Presidential Pardon? POTUS Barack Obama Shows No Love for Country Music on His New Playlists

Posted on August 15, 2016

As evidenced by his recently released two summer playlists, President Barack Obama has eclectic taste in music. However, the POTUS has no love for country music—at least while he vacations in Martha’s Vineyard.

President Obama released two summer playlists—daytime and nighttime—last week on Twitter while he vacationed in Martha’s Vineyard. According to the White House, the music was “hand-selected” and features 39 songs, ranging from Aretha Franklin and the Beach Boys to Jay-Z and Common. But alas, there was no Hank, Dolly, Willie, Waylon, Merle or Johnny—just 39 twangless songs. No worries, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that his Fall Playlist has a healthy dose of Dwight Yoakam and Travis Tritt.

POTUS Summer Playlist: Daytime

“LoveHate Thing” – Wale
“Smooth Sailin'” – Leon Bridges
“Elevator Operator” – Courtney Barnett
“Home” – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
“Many the Miles” – Sara Bareilles
“Tightrope” – Janelle Monae
“Classic Man” – Jidenna
“So Ambitious” – Jay-Z, feat. Pharrell
“Me Gustas Tu” – Manu Chao
“Forever Begins” – Common
“The Man” – Aloe Blacc
“As We Enter” – Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley
“Sinnerman” – Nina Simone
“U Got the Look” – Prince
“Rock Steady” – Aretha Franklin
“Good Vibrations” – Beach Boys
“Don’t Owe You a Thang” – Gary Clark Jr.
“Man Like That” – Gin Wigmore
“II B.S.” (edit) – Charles Mingus

POTUS Summer Playlist: Nighttime

“If I Have My Way” – Chrisette Michelle
“Espera” – Esperanza Spalding
“Tell It Like It Is” – Aaron Neville
“Alright” – Ledisi
“Trapped By a Thing Called Love” – Denise Lasalle
“Lady” – D’Angelo
“So Very Hard to Go” – Tower of Power
“Midnight Sun” – Carmen McCrae
“Cucurrucucu Paloma” – Caetano Veloso
“Green Aphrodisiac” – Corinne Bailey Rae
“I’ll Be There for You / You’re All I Need” – Mary J Blige / Method Man
“Lover Man”– | Billie Holiday
“Criminal” – Fiona Apple
“Acid Rain” – Chance the Rapper
“My Funny Valentine” – Miles Davis
“Do You Feel Me” – Anthony Hamilton
“I Get Lonely” – Janet Jackson
“Lean In” – Lizz Wright
“All Day Music” – War
“Say Yes” – Floetry

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill also dropped the soundtrack to their summer days and nights. The Bidens’ 15-song playlist is also void of any country tunes with the exception of Ray Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me,” from his 1962 album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.

The Bidens’ Summer Playlist

“Stay With Me ” –  Sam Smith
“We Take Care of Our Own”  –  Bruce Springsteen
“Come Together”  – The Beatles
“Hello”  – Adele
“Til It Happens to You”  –  Lady Gaga
“I Wanna Hold Your Hand”  – Al Green
“My Way”  – Frank Sinatra
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”  –  Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
“The Best”  – Tina Turner
“Til Kingdom Come”  – Coldplay
“If We Fall in Love Tonight”  – Rod Stewart
“Hallelujah ” – KD Lang
“Do You Hear the People Sing?”  –  Les Misérables
“You Don’t Know Me”  – Ray Charles
“You Are So Beautiful ” –  Joe Cocker

photo courtesy ABC/Travis Bell

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