Photo: President Andrew Jackson | By Ella Creamer, Politico | In 1824, Andrew Jackson ran for president with the first semi-official campaign song, “The Hunters of Kentucky,” lauding his victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson was neither a hunter nor a Kentuckian. But what politician lets facts get in the way of a good campaign tune?
Two hundred years later, the 2024 presidential campaign is kicking into gear and candidates are once again cherry-picking the songs they’ll be using to pump up the crowd at rallies, trumpet their pick-me-messages in campaign ads and signal their coolness on TikTok — or not.
For decades, candidates on both sides of the aisle have tussled with musicians who didn’t want their music associated with them, threatening all kinds of legal action. (See: Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake vs. Tom Petty’s estate.) They’ve been embarrassed. (It was “rather rude,” singer Sam Moore said, for the Obama campaign not to ask permission to use his 1966 hit “Hold On, I’m Comin’.”) Or they just really … misfired. (See: Ronald Reagan vs. Bruce Springsteen.)
Clearly, this is not a task to be taken lightly.
Stinking up the vibe with a bad campaign song probably won’t lose anyone an election. But you don’t want would-be constituents cringing any time you pick up an aux cord. Nailing the sonic selection could galvanize your base and shine up your image. With that in mind, POLITICO Magazine reached out to a host of political consultants and other campaign music experts to find out how to curate the ultimate soundtrack for campaigning in 2023 and beyond — at a time when social media rules the Internet and an ill-conceived TikTok can spread like wildfire.
So, in all seriousness…
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Go here to read the 10 things to be aware of…
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/06/02/the-art-of-picking-good-campaign-music-00097278
Ella Creamer is a journalist from the U.K. and a former POLITICO intern.
[Thanks to Alex Teitz for contributing this article! http://www.femmusic.com]
Photo: President Andrew Jackson
https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouseHistory/photos/a.168214769870461/1434335109925081/
How to Not Screw Up Your 2024 Campaign Song: A Primer
