On the media: Kids these Days

Music's role in convincing someone to vote for a particular candidate may be subconscious, but it plays an important role in elections nowadays. In the latest "On the Media" podcast entitled "Kids these days," one of the topics discussed in music's place in presidential elections. The podcast episode explored also the generalizations of the millennial generation and defended the use of "trigger warnings" and  safe spaces. But it was music's role in elections that really stood out to me because it brought up music in contexts I'd never thought of before.

Even from early elections in the U.S., songs were used by candidates to demonize or belittle their opponents and make themselves seem like heroes. Personalized songs were used often historically, such as a song Frank Sinatra made for John F. Kennedy's campaign called "High Hopes." In the song, Sinatra sings: "Everyone is voting for Jack, cause he's got what all the rest lack. Everyone wants to back Jack. Jack is on the right track cause he's got high hopes." This is an example of a song with a strong social context with the explicit message to vote for Kennedy. 

In the '80s, the podcast brings up the fact of how music in presidential campaigns began to shift from songs with personalized lyrics to more underlying "cinematic music." During 30-second campaign ads on TV, the music would create the physiological context impact by underlying the words being spoken on the ads. For example, when ads would be speaking about how the opponent is a terrible person, dark, ominous music similar to that you would hear in a horror film would play. Or when the ad tried to make the opponent seem silly and like he didn't know anything, the music would be light and silly like something you'd hear in "Loony Toons." Hillary Clinton has used this strategy of light, silly music on her ads to make Donald Trump seem dumb. While there are no words in this type of music in campaigns telling the potential voter what to think, the physiological context of this type of music is very effective because of the mood it can create.

Personalized songs with specific words about the candidates are much rarer nowadays. While Hillary Clinton has used songs like Katy Perry's "Fight Song" as a rallying tune for her campaign, it doesn't specifically mention Clinton even though Perry has appeared alongside Clinton in her campaign. On the other side, Donald Trump has used songs like "We're not gonna take it" and "We are the champions." The artists for many of the songs Trump uses in his campaign have asked Trump to stop using the songs, but that's besides the point. The point is popular songs used in campaigns like this create a strong social and cultural context for the campaign. 

Not all personalized songs are extinct from presidential campaigns though, as a group of singing girls became famous after singing a song specifically about how Trump "will make America great again."

I believe music definitely impact political campaigns nowadays. It can and has been used deceptively by creating a mood that isn't consistent with the words being spoken in a campaign. Politics is all about presentation and stagecraft nowadays, regardless of what the main points of the campaign is. Whatever your opinion is on Trump, his years as a reality television star and media-wrangling celebrity has made him a master of the physical context of his presentation. This includes big lights, gaudy decor, and his use of music on stage. Music has the power to make people feel certain ways. In this era of all kinds of music being used in campaigns, voters have to look past the music and lights to see the truth (or lies) hidden behind it.