Music\u00a0may seem insignificant in relation\u00a0to the numerous elements of an election, but campaign songs\u00a0can play a major role in the way that a candidate is perceived and have\u00a0represented the constantly\u00a0shifting relationship between music and politics.<\/p>\n
Personality<\/strong><\/p>\n Not every voter is going to be educated on political issues or have strong political affiliation, so personality becomes a huge part of campaign strategy. Candidates therefore often use music in an attempt to relate to voters and gain support. Since the advent of social media, especially, presidential campaigns\u00a0have placed new emphasis on constructing a personality that voters can get behind.<\/p>\n In recent elections, for example, candidates like John Kerry and Hillary Clinton have used music to appeal to voters for a variety of reasons. In 2008, Clinton used songs almost exclusively written by or about women. In elections it’s often important\u00a0for candidates to set themselves apart from others and Clinton’s ace in the hole was her gender. By picking the songs\u00a0like “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton, she was able to publicly embrace her gender while highlighting her attitude, creating a positive association for voters. Kerry, on the other hand,\u00a0may not have made the best decision when using the song “No Surrender” by Bruce Springsteen in 2004. Though their politics were in line, the message was just a little off. In the words of one journalist,\u00a0\u201cmaybe it provides something the candidates can’t provide in their own speech or in their own presentation, and that was one song that was exciting, which John Kerry was not.\u201d While\u00a0the song could have worked out for Kerry, his public personality\u00a0and the song itself\u00a0didn’t match, which – while obviously not the reason for his loss – meant a misalignment of image that didn’t work out in his favor.<\/p>\n Opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n While the use of music to define a candidate can work wonders\u00a0for people like Clinton or Barack Obama in 2008, the impact of a campaign song can change when compared to the opposition. Using examples of opposing candidates throughout the last 200 years, the impact of music is clear.<\/p>\n In 1828, Andrew Jackson ran against John Quincy Adams. These are their campaign songs, respectively:<\/p>\n Andrew Jackson: “Hunters of Kentucky”<\/p>\n