I usually don’t write about politics, but Richard Scheinin wrote an article in today’s San Jose Mercury News that brings together music and politics — specifically, the music picks of Barack Obama and John McCain — and the opportunity proved too tempting to pass up. Looking at the “Top 10” lists the two senators compiled for Blender Magazine, Scheinin makes the interesting point that the choice of music reveals something important about each candidate.
McCain’s Top 10
1. “Dancing Queen” (Abba)
2. “Blue Bayou” (Roy Orbison)
3. “Take a Chance on Me” (Abba)
4. “If We Make It Through December” (Merle Haggard)
5. “As Time Goes By” (Dooley Wilson)
6. “Good Vibrations” (Beach Boys)
7. “What a Wonderful World” (Louis Armstrong)
8. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (Frank Sinatra)
9. “Sweet Caroline” (Neil Diamond)
10. “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (The Platters)
Obama’s Top 10
1. “Ready or Not” (Fugees)
2. “What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye)
3. “I’m on Fire” (Bruce Springsteen)
4. Gimme Shelter” (Rolling Stones)
5. “Sinnerman” (Nina Simone)
6. “Touch the Sky” (Kanye West)
7. “You’d Be So Easy to Love” (Frank Sinatra)
8. “Think” (Aretha Franklin)
9. “City of Blinding Lights” (U2)
10. “Yes We Can” (Will.i.am.)
In interviews for Rolling Stone and Vibe, Obama has discussed the aesthetic and cultural impact of hip-hop, Bob Dylan, Steven Wonder; he talks about listening to Miles Davis and Bach. McCain’s music choices show less range and imagination — although I certainly like some of the songs on his list (but two Abba tunes?!?). Legendary San Jose musician Gordon Stevens tells Scheinin that McCain’s list is “benign” and signals “McCain’s nostalgia thing,” looking backward to old times. Contrast that with Obama, who “has been exposed, and has exposed himself, to music before his time,” able to appreciate both Bach and rap.
In the article, social psychologist Dean Morier of Oakland’s Mills College cites recent research showing a relationship between broad music listening and a personality trait known as “openness to experience.” He wonders whether Obama’s more eclectic listening habits might translate into “thinking outside the box, trying new things and maybe considering different approaches to old problems.” McCain’s narrower list suggests he may be stuck in a particular time from the past. “He may not be as open to considering new approaches.”
Photo credit: United States Senate, Wikipedia Commons
