By Mark Harvey, The Hill | Not meant to be political: I’m putting this article in because it has some interesting research behind it. | Two fainting audience members abruptly interrupted Donald Trump’s recent overheated town hall in Pennsylvania. In response, Trump suddenly and surprisingly shifted from a Q&A format to a low-key dance party.
“Let’s not do any more questions,” Trump said. “Let’s just listen to music.”
This spontaneous decision may be unprecedented in campaign history, but the careful and strategic curation and deployment of playlists at campaign events is not.
Barack Obama famously walked on stage to U2’s “City of Blinding Light.” His rhythmic chants of “Yes we can” flowed seamlessly into Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”
Bill Clinton, through the music of Fleetwood Mac, told people, “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.”
In the current campaign, Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris prompted her to play the feminist anthem, “The Man” at her rallies as she exited the stage. Donald Trump, in a perfect split-screen contrast, prefers James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”
What difference does the music actually make at these rallies? We intuitively know that the mood would be quite different if no music were played at all. But does the music serve another purpose? Does it affect the way people feel about candidates?
Based on psychological studies I performed during the 2016 election, the presence or absence of music makes a significant difference in the way people perceive political candidates.
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With both sides scrounging for votes in a dead-heat election, perhaps the right music might sway just enough votes to make a difference.
Go here to read more on this interesting research study:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/opinion-trump-music-break-may-133000064.html
Mark Harvey is an associate professor and director of Graduate Business Programs at the University of Saint Mary. He is the author of “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-Based Advocacy.”
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