Barack Obama's playlist: music for running
Questions posed to presidential hopefuls reflect their times. Remember the famous one for Bill Clinton during the Rock the Vote forum -- Boxers or briefs?
In the latest example, Rolling Stone asked Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to disclose the contents of his iPod. The candidate described his musical tastes as "old school."
"If I had one musical hero, it would have to be Stevie Wonder," he told the magazine. Also on the senator's iPod: Jay-Z, Howlin Wolf, Yo-Yo Ma and Sheryl Crow. In a separate radio interview, Obama said he listened to Beyonce too, thanks to the influence of his daughters.
Some bloggers have analyzed Obama's playlist; one, Marginal Revolution, judged the candidate a "detached, universalist cosmopolitan." Does that mean he's a Mod or a Rocker?
We suspect John McCain's musical tastes will be investigated. Time for his daughter, Meghan, to blog on her dad's favorites, which allegedly include ABBA.
In this campaign cycle, maybe the litmus test of cool shouldn't be what you listen to anymore -- whether you identify with Billy Joel or Tina Turner or Luciano Pavarotti. Instead, for the digital age (consider this free advice for the next presidential debate moderators), it should be asked: How often do you change your iPod library? And what high-tech and low-tech methods do you use to discover new music?
Obama has been accused of being an elitist, but when it comes to music he's probably a lot like us -- listening to the same tunes over and over again, stuck in a musical rut. Can we discover new music? Yes we can!
-- Michelle Quinn
Photo by Carey Wagner / South Florida Sun-Sentinel
I think Obama should go running with MP3 Running Music. It's not old school and its new cool!
Posted by: Christian Neeser | June 25, 2008 at 09:54 PM
He should some different listening... It is not his lack of experience that will work against him.
Obama would be well served by his hired help if it could move him to specifics on numerous critical fronts.
Voters are looking for definitive action while they battle overwhelming increases in costs on all fronts.
http://tinyurl.com/3zcb88
Posted by: PacificGatePost | June 26, 2008 at 11:57 AM
WHO CARES!!!!
Posted by: dee | June 27, 2008 at 04:32 AM
Wow, what a profound and interesting article. Did you also know that Barack Obama wants to keep it legal to kill babies in the womb? But enough about that...I wonder if he likes Coldplay.
Posted by: Jim Zukowsky | June 27, 2008 at 04:36 AM
Come on now Obama, we know you listen to NWA, ICP, and all those other gangsta thugs. Bet you even have Gangstalicious on your MP3 Player. Oh by the way are those downloaded songs or are they ripped from your own personal CD's because you know, as a poitician, the RIAA/MPAA/MAFIAA will be taking you to court and having you explain how you could rip the company off for so many milions of dollars because you transferred your music to another media besides the one that you paid for. SHAME ON YOU BARACK, YOU EVIL TWISTED TWO FACED POLITICIAN. YOU'RE EVIL, PURE EVIL...Denying the music industry of their hard earned dollars that they scammed from the original recording artists.
Posted by: Walter | June 27, 2008 at 04:47 AM
i guess mccain isnt all bad if he likes ABBA right?
Posted by: der... | June 28, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Quite a diverse selection of great music Obama listens to- fantastic that he's also a big Dylan fan. And Howlin' Wolf! I personally don't care for Beyonce, but at least he listens to his daughters.
Posted by: auramac | June 29, 2008 at 12:09 AM
The fact that McCain likes ABBA fits my slightly silly theory that the McCain family only like things that have blonde hair.
Posted by: Ronald McCainald | June 29, 2008 at 06:24 PM
What a crock. He covered the gament.
Howlin Wolf - old black folks
Jay Z - Young Black Folks
Dylan - Old Hippies - Young pot heads
Crow - Yuppies all ages
Beyonce - in case he missed a group
I would give him an A+ if he would have included Merle Haggard to get country white folks
Posted by: Uncle Harvey | June 29, 2008 at 08:53 PM
Hey Walter - You've got issues. Get a life. And start working on your IQ by turning off Fox news...
Posted by: av | June 29, 2008 at 08:53 PM
good grief, walter...could you be a bigger dumbass?
Posted by: nola | June 29, 2008 at 11:19 PM
There is no such thing as a baby in a womb, so how would you kill it?
Posted by: Kyle Armbruster | June 30, 2008 at 05:31 AM
Again, who in their right mind could care about what music Barack Hussein Obama prefers? In fact, who in their right mind would vote for this guy come November? I'm surprised that Barack doesn't listen to songs like, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" by Tiny Tim; "Imagine" and "Rosemary Fields Forever" by the Beatles. Oh yes, and let us not forget the Hollywood lefties that gather together during a world natural disaster and sing, "We are the World", "We are the Children"! Keep on dreaming, lefties and if you do get your way come next November, Barack Hussein Obama does have a "dream" and it will be our national nightmare.
Posted by: Larkin Mead | June 30, 2008 at 06:36 AM
Wow, what a profound and interesting article. Did you also know that Barack Obama wants to keep it legal to kill babies in the womb? But enough about that...I wonder if he likes Coldplay.
Posted by: Jim Zukowsky | June 27, 2008 at 04:36 AM
If he likes Coldplay I'm voting third party.
Posted by: aleks | June 30, 2008 at 06:42 AM
I never knew having diverse musical tastes was a crime.
Posted by: diazo | June 30, 2008 at 06:53 AM
Who cares what he listens to. I am a musician and play predominately jazz, although like the senator, I love Stevie Wonder and some of the older musicians he mentioned because Obama is only 5 years older than me, so we heard the same music. That said, I have actually had musician friends try to get me on the band wagon because he has Miles Davis on his I-Pod. So that's how we elect someone now?? AN I-POD?
The fact is, I don't like Obama, or McCain, or Bob Barr or Ralph Nader. I guess I will have to write in a candidate, which will be hard as I have no access to the I-POD of anyone that interests me.
Posted by: Jeff Phillips | June 30, 2008 at 07:56 AM
This is, by far, the dumbest blog I've read since my cousin's kid wrote "5 Things That Make Miley Cyrus My Hero" which was published on myspace 14 June, last year.
Seriously. They PAY you for this? In American MONEY? No way. Get it while you can because this blog is the definition of trite.
Posted by: Yamazing | June 30, 2008 at 08:00 AM
Walter is joking! Jeez, you guys need to get a sense of humor.
Posted by: Jordan | June 30, 2008 at 08:01 AM
Well, I used to think Obama had good judgment, but Sheryl Crow? Hmmmm....
Posted by: rg | June 30, 2008 at 08:03 AM
It never ceases to AMAZE me that there are people like Walter around. It is even more amazing that they can write.... At any rate, music selection does say a lot about the overall personality. However, just because one enjoys a certain genre of music over another does not classify that person. The post concerning Merle Haggard (Uncle Harvey) seems a bit oout there....
Good to know that there are some "human" qualities in a candidate, however, it this is to be used as a measure in the voting booth, I say it says something Not necessarily intelligent about the voter.....
Posted by: PThomas | June 30, 2008 at 08:19 AM
Srul Glick who lived in Toronto, but has passed away is my choice for the greatest music composer.
Posted by: Joyce Green | January 13, 2009 at 01:47 PM