailYou write about candidates articulating race through music. Do you think Kamala Harris is trying to choose songs by high-profile black women, both past and present?
Black female artists form the backbone of Harris’ 2024 rally playlist — Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion. Harris promoted a matriarchal paradigm of black supremacy spanning 60 years.
It’s a stark contrast to last month’s classic-rock-dominated Republican National Convention, which featured a band of aging male rockers playing covers of the Eagles, Kenny Loggins, Grand Funk Railroad, Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. Trump has questioned Harris’s leadership beliefs and his racial identity, so Harris has used his soundtrack to disrupt this narrative by leaning on the identity he criticizes.
Harris’ previous campaign song, Mary J. Blige’s “Work That,” is much lighter and funnier, in tone and message, than Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” which is a harsher, more urgent song. How do you think these songs reflect the differences in that campaign or even the larger political climate?
“Freedom” conveys a certain level of urgency. But more broadly, Harris’ playlist reminds voters that they can acknowledge the country’s painful history, commit to the serious work that needs to be done, but still sing, laugh and dance with him on his way to victory.
Much of Harris’ playlist is made up of dance music, from Diana Ross and The Brothers Johnson to Dua Lipa and Bruno Mars, not to mention the recent sounds of Charli XCX. To those on the right, disco may signal the dangers of hedonism. But a genre that finds its roots in the leisure culture of Latinx, black and gay communities also points to a rich history of resistance and hope — though those words have long been domesticated, as evidenced by the presence on your mom’s gym playlist.
It is not surprising video of Harris set Charlie xcxIts music features candidates laughing, dancing or mid-gaffing—even Trump himself Criticized Harris’ smile. Unrelenting expressions of pleasure and joy in his playlists that are black, queer, and/or female-centric, Harris manages to take the reins from the male-centric gerontocracy if only on the dance floor.
I find there’s a disparity between the lighter, lighter tone of Harris’ campaign and the way it’s been memed by Gen Z with a penance on a song like “Freedom” — not to mention, “Freedom” is hardly one of Beyoncé’s songs. popular song Do you think this choice is a wrong move?
Despite its harsher tone, I think “Freedom” suits Harris. It weaves together many narratives consistent with his campaign message and the presidential brand he is trying to cultivate.
“Freedom” takes on an almost prayerful tone in taking on the gospel message and references the text of the spiritual “Wade in the Water.” Spiritually, water represents the possibility of escape during slavery. In “Freedom” water comes in the form of “rain” and “tears”. It alludes to Beyoncé’s personal turmoil and the aftermath of the cultural trauma of post-hurricane New Orleans and the black community affected by mass incarceration. The song also features a vocal sample of a mid-century prisoner and preacher, and Jay Z’s grandmother opened up about her own travails in 2015.
In choosing “freedom,” Harris situates herself and the 2024 election within the genealogy and proper world of this transhistorical struggle, both personal and political.
It looks like Beyoncé’s co-sign is even stronger than the song.
Beyoncé herself is a symbol of female strength, endurance and vitality. His music defies categorization. He writes his own rules and constantly reinvents himself. So it’s no surprise that Harris wants to align himself with such a narrative as he begins to reinvent himself from prosecutor to district attorney to attorney general to senator to vice president to president of the United States.
