By Steve Rhodes
Slacker.com has introduced Obama Radio, described by the station as “the favored music of Barack Obama including his personal song picks, tracks from his favorite artists and music played at his events.” I’ve been listening to it all morning and I think you’ll see from the playlist that the concept is, well, a bit of a stretch.
1. St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)/John Parr. Not a great way to start. I mean, c’mon! I seriously doubt Obama likes this song in the least, but I guess he is “a man in motion,” so there you go.
2. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough/Marvin Gaye. There ain’t no mountain high enough, but pretty predictable.
3. I’m On Fire/Bruce Springsteen. Um, Obama’s horny and he has a really bad headache?
4. For Once In My Life/Stevie Wonder. I suppose this is thematically correct, especially if Wonder wants to make love to Obama.
5. There’s Hope/India.Arie. Nice.
6. Maggie’s Farm/Bob Dylan. Oh, I don’t know. Maybe if he was singing that he wasn’t going to work on Emil Jones’s farm anymore.
7. Sing A Song/Earth, Wind & Fire. At least it’s not “Celebration,” though I’m sure that’s in the mix here somewhere.
8. Believe/Yellowcard. Who?
9. Bennie & the Jets/Elton John. Okay, why? Because the spotlight’s hitting something that’s been known to change the weather? Or because the kids are plugging into the blinded faithless?
10. Sinnerman/Nina Simone. Shouldn’t this be on McCain Radio?
11. Touch of Grey/Grateful Dead. Shoe is on the hand that fits, thats all there really is to it. Whistle through your teeth and spit, but it’s alright.
12. Living in America/James Brown. Yes.
13. Waiting on the World to Change/John Mayer. Dedicated to Jennifer Aniston.
14. Start Me Up/Rolling Stones. Obama is so great he even has a way with the dead.
15. Lose Yourself/Eminem. Because if Obama doesn’t come up with the right raps, he’ll lose his one chance to fulfill his dreams.
16. Beautiful Day/U2. Cliche campaign song of the oughts.
17. One Is The Magic/Jill Scott. Fine.
18. You Are the Sunshine of My Life/Stevie Wonder. Fine. Sigh. Sort of. Not!
19. Still The One/Orleans. At least it’s not the Shania Twain song of the same title, because that would be unbearable.
20. Move on Up/Curtis Mayfield. Yes.
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From the Beachwood jukebox to Marfa Public Radio, we have the playlists you need to be a better citizen of the Rock and Roll Nation.
Posted on October 24, 2008