By Steve Rhodes
After closing out my Division Street Election Night blogging and watching Barack Obama’s victory speech, I headed down to the Beachwood Inn to check out the action. Shortly thereafter, folks who had been at the Grant Park rally started trickling in . . . and the jukebox fell silent. Armed with a couple house jukebox dollars, the responsibility fell to me to get the party started. I was under a lot of pressure – to move quickly while maintaining a celebratory vibe combined with Obama themes without being too obvious. You know, like Richard Roeper. Here’s what I came up with.
1. Ooh La La. Well, it sets the table. It’s been getting a lot of play at the bar lately, and it has a good back story. Plus, very singable.
2. Pink Houses. Yeah, well, I was under a lot of pressure. Plus, I was probably unconsciously thinking about the stereotypical old African American man in the Obama infomercial who made me think of the black man sitting on the porch in the video for this song. I always hated that, like the black man was being used as a prop. And I’ve always had mixed feelings about this song. But you know, it just seemed to fit. And believe me, the “ain’t that America” line is the last reason why.
3. Pride (In the Name of Love). Okay, yes, this was on Roeper’s Election Day playlist too. How could you not want to reference Martin Luther King, Jr.? Here’s the video.
4. Come On Eileen. No Obama theme, just a song that’s undeniable and indestructible. Plus, I was under a lot of pressure. It was a safe fallback pick.
5. Sister Christian. This was totally a mistake, I swear! I punched in the wrong numbers and I didn’t know what song would come up until it did – and I didn’t remember what I meant to play. What a long day I had had. But yes, we were motorin’.
6. At Last. Just one of the most beautiful, heart-rending, soul-filled songs ever.
7. Long As I Can See The Light. Put a candle in the window.
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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 November 5, 2008