Daily Rec: Politics!

Where do they stand on lovely lady lumps?

So, every four years, the presidential election blesses us with hopelessly inane stories about the likes and dislikes of our presidential candidates. One the surface, it seems interesting, until you realize that “Bill Clinton likes McDonalds!” and “George Bush roots for the University of Texas!” are actually incredibly boring stories that only serve to make men remarkable enough to be running for the presidency seem mundane. Of course, that’s also the point…turns out that most Americans don’t have much in common with the Yale-educated son of a former President, Vice-President, and Director of the CIA. But, damn, Hook’em Horns!

Of course, any thinking adult realizes that, while there is some truth to these stories, the “personalities” of the candidates as they are presented to the public are carefully managed down to the most minute detail. What we really stand to learn from these puff pieces is how well the candidates campaigns understand their appeal to the public and how they’re hoping the public sees them.

Why do I mention this? Because the music magazine for people who don’t care about music, Blender (This months top story: Which Nickelback album is the most classic?), has asked the candidates to list their top ten songs. Let’s take a look:

BARACK OBAMA
1. Ready or Not - Fugees
2. What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye
3. I’m On Fire - Bruce Spingsteen
4. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
5. Sinnerman - Nina Simone
6. Touch the Sky - Kanye West
7. You’d Be So Easy to Love - Frank Sinatra
8. Think - Aretha Franklin
9. City of Blinding Lights - U2
10. Yes We Can - will.i.am

Thoughts on Obama’s List:
Whoever put this together knows what they’re doing. It hits every demographic with a song they like, but rather than feeling manufactured, it feels like a list compiled by someone with (mostly) good taste and diverse interests. Extra credit goes to the following picks:
Kanye West - taking the most popular rapper of the moment makes some sense. But, Kanye is unique, since he’s also something of a household name, and he’s nonthreatening by rapper standards. Oh, and there’s that little Hurricane Katrina quote out there that I’m sure the Obama campaign didn’t forget when making their list.
Marvin Gaye - Truly the most perfect pick the campaign could have made. Putting it at number 1 might have been too on the nose, but placing it at number 2 sits just right. It doesn’t hurt that, in addition to syncing up with Obama’s “change” mantra, it’s also one of the best songs of all time.
The Fugees - It’s just an awesome, awesome song. Lauryn Hill’s humming is one of the most distinct song openers of all time. It’s a left field pick, the kind of deep cut you wouldn’t expect, but it’s a great one.

JOHN McCAIN
1. Dancing Queen ABBA
2. Blue Bayou Roy Orbison
3. Take a Chance On Me ABBA
4. If We MakeIt Through December Merle Haggard
5. As Time Goes By Dooley Wilson
6. Good Vibrations The Beach Boys
7. What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong
8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin Frank Sinatra
9. Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond
10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes The Platters

Thoughts on McCain’s List:
Put the elephant in the room aside. A lot of these picks are pretty good. Sweet Caroline is a well-loved song, Good Vibrations is an excellent choice, and only the soulless hate What A Wondeful World. But, that elephant…it’s not the party mascot. Two ABBA songs in the top 3? One of which is called Take A Chance On Me? Did anyone even look at this list before submitting it? Seriously, I like Dancing Queen. I think most people like it a lot, actually, even if they might not admit it. This is the same candidate who hates wearing v-neck sweaters because they make him look gay. I don’t even know where to take the joke!

Though, I’m looking forward to the 2032 election where I imagine a hardened Persian Gulf War veteran will tell Rolling Stone that his favorite songs is “The Sign” by Ace of Bass.