Yesterday we were told that there will likely not be a Democratic candidate until sometime in 2012…. March, April, May or…well they just don’t know when. (The fact that Howard Dean is already growling over the evils of a brokered convention is not a good sign.)
And to make matters cheerier, this morning we hear that the County Registrar thinks there may be thousands of votes for the presidential candidates that have gone uncounted in Los Angeles County.
With all of the above in mind, and inspired by yesterday’s NY Times story featuring LA Times columnist Meghan Daum*, I concluded that the only sensible response is to find a suitable soundtrack for all this craziness.
Whatever candidate you favor, here are six first bounce suggestions of songs for a playlist to help us live through the primaries (and the conventions, and the general election) still to come.
Please suggest your own playlist picks.
(THE OTHER FIVE AFTER THE JUMP)
(This is Steve Goodman, although it doesn’t say so.)
(I like Leonard C’s version better, but couldn’t find it on YouTube except in truncated form.)
(Al Sharpton borrowed this one for a while)
And…one of the most beautiful songs on any playlist
Okay, over to you.
(Back to more serious posts soon, I promise.)
* (Chapeau tip to Kevin Roderick at LA Observed for flagging the NY Times story.)
I had to put on my favorite Che Guevara tee-shirt and black beret hat for this task. Then I thought of all the songs which have inspired this old, tired and now “marginalized†revolutionist from the past. I first went to my 33 L.P. Vinyl record collection and found a few my favorites from the past, after which I climbed into the attic retrieved my precious 8 track tapes from the attic (maybe I should buy a YouTube ). Although a few younger artists are very talented I still think the artists from my era were the best and kicked-ass.
Marvin Gaye – Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDckI2P_DPA
Stevie Wonder – Higher Ground
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wZ3ZG_Wams
Stevie Wonder – Jesus Children Of America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM4wvq8MtHA
Pink- Dear Mr President
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eDJ3cuXKV4
Rage Against The Machine – Wake up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1T8xgHdMEM
President Bush – Imagine and taking a walk on the wild side.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT0XxtNPVdQ
Bush – Bloopers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBm5ZSWbD14
Sam Cooke had one of the best voices ever. Great pick.
My choices are more indirect than yours, because most bands are left-wingers who would never produce a politically conservative song. Heck, they won’t even let Republicans play their songs at rallies.
As there are no viable candidates for conservatives, I need Somebody to Love.
And, for the Republican Party, which thinks that conservatives will hang around and support the party no matter how much its leaderships changes into Democrats, this song to let them know that it’s goodbye because I Cannot Change.
But, no matter which party gets elected, let me tell you how it will be. There is someone who will have plenty to celebrate…The Tax Man.
Nuts, nuts, nuts. You put more than two links in a comment and it bombs out. I’ll separate my comment into two.
Sam Cooke had one of the best voices ever. Great pick.
My choices are more indirect than yours, because most bands are left-wingers who would never produce a politically conservative song. Heck, they won’t even let Republicans play their songs at rallies.
As there are no viable candidates for conservatives, I need Somebody to Love.
And, for the Republican Party, which thinks that conservatives will hang around and support the party no matter how much its leaderships changes into Democrats, this song to let them know that it’s goodbye because I Cannot Change.
Nuts, again. Maybe you can’t have more than just one link to get a comment posted. Who knows? Maybe the Hillary spam filter is knocking out my comments, again. One more try by breaking the comment up.
1 of 3
Sam Cooke had one of the best voices ever. Great pick.
My choices are more indirect than yours, because most bands are left-wingers who would never produce a politically conservative song. Heck, they won’t even let Republicans play their songs at rallies.
As there are no viable candidates for conservatives, I need Somebody to Love.
2 of 3
And, for the Republican Party, which thinks that conservatives will hang around and support the party no matter how much its leaderships changes into Democrats, this song to let them know that it’s goodbye because I Cannot Change.
3 of 3
But, no matter which party gets elected, let me tell you how it will be. There is someone who will have plenty to celebrate…The Tax Man.
Goog stuff. Love ’em all. Tax Man’s a great song. Somebody to Love….Ah the memories! Lynyrd Skynyrd! Killer guitar solo!
Stevie Wonder’s a god. Inner City Blues is SO Good.
I was going to put up, “Dear Mr. President,” but I took it down in favor of more elections-y songs. But it’s a perfect choice. If one doesn’t view it as simply anti-Bush it works as a warning to all of ’em. And I like that particular live version the best. Pink is quite amazing.
It might not be PC but how about “I will follow Him” by the master of the “Wall of Sound – Phil Spector – for Barack Obama.
A little MOTOWN for Hillary – “My Girl”
Broadway for Huckabee – “‘Lil Abner’s” “Jubilation T. Cornpone.”
And Big John McCain get’s “Stout Hearted Men”
Sam Cooke had one of the best voices ever
At last we can agree on something.
For the undecided voters, how about Stealer’s Wheel Stuck in the Middle With You: “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right.”
Now, that Romney has handed the nomination to McCain and since John Mellencamp has ordered McCain to quit using his music, maybe this can be McCain’s next campaign theme: Big Bad John. Jimmy Dean doesn’t seem like a slobbering, nose-picking, left-wing Democrat who would refuse the use of his song.
(Uh, Celeste. You can delete the duplicate comments above where I was trying to get a comment to post.)
“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right” — good one, Randy Paul, that sums ’em up. To think, just 9 more months of this…
We’ll know who wins at the Convention Parties. I remember that Bush Sr.’s party had a bunch of bee-hive hairdo Texas matrons in skinny jeans doing the two-step, while others who looked circa “Back to the Future” were grinning studiously at each other as they politely navigated the dance floor, while Bill’s people were letting loose and actually having fun — that’s when I knew that Bush could never win. Obama has the best parties and I can’t see McCain and his wife letting it rip (and Cindy’s hair comes dangerously close to the freeze-dried hairsprayed look that lost Bush Sr. the election — I Cannot Change is perfect for them, Woody), so Hillary had better come up with some good music, quick.
L A Res, I like your Higher Ground and Wake Up for her, sums up the aspirations of her/ your generation. Those Che thinking caps sure do help when it comes to Golden Oldies music pix! And these songs will keep you and reg shufflin’ along in those matching Che houseslippers in the Old Commies Home, nothing like a little dance aerobics to keep you fit!
Upon further review, as they say, I” go along with Woody and assign “Big Bad John” to St. McCain.