Election Day Is Finally Here! [Best Political Songs]
A few of us here at Stranger Dance fled the DC area to get away from politics, but even we’ve gotten caught up this election season. Having said that, I’ll be happy when it’s all over and we can start moving forward.
However, if you just can’t get enough of this battle, you can even check out the candidates top 10 songs thanks to imeem. Not surprisingly, Barack’s list features some more modern artists (Kanye West, Fugees, etc) along with some R&B classics (Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, etc). We’ve already discussed McCain’s love of Abba, and sure enough, McCain’s list features two songs from the Swedes along with mostly oldies classics like Roy Orbison, Dooley Wilson, Neil Diamond and the Platters.
If you haven’t voted yet and don’t already know where your polling station is, click here to find out.
All this election-ing got us thinking about our favorite politically inspired songs. This list has a few all-time favorites (”A Change is Gonna Come,” “Imagine,” “Revolution,” “What’s Going On?”) and a lot of other classics. We’ve also included some songs that aren’t explicitly political, but have a special meaning in the context of this election.
MP3s:
Bob Dylan – “The Times They are a-Changin’ “Sam Cooke – “A Change Is Gonna Come”
Woodie Guthrie – This Land is Your Land
John Lennon – “Imagine”
Jimmy Cliff – “The Harder They Come”
Elvis Costello – “(What’s so Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”
Pearl Jam – “People Have the Power” (Patti Smith cover)
Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Ohio”
Aretha Franklin – “Think (Freedom)”
Sly & Family Stone – “Everyday People”
Marvin Gaye – “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”
Gil Scott-Heron – “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
Public Enemy – “Fight the Power”
Nas – “Black President”
Earl Taylor & The Stoney Mountain Boys – “White House Blues”
Pete Seeger – “The Draft Dodger Rag”
Bob Dylan – “Blowin’ in the Wind”
Woodie Guthrie – “Better World A-Comin’ “
John Lennon – “Gimme Some Truth”
The Clash – “Know Your Rights”
Neil Young – “Rockin’ in the Free World”
The Beatles – “Revolution”
I’m not ready for it to end. More! Crush! Kill! Maim! … OK, maybe I am ready for it to end.
[...] and their brother chose the song for their election coverage — we certainly featured it in our election mix back in November — and although it didn’t make the official Obama soundtrack, the [...]
This might be a year and a half late, but just in the interest of posterity: “Draft Dodge Rag” was written by Phil Ochs, one of the greatest Topical Singers in his own right–the Peete Seeger version is a cover.