Battle of the playlists: Obama vs. McCain

Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain each revealed his list of top 10 favorite songs to Blender magazine recently, said Tim Jonze in a Guardian blog, and while Obama picked “too many acts perceived as ‘cool,’” McCain’s list actually seems “honest.” Including two ABBA songs takes guts—McCain would seemingly rather “sacrifice his place in the White House” than deny his love for “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance on Me.”

But you’d think McCain “would use this opportunity to prove he isn’t a geezer,” said Lisa Richardson in a Los Angeles Times blog, as there isn’t a single song on his list “that was written in the last 30 years.” Obama’s list is “ a little harder to criticize,” but he did play it “safe, safe, safe.”

Actually, “Obama selected a far more diverse collection of musicians” than McCain did, said Jason Gregory in the blog Gigwise, “ranging from Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ to ‘Touch the Sky’ by U.S. rapper Kanye West.” But what both lists show us is “how important music has become in each politicians bid to become America’s next president.”

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Both candidates do have one thing in common, though, said David Usborne in The Independent, and that’s an appreciation for “Ol’ Blue Eyes.” However, Obama picked Frank Sinatra’s “You’d Be So Easy to Love,” while McCain chose “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”