Tunes Shape the Campaign
It’s not everyday that we get a music play list from an MTV personality. An MTV News correspondent and former contestant on “America’s Next Top Model,” gives the presidential candidates her advice on campaign theme music. Martin and I met Kim Stolz from MTV in the TRL studios above Times Square. She says that the tunes that Obama, Clinton and McCain play at their rallies range from lame to weird to fun. Maybe Kim can help improve their play list? Definitely. She gives her suggestions below.
Why do campaigns use music in the first place? Well, if you’ve ever been to a campaign rally you know that Clinton, Obama and McCain are almost always late, sometimes even two or three hours late! Even their surrogates (big name endorsers) run behind schedule. Bill Clinton has kept crowds waiting two hours or more. Okay, so you get the point. So what does the candidate do to keep supporters from taking off before the main event begins? They play music and lots of it. The range of tunes the candidates pick gives a fascinating glimpse at the message they are trying to sell, as we report on the Fox Report tonight.
Take Barack Obama for instance. His signature tune is Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and it really gets the crowd going. I’ve seen the reaction firsthand in New Hampshire and Ohio. People pour into the auditorium, mix and mingle and wait…then the music plays…and the fans start grooving. The tunes help keep people’s minds off of how long they’ve been standing there. You don’t have to be an Obama fan to start moving to the music. But the song does more than keep people there—it inspires and perhaps that’s the real point.
Remember the 1992 presidential campaign? The Clinton Gore team played Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” (thinkin’ about tomorrow) over and over again. I know the song was popular when it first came out years before but when I hear it today I think of the ’92 campaign– not Fleetwood Mac. That song helped ignite the Clinton Gore candidacy and energized boomers across the country. Obama’s hoping to do the same thing says Kim Stolz, a correspondent for MTV News who occasionally covers the youth vote. “That song, even if a bit arrogant is extremely confident, extremely motivational and people hear that and he’s already proclaiming himself theirs before the voters even do,” she told me.
Look for yourself:
Signed Sealed Delivered –some of the lyrics:
Here I am baby
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m yours
(You got my future in your hands)
Here I am baby
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m yours
(You got my future in your hands)
Then there’s John McCain. Those poor conservatives, they always seem to have a tough time with the cool music. His signature tune is the 1958 Chuck Berry hit “Johnny B. Goode” and he likes it so much he used it during the 2000 campaign. Another standard is the Rocky theme song. I can’t remember what it’s called but I can hum it…da na na, da na na…know what I’m talking about now? And then there’s “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky III, something Kim says is a bit dated. No kidding! The strangest song he uses is Abba’s “Take a Chance on Me.” Abba? Is he kidding? That’s doesn’t exactly go with the macho image of a former POW. Full disclosure—I have been known to belt out this song on my personal karaoke machine. True! McCain does admit that he has interesting taste in music and he scores points for acknowledging that. Kim says, “One thing like about McCain is that he’s honest about his music.” He just scored major cool points from a hip gal—way to go, John!
“Take a Chance on Me”—some of the lyrics
If you change your mind, I’m the first in line
Honey I’m still free
Take a chance on me
What about Hilary Clinton? There’s no doubt that she’s a tough lady but her music sure ain’t. After taking a poll and asking voters which song she should use, Celine Dion’s “You and I” was chosen. That’s not the way to get the male vote. I can see men running from her rallies leaving their wives behind. I like Celine Dion’s voice as much as the next person, but to make it your theme song…uh…maybe not. Okay so then she used Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” an obvious appeal to blue collar voters, Big Head Todd (much cooler) but the title “Cruel Fate”? yikes! She also throws in KT Tunstall “Suddenly I See,” another karaoke great and Bruce Springstein’s “The Rising.”
Here’s KT’s “Suddenly I see”
Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she’s a beautiful girl
She’s a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm
Kim says pick a song and stick with it. Here are her suggestions for each of the candidates:
For Senator John McCain:
1. Michael McDonald: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. (This song is good for all three candidates, and the McDonald version is fitting for McCain supporters).
2. Christina Aguilera: Ain’t No Other Man. (This brings McCain to a more current music scene, without pushing him so far that it seems contrived. Note: This song is only applicable if Senator Obama wins the Democratic nomination).
3. Arlo Guthrie: Patriot’s Dream
4. Gang Of Four: I Love A Man In Uniform. (Sure, this song’s general demographic isn’t exactly McCain’s… but McCain prides himself upon his time spent in a uniform, and who knows… perhaps this will draw some attention some former non-supporters).
5. Eddie Cochran: C’Mon Everybody. (This track is great for motivation).
6. White Williams: Shadow. (For young conservatives who are in touch with the current music scene, Williams is breaking right now and the song is interesting enough that it will catch everybody else’s attention).
7. Arcade Fire: Keep The Car Running. (Ok, so the Arcade Fire might not agree to this, and the lyrics aren’t applicable. But this is a good example of how the melody of a song can bring inspiration and motivation to a crowd, regardless of lyric).
8. Rolling Stones: You’ve Got Me Rockin’. (this song will appeal to lower middle class voters, and get them motivated– as well as anyone else who appreciates good classic rock and roll).
For Senator Hillary Clinton:
1. Diana Ross: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. (Hillary should pay particular attention to songs that appeal to a large audience, especially if they have female vocalists.)
2. Talking Heads: Life During Wartime. (Because of Hillary’s former issues with being a flip-flopper on the war, some war centric songs by politically liberal bands would be beneficial to her. Plus, who doesn’t like The Talking Heads?)
3. Journey: Don’t Stop Believing. (A big hit in middle America, and one that is sure to motivate voters on the fence.)
4. Tom Petty: I Won’t Back Down. (Self explanatory. Gives her supporters hope that she won’t concede to Barack).
5. Queen: Under Pressure
6. Matt and Kim: 5K. (This will be good for her because Matt and Kim are a well respected band in the indie scene, and relatively well known among young voters.)
7. Patti Labelle: Stir It Up
8. Justice: D.A.N.C.E. (Again, will up Hillary’s hipness factor, and is extremely motivational).
For Senator Barack Obama:
1. Marvin Gaye: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
2. Smashing Pumpkins: Tonight, Tonight. (A song that both baby boomers and the nation’s youth can appreciate, as well as being an extremely inspirational song).
3. Ratatat: Seventeen Years. (Ratatat is an indie favorite, and this song, being instrumental, can’t get a candidate in trouble with lyrics.)
4. Hot Chip: Ready For The Floor. (Another indie favorite. This is off of Hot Chip’s new album, and will excite Barack’s college indie voters).
5. Daft Punk: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
6. The Four Tops: Reach Out I’ll Be There. (You can never go wrong with motown, and this song has many references to hope and follow-through).
7. Kanye West: Touch The Sky. (Obama has used this one before, and from my experience, it worked very effectively for him. So, I’m suggesting that he brings it back even more.)
8. MGMT- the youth (self explanatory)
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