Is Hillary Clinton one of the cool kids?
If her campaign’s Spotify playlist is anything to go by, she might be. On Saturday, about two hours before the Democratic frontrunner delivered the speech in which she positioned herself as the champion for women and middle class, Clinton released her #Hillary2016 playlist.
The list contained anthems like Stronger by Kelly Clarkson and The Fighter by Gym Class Heroes, as well as Clinton’s unofficial theme song: Roar by Katy Perry. Before Clinton took the stage on Saturday, indeed, Perry invited all of her Twitter followers to “join the sisterhood of the traveling pantsuit”.
The playlist, which was compiled by the Hillary for America campaign, seems to be mostly geared towards the millennial female voter.
“I feel like I’m clubbing,” I told my editor as the list transitioned from Roar to Ariana Grande’s Break Free. My feet were tapping. I felt like dancing. Whether the playlist can lure young voters all the way into the voting booth, though, remains to be seen.
The list had a little bit for everyone:
For the Latino vote, the campaign included a little bit of Jenny from the Block as well as Marc Anthony’s Vivir Mi Vida, which is entirely in Spanish. Kayla Epstein, my pop-culture savvy colleague, has pointed out that though Jennifer Lopez is more of a Gen X singer, she has attempted to remain relevant for the millennials.
For those of my mom’s generation, the campaign was sure to include Jon Bon Jovi. (Sorry, mom.) The song, however, is not one of his classic like I’ll Be There for You, Who Says You Can’t Go Home, Misunderstood or Livin’ on a Prayer – all of which I think would have been appropriate for the occasion. Instead, the campaign opted for his newest single, Beautiful Day.
And then there was Wake Up Everybody, which - if you listen closely – could be another unofficial theme song:
Wake up everybody ... No more backward thinkin’/ Time for thinkin’ ahead ... The world won’t get no better/ If we just let it be, na, na, na/ The world won’t get no better/ We gotta change it, yeah/ Just you and me ... Wake up, everybody/ Need a little help, y’all/ Yes I do, need a little help
Interestingly enough, Echosmith – the band who on Saturday performed their song Cool Kids at the launch event on Roosevelt Island – did not make it on to the Spotify playlist.
The fact that the band at the Hillary Clinton launch is playing a song about aspiring to be "like the cool kids" seems off-message
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) June 13, 2015
In her speech, Clinton appealed to an older generation as well.
“Now, there may be some new voices in the presidential Republican choir,” she said, “but they’re all singing the same old song … a song called Yesterday.”
She went on, slightly changing the lyrics of the 1965 Beatles classic to suit her narrative: “You know the one: all our troubles look as though they’re here to stay …and we need a place to hide away … They believe in yesterday.”
It didn’t take long for an opponent to respond, Republican candidate Marco Rubio said: “Yesterday is over and we’re never going back.”
New Rubio video responds to Clinton quoting Beatles' "Yesterday." http://t.co/mskr3mUrBb
— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) June 13, 2015
Your turn: Give Clinton’s playlist a listen and weigh in in the comments section below.
Now playing: The official #Hillary2016 @Spotify playlist! Listen here → http://t.co/dL7vGv4gGi pic.twitter.com/ETfaTkPj8F
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 13, 2015
