President Obama’s brief rendition of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” at a fundraiser at the landmark Apollo Theater late last month is already available as a free ringtone on his official website. But there’s a new way to rock the vote for the upcoming election cycle.
On Twitter and Tumblr Thursday afternoon, Obama’s team released the 2012 campaign playlist on Spotify, a solid 28-track mix that hits all the right demographics: indie rock (Wilco, Arcade Fire), classic soul (Aretha Franklin, the Impressions), and R&B (Booker T & the MGs, Raphael Saadiq)—with just enough country, heartland anthems, and classic rock to please his more conservative supporters.
The soundtrack is part of a social media blitz by Obama’s campaign that includes signing up for Instagram and Google+, as well as hosting a live interview on YouTube.
But more importantly, coupled with the Super Bowl-themed Spotify playlists curated by the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, the new presidential mix also serves as a touchstone for the state of music in 2012, where social sharing on services is yet another way for brands to foster both credibility and community with online fan bases.
Here’s the full playlist, which has already collected more than 500 notes on Tumblr.
- No Doubt “Different People”
- Earth, Wind & Fire “Got to Get You Into My Life”
- Booker T & The MG’s “Green Onions”
- Wilco “I Got You”
- The Impressions “Keep on Pushing”
- Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators “Keep Reachin’ Up”
- Jennifer Hudson “Love You I Do?”
- AgesAndAges “No Nostalgia”
- Ledisi “Raise Up”
- Sugarland “Stand Up”
- Darius Rucker “This”
- Arcade Fire “We Used To Wait”
- Florence and the Machine “You’ve Got the Love”
- James Taylor “Your Smiling Face”
- REO Speedwagon “Roll with the Changes”
- Sugarland “Everyday America”
- Darius Rucker “Learn to Live”
- Al Green “Let’s Stay Together”
- Electric Light Orchestra “Mr. Blue Sky”
- Montgomery Gentry “My Town”
- Ricky Martin, featuring Joss Stone “The Best Thing about Me Is You”
- Ray Lamontagne “You are the Best Thing”
- Raphael Saadiq “Keep Marchin’”
- Noah & the Whale “Tonight’s The Kind of Night”
- Bruce Springsteen “We Take Care of Our Own”
- Zac Brown Band “Keep Me In Mind”
- Aretha Franklin “The Weight”
- U2 “Even Better Than The Real Thing”
- Dierks Bentley “Home”
Photo by reggestraat
