President Obama’s Summer 2016 Playlist Includes Courtney Barnett, Gary Clark Jr., Edward Sharpe + More
President Barack Obama is spending his last summer in the White House listening to a lot of music. This morning (Aug. 11), he released two playlists, with 39 songs in total, and they include such indie stars as Courtney Barnett ("Elevator Operator"), Gary Clark Jr. ("Don't Owe You a Thang"), Fiona Apple ("Criminal") and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros ("Home").
The president unveiled them with a tweet that read, "Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What's everybody listening to?" Embedded within the tweet were two images with the playlists -- one devoted to the daytime and the other for nighttime listening.
In addition to indie rock, Obama also chose summer staples like "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys and "All Day Music" by War, as well as vintage R&B (Aaron Neville, Tower of Power), classic jazz (Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Charles Mingus), world music (Manu Chao, Caetano Veloso), , hip-hop (Wale, Chance the Rapper, Jay Z feat. Pharrell), retro- and neo-soul (Aloe Blacc, Leon Bridges, D'Angelo), modern jazz vocalists (Esperanza Spalding, Ledisi). Prince also gets a shout out with his 1987 smash duet with Sheena Easton, "U Got the Look." One song, Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady," was also featured on last year's playlist.
Take a look at the playlists below. There's a good chance that, no matter how eclectic your musical tastes, you'll be unfamiliar with a handful of the artists. But we've also embedded the official Spotify playlists so you can check all of the selections of our hipster-in-chief.
President Obama's 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 Monáe
"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
President Obama's Summer Playlist: Nighttime
"If I Have My Way" - Chrisette Michele
"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
"Cucurrucucú 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
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