Summer jams: Barack Obama edition
President Obama is the first president to fully embrace the social media age. His latest foray into social media land? Playlists for all.
President Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House, in Washington during an 'In Performance at the White House' concert series, April 14. The White House is launching an official channel on the popular music streaming service Spotify with a pair of playlists it says Mr. Obama created himself. Obama was announcing his daytime and evening summer music lists Friday on his @POTUS official Twitter account.
Carolyn Kaster/AP/File
Longing for some new summer listening? Look no further, for now you can jam out to the tunes of the commander in chief.
On Friday, the White House officially joined Spotify, offering the world an opportunity to indulge in the president’s very own playlist. “Handpicked” by President Obama during his vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, the day and night playlists on offer last for about 90 minutes each and have a distinctly relaxing, summer-time vibe.
“It's stocked with a selection of the classics – from Nina Simone's blues sensation "Feelin' Good" to the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" – mixed in with more recent tracks from artists like Florence & the Machine and The Lumineers,” the White House blog reports.
Shooting out messages via his Twitter handle @POTUS, Mr. Obama presented the world with the new Spotify account.
That tweet has since been retweeted 4,000 times.
Obama is arguably the first president of the social media age, and has navigated this new terrain surprisingly well, observers say.
“However history judges Obama’s role in transforming the office, this first American president of the social media age has already established a standard for how politicians connect with a digitally savvy electorate,” wrote Juliet Eilperin for The Washington Post. “Other chief executives did network TV; Obama is the streaming-video, Netflix president.”
And mastering this digital landscape is important, experts say. In its 2015 report on the state of the news, the Pew Research Center revealed that over half of all adults who use the Internet get political news from Facebook.
“In the shift from old to new media, the White House has essentially become its own media production company, one that can sometimes look like a state-run news distribution service,” wrote Ms. Eilperin.
“This year alone, White House officials have posted more than 400 videos to YouTube, which have been viewed for a total of more than 174,497,605 minutes. They have produced nearly 275 infographics for WhiteHouse.gov and for social media outlets. They have also created and programmed multiple channels on Web sites ranging from BuzzFeed to Instagram and Pinterest.”
The White House now promises that its Spotify playlists be updated regularly, and that a variety of White House officials will be given a chance to share their favorite tracks.
So, without further ado, here are the 40 songs that made the first presidential play mixes:
President Obama's Summer Playlist: Day
- Ain’t Too Proud to Beg – The Temptations
- Live It Up – Isley Brothers
- Memories Live – Talib Kweli & Hi Tek
- Tombstone Blues – Bob Dylan
- So Much Trouble in the World – Bob Marley
- Paradise – Coldplay
- Tengo Un Trato (Remix) – Mala Rodriguez
- Wang Dang Doodle – Howlin Wolf
- Another Star – Stevie Wonder
- Hot Fun in the Summertime – Sly & the Family Stone
- Boozophilia – Low Cut Connie
- Wherever Is Your Heart – Brandi Carlile
- Good Day – Nappy Roots
- Green Light – John Legend
- Gimme Shelter – Rolling Stones
- Rock Steady – Aretha Franklin
- Down Down the Deep River – Okkervil River
- Pusher Love Girl – Justin Timberlake
- Shake It Out – Florence + The Machine
- La Salsa La Traigo Yo – Sonora Carruseles
President Obama's Summer Playlist: Night
- My Favorite Things – John Coltrane
- Superpower (feat. Frank Ocean) – Beyoncé
- Moondance – Van Morrison
- Is Your Love Big Enough? – Lianne La Havas
- How Can You Mend a Broken Heart – Al Green
- Red & White & Blue & Gold – Aoife O’Donovan
- Nothing Even Matters – Lauryn Hill
- The Best Is Yet to Come – Frank Sinatra
- You Don’t Know Me – Ray Charles
- I Found My Everything – Mary J Blige
- Help Me – Joni Mitchell
- I’ve Got Dreams to Remember – Otis Redding
- Suzanne – Leonard Cohen
- Feeling Good – Nina Simone
- Stubborn Love – The Lumineers
- Until – Cassandra Wilson
- UMI Says – Mos Def
- The Very Thought of You – Billie Holiday
- Flamenco Sketches – Miles Davis
- Woo – Erykah Badu