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from Charli xcx memes arrive Fan-made Cover insert her Famous “Coconut Tree” QuotesKamala Harris’ last-minute run for president against Republican nominee Donald Trump has a fascinating and huge relationship to pop music.
Various avant-garde singers, such as Ariana Grande and Olivia RodrigoPledged support for Katy Perry supply One of her latest singles, “Woman’s World,” was recommended to the current vice president for use in her campaign, though Harris did not appear to take her up on the offer. Meanwhile, Harris’s staff has found ways to use pop music to appeal to Gen Z voters. Megan Thee Stallion performed at a rally in Atlanta and fully embraced the brat meme.The onslaught of memes and coconut-themed “remixes” almost overshadowed the most important music-related decision of Harris’ campaign: her campaign song.
last month, Reported Beyoncé allowed the Harris (now Harris-Waltz) campaign to use her song “Freedom” with Kendrick Lamar. Since then, the stirring gospel song from her 2016 album lemonade The song has been the soundtrack to Harris’ rallies and is sure to be heard multiple times at this week’s Democratic National Convention, with some speculating Beyoncé herself might even be in attendance.
Modern campaign songs have become their own genre in electoral politics, and a subject of scrutiny. Most of these songs have gained popularity outside of campaign events, so they need to be dynamic enough to reignite voters’ enthusiasm. They must also be memorable, informative, and embody the candidate’s values and promises. But do they really work? What does it mean for a song to belong on a campaign trail?
After Trump came to power, pop music also became something that the Democratic Party could use to fight the right wing – not only the hit songs themselves, but also the support of the artists who created them. Musician’s Wikipedia page They objected to Trump’s use of their music in his campaign and to his presidency. However, the results of the 2016 presidential election left the public Second-guessing The influence of pop music in this field.
Despite this skepticism, Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, an associate professor of music at Georgia College, believes music can be an effective medium for politicians. “While music may not motivate people to vote, it can shape a way of being in the world and connecting with others,” she said.
This interview has been edited for brevity.
For a campaign like Harris’s, their main selling point is “Great atmosphere” As well as her affinity for policy discussions — the vice president just unveiled her policy agenda — Harris’ campaign playlist offers an interesting window into what she stands for and what demographic she’s counting on to support her. As Joan Queline Hill writes in Vox, Harris’ Close to Beyoncé Maybe even an indication of how she intends to act.
I interviewed Gorzelany-Mostak to get more insight into Harris’s musical choices and the overall function of campaign songs. Her book, Footprints: Popular Music, Race, and the American Presidencywhich came out last year, is a collection of famous campaign songs and how those musical moments were used to speak to racial issues.
When did presidential campaign songs really become popular?
The election of 1840 was a watershed for campaign songs. Supporters of Whig candidate William Henry Harrison promoted singing as a campaign activity and published a pamphlet, The Singing Star, with lyrics supporting Harrison. These lyrics, inspired by the candidate, were adapted to popular tunes of the day.
What does it take to pick a campaign song? Are candidates directly involved in the process?
It depends on the campaign. In 2008, Barack Obama’s staff considered the candidate’s musical taste when selecting playlists. There was continuity between the artists he chose. Discuss in interview At his campaign rallies, he often plays Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder and the Isley Brothers. Donald Trump has been known to personally select the music for his campaign rallies and to listen to music on his iPad at Mar-a-Lago after get off work.
What is the role of a campaign song? Why are campaign songs important?
Candidates use music to construct their own sonic identity, sonically constructing themselves in a way that engages the public while also providing insight into their character and beliefs.
There’s more to campaign songs than just the lyrics. Candidates need to consider the myriad ways songs can convey messages in a political context. That means considering the artist’s biography, the makeup and character of the artist’s fan base, the connotations attached to the song genre, and, of course, the meanings the song has accrued as a result of its appearance in other media. While critics may favor spoken word or image, voice and music can be just as powerful in persuasion.
Overall, campaign music is preaching to believers. I don’t think it converts people or drives them away.
exist Footprintsyou wrote about candidates expressing racial issues through music. What do you think Kamala Harris is trying to say by choosing songs by prominent black women, both past and present?
Black women artists are the backbone of Harris’ 2024 rally playlist—Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion. Harris elevates a lineage of black matriarchal excellence that spans 60 years.
It was a stark contrast to last month’s Republican National Convention, which was dominated by classic rock, when a group of aging male rockers covered songs by the Eagles, Kenny Loggins, Grand Funk Railroad, Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. Trump has questioned Harris’ leadership and her racial identity, so Harris has used her music to disrupt that narrative and speak to the identities he is criticizing.
Harris’ previous campaign song, Mary J. Blige’s “Work That,” was more lighthearted and fun in tone and message, while Beyoncé’s “Freedom” is more serious and urgent. How do you think these songs reflect the differences in the campaigns, and even the broader political climate?
“Freedom” does convey a certain level of urgency. But more broadly, Harris’s playlist reminded voters that they can acknowledge the country’s painful history, commit to the serious work that needs to be done, and still sing, laugh and dance with her on the road to victory.
Harris’s playlist is mostly dance music, from Diana Ross and the Johnson Brothers to Dua Lipa and Bruno Mars, not to mention the recent music of Charli XCX. To those on the right, disco can signal the dangers of hedonism. But the genre, with its roots in the leisure culture of Latino, black, and queer communities, also points to a rich history of resistance and hope — even if those sounds have long been domesticated, as evidenced by their presence on your mom’s gym playlist.
Not surprisingly, video of Harris Set to Charlie xcxThe music shows the candidates laughing, dancing or gaffes — even Trump himself Criticism of Harris’s laughterBy injecting Black, queer, and/or female-centric expressions of unfettered joy and pleasure into her playlists, Harris has managed to wrest control from male-centric gerontocracy, albeit only on the dance floor.
I find a contradiction between the lighthearted tone of Harris’ campaign and the homespun way that Gen Z has parodied songs like “Freedom” — not to mention that “Freedom” isn’t one of Beyoncé’s most popular songs. Do you think this was a wrong choice?
Despite the more serious tone of “Freedom,” I do think it fits Harris well. It brings together a lot of narratives that fit with her campaign message and the brand of president she’s trying to cultivate.
“Freedom” takes on an almost prayerful tone, employing gospel symbolism and referencing the spiritual “wading through water” in its lyrics. Spiritually, water represents the possibility of escape during times of slavery. Water also appears in “Freedom” in the form of “rain” and “tears.” This alludes to Beyoncé’s personal turmoil, cultural trauma in post-hurricane New Orleans, and the black community impacted by mass incarceration. The song also samples the voices of a medieval prisoner and preacher, as well as Jay Z’s grandmother opening up about her hardships in 2015.
By choosing “freedom,” Harris places herself and the 2024 election in the lineage and robust world of these transhistorical struggles, both personal and political.
It looks like Beyoncé’s collaboration might be more powerful than the song itself.
Beyoncé herself is an emblem of female strength, endurance, and vitality. Her music defies categorization. She makes her own rules and frequently reinvents herself. It’s no surprise, then, that Harris would want to associate herself with such a narrative as she embarks on a journey of self-reinvention from prosecutor to district attorney to attorney general to senator to vice president to president of the United States.
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