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Last night, as Stevie Wonder ripped through his 1972 funk classic “Higher Ground” and John Legend teamed up with Sheila E. for a tribute to Prince in honour of Minnesota’s own Tim Walz, one thing was abundantly clear: the Democratic National Convention in Chicago has delivered the sort of musical line-up any mid-sized festival booker would be proud of.
The last three days have seen a whole host of musicians from across eras and genres take the stage at the United Center. Country star Mickey Guyton set the tone on the opening night with a rousing rendition of her 2021 song “All American,” a hands-across-the-aisle anthem that celebrates “New York City lights” as well as “the stars in the Texas sky” and a “hotel bible.” She’s been followed by artists including Americana singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, R&B legend Patti LaBelle and rappers Common and Lil Jon, while singer-songwriter James Taylor was mercilessly cut for time. Still to come, Pink is scheduled to “Get the Party Started” before Kamala Harris’s speech tonight.
The idea of offering something for everyone may have given the event the feel of a deranged Spotify playlist come to life, but it certainly sets it in marked contrast to last month’s Republican National Convention. Music fans in Milwaukee had to make do with country singers Lee Greenwood and Chris Janson and the perhaps inevitable appearance of Kid Rock, who performed his 2000 single “American Bad Ass” before Donald Trump took the stage to accept the Republican nomination for president.
Prior to the conventions, some Republicans had urged the party to purposefully avoid too much focus on celebrity guest appearances knowing that musicians have, to paraphrase Stephen Colbert, a well-known liberal bias. Still, the stark difference between the musical choices of the Republicans and Democrats extends well beyond the performers who actually turned up to play.
At the RNC, the soundtrack tended older, whiter and more male: think plenty of Grand Funk Railroad, Rick Springfield and Steely Dan. When music from Black performers was played, it caused its own kind of controversy: The estate of Isaac Hayes is currently suing the Trump campaign for the allegedly unauthorized use of “Hold On, I’m Coming,” which Hayes wrote for Sam & Dave.
Similarly, Beyoncé threatened the Trump campaign with a cease-and-desist letter after they used her 2016 song “Freedom” in a since-deleted social media clip. There have been no reports of that song actually being played at the RNC, but if it had, it would have been a rare example of a modern pop song making the playlist: One Direction’s decade-old “What Makes You Beautiful” is as close as the RNC’s DJ came to getting a thumb on the musical pulse. When Trump finally arrived on stage, it was to the strains of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” a typical and unsubtle projection of machismo.
At the DNC, the music choices have skewed younger and more female, with Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan all making the cut. That’s not to say they’ve discounted the dad rock vote entirely, primarily thanks to noted Warren Zevon fan Tim Walz. The vice presidential candidate was given specific permission by Neil Young to use “Rockin’ in the Free World” as his DNC entrance theme, after the musician had spent years sending Trump cease-and-desist letters requesting he stop using the song.
The contrasting musical choices made by the two camps say a lot about how the two parties want to portray themselves. For the Republicans, there’s a concerted effort to project strength, fortitude and tough guy swagger. The avoidance of contemporary pop speaks to the MAGA desire to turn back the clock, reveling in the comforting tunes of the past instead of facing the uncertainty of the future. For the Democrats there has been a conscious effort to build out the sort of eclectic playlist that reflects the broad church they’re seeking to build, appealing to women and younger voters while still finding moments to celebrate the past. They, too, want to present fortitude: both conventions have found space on their playlists for Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”
It’s not yet known what song Harris will choose as her walk-on music, but the smart money says she’ll reclaim Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” As an anthem about the power of Black women that alludes to the Black Lives Matter movement and America’s struggles with slavery, the song would provide an apt introduction to Harris’s big moment. Best of all, unlike Trump, she actually has the musician’s permission to use it.
