‘Freedom,’ or ‘YMCA’? What Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’ Music Choices on the Campaign Trail Really Say About Their Candidacies

variety.com:

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Music has played a role in political campaigns throughout history, but only recently did it result in headlines about cease-and-desists and “somnambulant bobbing.” Of course, America is in its third consecutive presidential election cycle in which there are nearly weekly stories about musicians objecting to Donald Trump’s unauthorized use of their songs at rallies. (“It’s a shame that some artists want to limit half of the country from enjoying their music,” an RNC spokesperson says of the complaints and legal orders.) But the nation still had never seen anything like the recent Pennsylvania rally in which he danced in place while his playlist rolled on for 39 minutes.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris skirts controversy with her picks, although that’s easier when (a) musicians mostly favor Democrats and (b) she can and will just singularly crank up Beyoncé’s “Freedom” at any possible moment.

How do the campaign playlists compare? We selected seven songs recently used by each candidate on the trail to see what kind of message the respective candidates are trying to send out, and whether there are sometimes different subliminal meanings coming through. DONALD J.

TRUMP “Hallelujah,” Rufus WainwrightLikely intended message: Reinstalling Trump is a holy crusade, ordained by God.