Hillary Clinton's campaign playlist isn't exactly edgy. It's definitely trying to cater to the youth vote — the oldest track is Jennifer Lopez's "Let's Get Loud," from 1999 — but Clinton sticks mainly to safe pop hits from the past few years, like Pharrell William's "Happy" and Katy Perry's "Roar." Two songs by American Authors, "Best Day of My Life" and "Believer," tilt more toward the mainstream indie crowd. Marc Anthony's "Vivir Mi Vida" might as well be the token track for the Latino vote.
Women are featured as vocalists on six of the 14 tracks. And, like Obama's playlist before her, Clinton steers clear of rap and hip-hop (then again, throwing a Kendrick track on her playlist might've been too edgy).
As Jim Farber at the New York Daily News notes, some of the songs' lyrics might unintentionally backfire:
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A failed marriage, a streak of jealousy, a lack of strong convictions. These aren't just poor personality traits — they're also themes on Hillary Clinton's iPod. […]"I'm a little bit jealous/I'm a little bit slow/I'm a little bit hurtful... I'm going nowhere," is one lyric from "Believer" by American Authors. [...]Another chosen ditty, Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," opens, "You know my bed feels warmer/sleeping here alone." Jeb Bush could play that tune at his campaign rallies, too — to highlight Hillary and Bill's much-discussed marriage. [New York Daily News]
Okay, maybe that's a stretch. But it's about as much fuss as one can raise. Clinton's playlist is inoffensive to the point of dullness. Her fans are surely hoping her song selection won't be representative of her campaign. Listen to the playlist in full below. Jeva Lange
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