Rocking the Vote: Presidential Campaign Songs Across 50 Years

Running for president of the United States of America is no small task, but it can help to have some great music behind you.

For one thing, utilizing a campaign song (or a couple of them) is a way to give voters a sense of what kind of a candidate you are. Do the song’s lyrics emphasize peace? Doggedness? Hope?

Additionally, beyond simply getting approval to use a particular song, it can’t be understated how important the endorsement of a famous musician can turn out to be. If you have, for example, the support of Bruce Springsteen, that’s a whole lot of potential voters who may be more inclined to listen to what you have to say.

Below, we’re taking a look at the campaign music of candidates from across 50 years of American elections. To be clear: this is not an exhaustive list, as candidates typically use a variety of songs during their campaigns, but these are some of the highlights.

Candidate: Robert F. Kennedy (D), 1968
Song: “Omaha Rainbow,” John Stewart

John Stewart, the writer and performer of “Omaha Rainbow,” was a member of the folk group the Kingston Trio. He also wrote a number of songs for other artists, including “Daydream Believer” for the Monkees and “Never Goin’ Back” for the Lovin’ Spoonful. In 1968, Stewart toured the country with Democratic candidate Robert Kennedy, whose campaign would be cut short when he was shot and killed after winning the California primary.

Candidate: George McGovern (D), 1972
Song: “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Simon and Garfunkel

George McGovern may not have been able to secure the presidency, but he was able to do something perhaps even more impressive: bring Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel back together. A one-off reunion occurred on June 14, 1972 at the Together for McGovern benefit concert, produced by the actor Warren Beatty. Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits was released the same day.

Candidate: Walter Mondale (D), 1984
Song: “Gonna Fly Now,” Bill Conti

Nothing says motivational like the theme from Rocky, which Democratic candidate Walter Mondale used for his 1984 campaign against the actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan.

Candidate: George H.W. Bush (R), 1988
Song: “This Land Is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie

Few songs have become as synonymous with America as Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.” Though used by Republican candidate George H.W. Bush, this song has roots in what was once considered the “radical left,” a sort of alternative national anthem that advocated for a more inclusive society.

Candidate: Michael Dukakis (D), 1988
Song: “America,” Neil Diamond

Running against Bush in 1988 was Democrat Michal Dukakis, who went with the Top 10 1981 hit “America” by Neil Diamond for his campaign. This was a nod to Dukakis’ own roots — his father was a Greek immigrant from Edremit in Turkey, making Dukakis the first ethnic Greek nominated for the presidency by a major party.

Candidate: Ross Perot (Independent), 1992
Song: “Crazy,” Willie Nelson

There are many who believe that running for president on any other ticket aside from Democratic or Republican is, well, crazy. Ross Perot did it anyway in 1992 and, surprisingly, polled exceptionally well against the two major party candidates, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush. “There are millions of crazy people in this country,” he said on the last day of campaigning, using Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” the Patsy Cline version. “And I’ll say tomorrow I bet it’ll be a crazy day at the polls.”

Candidate: Bill Clinton (D), 1992
Song: “Don’t Stop,” Fleetwood Mac

Bill Clinton is not just a music fan — he and his wife Hillary Clinton named their daughter Chelsea after the Joni Mitchell song “Chelsea Morning” — he’s a musician himself, albeit an amateur one. He learned to play the saxophone as a kid and he even played it at his 1993 inaugural ball. Also at his inaugural ball, Fleetwood Mac reunited to perform what had become Clinton’s official campaign song, “Don’t Stop.”

Candidate: Bob Dole (R), 1996
Song: “Soul Man,” Sam and Dave

When running for president, you should never pass up an opportunity to cleverly insert your own name into a popular song. Republican candidate Bob Dole did this with Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” swapping it for “Dole Man.”

Candidate: Al Gore (D), 2000
Song(s): “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “Sir Duke,” Stevie Wonder, “Let the Day Begin,” The Call

Al Gore did not win the presidency in 2000, arguably one of the most controversial elections to take place in America. Gore used a few different songs during his campaign, including the Call’s 1989 minor hit, “Let the Day Begin.” “It was incredibly shocking,” Michael Been of the Call told ABC News then. “It was out of the blue. No one told us anything about it. When I got home [from the recording studio] at four or five in the morning, I had messages on my answering machine from friends. It was a big shock. I don’t know Gore’s motive behind it, but I’m glad they picked it. Any way you can get a song heard by as many people is great by me. I hope he wins; I’m definitely voting for him.”

Candidate: George W. Bush (R), 2000 and 2004
Song(s): “I Won’t Back Down,” Tom Petty, “Right Now,” Van Halen

Tom Petty did not appreciate George W. Bush’s use of his song “I Won’t Back Down” during his election campaign in 2000, against Al Gore. So much so that he not only sent a cease and desist letter to Bush’s team, he also performed the song at Gore’s house after he conceded the election, with Gore’s wife Tipper even joining in on percussion.

Candidate: John Kerry (D), 2004
Song(s): “No Surrender,” Bruce Springsteen, “Fortunate Son,” Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Beautiful Day,” U2

CCR’s “Fortunate Son” was not written to be a patriotic anthem, but instead an acknowledgment of privilege in America during the Vietnam War — those with friends and family in high places seemed to always be able to avoid being drafted. But John Kerry, future Democratic candidate for president, was not one of those people. He enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Yale and served in South Vietnam, where he was wounded three times and earned three Purple Hearts.

Candidate: Rudy Giuliani (R), 2008
Song: “Rudie Can’t Fail,” The Clash

There’s no way to know this for certain, but it seems unlikely that Joe Strummer of the Clash, noted figure of punk rock rebellion, would have supported former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s use of “Rudie Can’t Fail” during his 2008 bid for the presidency. By that time, Strummer had been dead for six years, though, in the end, Giuliani did indeed fail.

Candidate: Mike Huckabee (R), 2008
Song: “More Than a Feeling,” Boston

Republican candidate Mick Huckabee, an amateur bassist, took to not just playing the song “More Than a Feeling” at his campaign events, but also sometimes performing it himself with onetime Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau. Tom Scholz, who wrote the song and played every guitar part on its recording, did not take kindly to this, writing a letter to Huckabee that stated, among many other things, the following: “Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and with all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for. In fact, although I’m impressed you learned my bass guitar part on ‘More Than a Feeling,’ I am an Obama supporter.”

Candidate: Dennis Kucinich (D), 2008
Song: “Give Peace a Chance,” John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

A lot of people ran for president in 2008 — one of them was bound to incorporate some John Lennon. Democrat Dennis Kucinich used “Give Peace a Chance,” evidently a favorite topic of his. In 2001 as a member of the House of Representatives, he proposed HR 2459, a bill to establish a Department of Peace.

Candidate: Chris Dodd (D), 2008
Song(s): “Get Ready,” The Temptations, “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” The Four Tops

Chris Dodd, the longest-serving senator in Connecticut’s history, didn’t have a super successful run at the presidency in 2008, but he apparently had a penchant for Motown vocal quartets, as he used songs by the Temptations and the Four Tops.

Candidate: John Edwards (D), 2008
Song: “Our Country,” John Mellencamp

A significant part of John Edwards (D) 2008 campaign revolved around the plight of middle class Americans, a message that fit nicely with John Mellencamp’s “Our Country.” Mellencamp even performed the song at one of Edwards’ events in November of 2007.

Candidate: Hillary Clinton (D), 2008
Song(s): “Takin’ Care of Business,” Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton, “American Girl,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

At the time that Hillary Clinton announced she would be running for president in 2008, no woman had ever been nominated by a major party, and no first lady had ever run either. Among her song choices: the classic ode to working women “9 to 5″ by Dolly Parton,” the tough-minded “Takin’ Care of Business” by BTO and the all-around red-white-and-blue “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Candidate: Cynthia McKinney (Green), 2008
Song: “Power to the People,” John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

Turns out Dennis Kucinich wasn’t the only one to use a Lennon song in their 2008 campaign. Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney (and first African American woman elected to represent Georgia in the House) went with “Power to the People,” the title of which doubled as her campaign slogan.

Candidate: John McCain (R), 2008
Song(s): “Take a Chance on Me,” ABBA, “Our Country,” John Mellencamp

Remember earlier in this list when John Mellencamp let John Edwards use his song “Our Country” and endorsed him? Well, Edwards wasn’t the only one using the song. So too was Republican candidate John McCain, but Mellencamp took this right off the table. “If you’re such a true conservative,” Mellencamp told AP then, “why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?” McCain instead went with ‘Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA, whom he was reportedly a “huge” fan of according to his campaign blog.

Candidate: Barack Obama (D), 2008 and 2012
Song(s): “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” Stevie Wonder, “City of Blinding Lights,” U2, “Higher and Higher,” Jackie Wilson, “Think,” Aretha Franklin, “We Take Care of Our Own,” Bruce Springsteen

If there’s one thing we know about Barack Obama, winner of both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, it’s that he loves music — in recent years he has taken to annually sharing a playlist of his favorite songs. Among his choices during his campaigns were songs by Stevie Wonder, Jackie Wilson, Aretha Franklin and his very own friend, Bruce Springsteen, with whom he would later start a podcast.

Candidate: Mitt Romney (R), 2012
Song: “Born Free,” Kid Rock

It was actually 2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney who reached out to Kid Rock, asking for his support. Rock would not give it until he met personally with Romney to make sure the politician was not “just a rich guy who wanted to become president to out-do [his] dad,” as he told Howard Stern then. “I know what it’s like to want to be better than your father,” he said. “Of course, I’m getting these ‘I really want to help America [answers]’ and I said, ‘Cut the shit, this is my living room; this isn’t going to leave here.'” In the end, Rock’s “Born Free” was used during the campaign.

Candidate: John Kasich (R), 2016
Song: “Beautiful Day,” U2

No one said you had to use music by American artists on the campaign trail. John Kasich went with U2, whose singer, an outspoken advocate for many socio-political causes, Kasich had crossed paths with many times. Back in 2000, for instance, he and Bono sat next to one another at the White House as members of Congress met to discuss debt relief.

Candidate: Bernie Sanders (D), 2016:
Song(s): “America,” Simon and Garfunkel, “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution,” Tracy Chapman, “Starman,” David Bowie

In addition to Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution,” you could also hear songs like “The Revolution Starts Now” by Steve Earle and ‘Revolution” by Bob Marley & the Wailers on Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign trail. There was also Simon & Garfunkel’s “America” and David Bowie’s “Starman.”

Candidate: Donald Trump (R), 2016
Song: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” The Rolling Stones

George Bush and John McCain are definitely not the only ones who have run into issues with their musical selections. In 2016, Republican candidate and future winner of the election Donald Trump caught flack for his use of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” — “The Rolling Stones do not endorse Donald Trump,” they tweeted. (He also occasionally used “Start Me Up.”) Trump was once again told to stop using their music during the 2020 election season.

Candidate: Rand Paul (R), 2016
Song: “Revolution,” The Beatles

Sometimes the title says it all. Rand Paul opted to use the Beatles’ “Revolution” during his 2016 campaign, which ended shortly after the Iowa caucus.

Candidate: Beto O’Rourke (D), 2020
Song: “Clampdown,” The Clash

Beto O’Rourke chose “Clampdown” by the Clash for his 2020 campaign because they “changed my life,” as he explained to the San Fransisco Chronicle in 2019. “The urgency in that music. Politics in a way I had never experienced before. Joe Strummer — the coolest human being that ever walked the planet.”

Candidate: Bernie Sanders (D), 2020
Song(s): “Seven Nation Army,” The White Stripes, “Power to the People,” John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band, “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Neil Young

Bernie Sanders did not win in 2016, so he came back again in 2020, this time with some new music, including songs by the White Stripes, John Lennon and Neil Young. Jack White even performed at one of Sanders’ events in Detroit, a gig that was on a volunteer-basis. “We do not want an artist on our stage that isn’t sympathetic to the senator and the Bernie 2020 campaign,” Caleb Wilson, national director of talent outreach for the campaign told Rolling Stone. “For that reason alone, that’s why we’re not offering paydays.”

Candidate: Joe Biden (D), 2020
Song(s): “We Take Care of Our Own,” Bruce Springsteen, “Higher and Higher,” Jackie Wilson, “We the People,” The Staple Singers

Bruce Springsteen saw things in 2020 candidate Joe Biden that he recognized in himself: a blue-collar background and a strong belief in American labor unions. In October 2020, Springsteen shared a video on his social media showing Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. “This is more than where he’s from,” he said. “This is who he’s for.”

Candidate: Elizabeth Warren (D), 2020
Song(s): “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton, “Respect,” Aretha Franklin

There is something about Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” that makes a lot of people want to get up and dance, and Elizabeth Warren is one of them. She could be seen shimmying to the song during her 2020 bid for the presidency.

Candidate: Jay Inslee (D), 2020
Song: “Mr. Blue Sky,” Electric Light Orchestra

When Democrat Jay Inslee announced he would be running fr president, he noted that he would be focusing intensely on climate change. That might explain why he then selected ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky” for his campaign.

Candidate: Donald Trump (R), 2020
Song: “Y.M.C.A.,” Village People

We’re not quite done with cease-and-desist letters on this list. Donald Trump received one from Village People in 2020. At first, singer and co-founder Victor Willis tolerated his use of “Y.M.C.A.” since it was “not being used for a specific endorsement.” But then Trump also started using “Macho Man,” and that prompted legal action from the band. “Sorry,” Willis said, “but I can no longer look the other way.”

Candidate: Donald Trump (R), 2024
Song(s): “Hold On, I’m Comin,'” Sam and Dave

Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you fall on, it’s probably a good idea to consider the lyrics and title of a song before using it at an official event. Donald Trump was criticized for using Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin'” at a National Rifle Association rally in Houston in May of 2022, three days after 19 children and two teachers were murdered at a school in Uvalde, Texas. Following the incident, it was revealed that law enforcement waited outside the building for over an hour before finally apprehending the perpetrator. The estate of Isaac Hayes, who wrote the song, stated that they did not approve and “would never approve” its use by Trump at such an event.

Candidate: Nikki Haley (R), 2024
Song(s): “Eye of the Tiger,” Survivor, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “We Got the Beat,” The Go-Go’s

Nikki Haley, the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet, plus the first woman to win a Republican Party presidential primary contest, appreciates rule breakers like Joan Jett, whose song “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” she used during her 2024 campaign. “Let me tell you: Joan Jett was one of the first true rockers, and the industry didn’t like how she looked or how she dressed,” she wrote on social media. “But she never gave up. She was a total badass. That’s a great lesson for everyone.”

Candidate: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent), 2024
Song: “Real American,” Rick Derringer

We’ve come full circle. This list began with Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and ends with his son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. His choice for his 2024 campaign: Rick Derringer’s “Real American.”