Music has a great influence on emotional experience and can impact how we feel, whether it be sadness, anger, hope, joy, disappointment, embarrassment and so on. Politics does the same. Politicians use emotion to win over potential voters, so combined … the two can be volatile and highly influential, which is why some popular music should stay out of politics.
During this election season popular music has been used multiple times at party conventions, campaign rallies and in endorsements.
The most notable usage of music for political gain is during former President Donald Trump’s campaign rallies.
Recently, The White Stripes has joined the ever-lengthening list of musicians suing Trump for using their songs as part of his campaign without permission. The lawsuit alleges that he used the song “Seven Nation Army” in a fundraising pitch in a social media post.
In an Instagram post, Jack White — a member of the disbanded music group — stated “The machine sues fascists.”
Other musicians that have sued Trump this election season include Beyoncé, Celine Dion, the Foo Fighters and ABBA.
Outside of legal issues, the Republican party has also enlisted piped-in and live music at their July Republican National Convention.
Their “playlist” included “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang and live performances by Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock and Chris Janson.
The line between a musician and their music is thin and often blurred, which can make conscious or unconscious associations between a musician’s songs and a mentality hard.
Just as a listener’s view of a singer’s songs can be influenced by criminal actions — a more recent example being Sean “Diddy” Combs’ court case — it can also be influenced by declared political alignment.
Shortly after the debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, pop icon Taylor Swift endorsed Harris. After this, both sides either used her new stance as a way to draw her fans to their side or condemned her, stating it would impact her image and success.
In an MSNBC interview, Harris’ running mate, Governor Tim Walz, said “This would be your opportunity, Swifties — KamalaHarris.com, get on over there, give us a hand, get things going.”
While on the other side, in a Fox News interview, Trump said that Swift would pay the price for the endorsement in the marketplace.
Swift’s endorsement has already started influencing her Swifties toward Harris.
Of course the Democratic side isn’t immune to using musicians, their songs and their social pull to swing things in their direction.
During the Democratic National Convention in August, there were multiple live performances by musicians like John Legend, Stevie Wonder and Sheila E.
Ariana Powell can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
