‘Freedom,’ or ‘YMCA’? What Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’ Music Choices on the Campaign Trail Really Say About Their Candidacies
Music has played a role in political campaigns throughout history, but only recently did it result in headlines about cease-and-desists and “somnambulant bobbing.”
Of course, America is in its third consecutive presidential election cycle in which there are nearly weekly stories about musicians objecting to Donald Trump’s unauthorized use of their songs at rallies. (“It’s a shame that some artists want to limit half of the country from enjoying their music,” an RNC spokesperson says of the complaints and legal orders.) But the nation still had never seen anything like the recent Pennsylvania rally in which he danced in place while his playlist rolled on for 39 minutes. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris skirts controversy with her picks, although that’s easier when (a) musicians mostly favor Democrats and (b) she can and will just singularly crank up Beyoncé’s “Freedom” at any possible moment.
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How do the campaign playlists compare? We selected seven songs recently used by each candidate on the trail to see what kind of message the respective candidates are trying to send out, and whether there are sometimes different subliminal meanings coming through.
DONALD J. TRUMP
“Hallelujah,” Rufus Wainwright
Likely intended message: Reinstalling Trump is a holy crusade, ordained by God. Actual message: “You don’t really care for music, do you?” precedes writer Leonard Cohen’s references to “the baffled king” considering “how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.” Authorized? This was “the height of blasphemy,” said Wainwright, who hoped controversy over the usage would “help bring [Trump] down.”
“Nothing Compares 2 U,” Sinéad O’Connor
Likely intended message: Nothing compares 2 the four years when America was briefly made great again. Actual message: There’s been a massive floral die-off in the last 15-and-a-quarter days. Authorized? O’Connor’s estate said in April she would’ve been “disgusted, hurt, and insulted” to have her music propping up “someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil.’”
“November Rain,” Guns N’ Roses
Likely intended message: Bring on the November reign. Actual message: Things are troubled. “Ooh, everybody needs some time on their own.” Authorized? Rose has called Trump “a demented n’ truly pathetic individual,” adding that he “liked the irony of Trump supporters listening to a bunch of anti-Trump music at his rallies, but I don’t imagine a lot of ’em really get that or care.”
“God Bless the USA,” Lee Greenwood
Likely intended message: God bless the USA. Actual message: God bless the USA. Authorized? Darn tootin’ — Greenwood sang it live as Trump’s summer convention walk-off music. It’s so anomalous, Trump using the music of someone who doesn’t detest him, sort of like Groucho Marx joining a club that would have him as a member.
“It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti
Likely intended message: Behind every great man is a hugely supportive if not compliant woman. Actual message: “He’s lost in the wilderness,” the song’s narrator points out. “He’s lost in bitterness. Lost … lost!” Authorized? The singers’ estates have remained quiet, although Pavarotti’s widow complained in 2016 that Trump’s values were “incompatible” with her late husband’s.
“An American Trilogy,” Elvis Presley
Likely intended message: “Dixie” + “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” = Go, ’Murica? Actual message: “I wish I was in the land of cotton” is quite an opening line in 2024. Authorized? The Presley estate has not spoken up, even after Trump said in September, “I’m the greatest of all time. Maybe greater even than Elvis. Elvis had a guitar; I don’t have a guitar. I don’t have the privilege of a guitar.”
“YMCA,” Village People
Likely intended message: This campaign is all about goofy, unthreatening, nostalgic line dancing and hand-gesturing fun. Actual message: Let’s meet itinerant strangers for gay sexual encounters. Authorized? Last year the Village People’s manager sent a public cease-and-desist letter over this and other songs, which was obviously not taken overly seriously by the campaign.
KAMALA HARRIS
“Freedom,” Beyoncé
Likely intended message: The song has multiple meanings for multiple audiences, but reaffirms social consciousness and activism while being a banger. Actual message: Systemic racism exists. We shall overcome. Authorized? Beyoncé publicly permitted the usage in July, and Harris hardly walks on or off a stage without it.
“Femininomenon,” Chappell Roan
Likely intended message: Playing the song in a TikTok video, the Harris campaign sent the message that it’s time strong women beat mediocre men like Trump. Actual message: Good luck finding a man who can bring you to orgasm, ladies. Authorized? Using Roan seemed like a good idea before the singer made it clear she dislikes both parties and sounded unhappy when she finally begrudgingly said she was “voting for fucking Kamala.”
“The Man,” Taylor Swift
Likely intended message: Harris played this at her post-debate party, apparently feeling confident she’d just kicked the Man’s ass. Actual message: “What’s it like to brag about raking in dollars …” Actually, the Harris campaign knows plenty about that lately. Authorized? The campaign hasn’t overdone the use of Swift songs since her headline-making endorsement, but it’s clear they’re in the clear when they do.
“The Battle Cry of Freedom,” Bon Iver
Likely intended message: Bon Iver played a Civil War-era patriotic song at a rally to show what the true meaning of Classic Rock is … and, probably, how events of 1862 parallel the Jan. 6 uprising. Actual message: “The Union forever, hurrah! … Down with the traitors, up with the stars.” Authorized? Obviously yes — when in Wisconsin, do as the Vernon-ians do.
“Hope the High Road,” Jason Isbell and Michael Stipe
Likely intended message: Michelle Obama’s maxim that “when they go low, we go high” has been cast off as quaint, but these two made it sound aspirational again at a Harris-Walz appearance. Actual message: “Uninspired and likely mad as hell” — could anything this year be more on the nose? Authorized? Isbell has shown up repeatedly for the campaign, and the R.E.M. singer may be rubbing Trump’s nose in this after the candidate’s unauthorized use of the band’s music.
“God Is a Woman,” Ariana Grande
Likely intended message: The campaign avoid making too big a deal out of the historicity of electing a female president, but a song played at a rally can invoke Real Goddess Energy. Actual message: It’s a song about sexual power, through and through —“I’ll tell you all the things you should know” surely doesn’t refer to a position paper. Authorized? Grande has been unabashed in her support of Harris.
Bruce Springsteen, “Land of Hope and Dreams”
Likely intended message: “Dreams will not be thwarted / Faith will be rewarded.” Oh, please, God? Also: “This train carries whores and gamblers” — the Democratic party is a big tent! Actual message: “You don’t know where you’re goin’, but you know you won’t be back” speaks to the nebulous current mood of doom-scrollers and poll-scrollers. Authorized? Springsteen has been singing this secular-gospel song in appearances at last-minute rallies in swing states.
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