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Ranking the Presidential Candidates Top 20 Songs
Based on a prompt going around Twitter, Politico asked the Presidential Candidates for their Top 20 Favorite Songs. Only seven bothered to send a list to them, but let’s rank them based on the contents that they chose.
Chris Christie
I’m sure Chris Christie hacked into my playlist and used mine instead. Every song but one (Ed Sheeran) is on one of my playlists. This is a quintessential look into late 1970’s and 1980’s music, and it is fantastic. Even if I think John Mellencamp is highly overrated.
Best Song: “Pressure”- Billy Joel.Nikki Haley
Haley has her own good list that is in my wheelhouse, but Haley falls short in a few areas. Tracey Chapman’s original version of “Fast Car” is better than Luke Combs. No list like this should have Post Malone on it. But Haley gets bonus points with me for including ABBA, which I am a fan of. Also: Orioles superfan Joan Jett makes the list.
Best Song: “Dancing Queen”- ABBALarry Elder
Elder will never make the debate stage, much less sniff the Republican nomination. But Elder created a list that was Motown and 1960’s heavy, a virtual history of the evolution of pop music during a pivoltal era. The inclusion of 1990’s Middle School dance stape “End of the Road” was a bit much.
Best Song: “A Change is Gonna Come”- Sam CookeAsa Hutchinson
I mean, it’s fine, but nobody outside of Boston wants to hear “Sweet Caroline” ever again. “When I’m Sixty-Four” is a weird choice since, for Hutchinson, that was eight years ago.
Best Song: “Friends in Low Places”- Garth BrooksVivek Ramaswamy
Do you know what’s a party foul? Putting Woodie Guthrie on a list like this. Also, I’m pretty sure Vivek is trying to use Mozart on his list to make himself seem more cultured and learned than he really is. Always virtue signaling, this one…
Best Song: “Jolene”- Dolly PartonCornel West
West could only bother with four songs, and the song that kept him out of dead last was…..
Best Song: “Respect”- Aretha FranklinWill Hurd
Yeah, a lot of this is 1990’s hip-hop and it just is not my scene and not for me. Also, a random T-Swift appearance
Best Song: “Eastbound and Down”- Jerry Reed