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Former US President Barack Obama has shared a playlist of songs that soundtracked his time in the White House, including tracks from Eminem, Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z.
The new mix arrives to promote the release of Obama’s memoir A Promised Land, which hits shelves today (November 17). The tracks are an uplifting mix of classic rock, jazz and hip-hop, including Beyoncé‘s ‘Halo’ and cover of Etta James‘ ‘At Last’, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Rising’, Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ and a tribute to his wife with ‘Michelle’ by The Beatles.
“Music has always played an important role throughout my life—and that was especially true during my presidency,” he wrote on Instagram.
“While reviewing my notes ahead of debates, I’d listen to Jay-Z’s “My 1st Song” or Frank Sinatra’s “Luck Be a Lady.” Throughout our time in the White House, Michelle and I invited artists like Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan to conduct afternoon workshops with young people before performing an evening show in the East Room.”
He continued, recalling his favourite performances during his tenure: “Beyoncé performing “At Last” for our first dance at our inauguration, Paul McCartney serenading Michelle in the East Room with “Michelle” and Bob Dylan flashing me a grin before vanishing after his performance of “Times They Are a-Changin.””
Music has always played an important role in my life—and that was especially true during my presidency. In honor of my book hitting shelves tomorrow, I put together this playlist featuring some memorable songs from my administration. Hope you enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/xWiNQiZzN0
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 16, 2020
The former President is a prolific mix curator, releasing an official summer playlist each year. His 2020 list featured songs from Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Princess Nokia, Moses Sumney and many more.
Obama and his wife Michelle inked an exclusive deal with Spotify last year in June, when it was announced they would produce a series of podcasts under their Higher Ground Productions.
A year later, in July 2020, Michelle released the first instalment of her podcast series The Michelle Obama Podcast, to the music and streaming platform. She also hopped on the playlist bandwagon, releasing her 2020 workout mix in January, plus a selection of tracks that inspired the first season of her podcast in August.
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