So here’s what Bill Clinton would have on his iPod, if he has/had one and happened to publicize its contents. It’s the recently announced tracklist from The Bill Clinton Collection: Selections from the Clinton Music Room, the first in a series of CDs to be sold at the Clinton Museum Store near the Clinton Library. The store operator reports than when Clinton stopped by earlier this month and picked up a demo copy of the CD, “by the time he got to the golf course, all the windows of the SUV were down and he was blasting it.” (Song title links launch 30-second audio samples in the iTunes Music Store, if iTunes is installed on your computer.)
| Clinton’s Mix | |
|---|---|
| John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman | My One and Only Love |
| David Sandborn | Harlem Nocturne |
| Miles Davis | My Funny Valentine |
| Phil Coulter | The Town I Loved So Well |
| Art Tatum | There Will Never Be Another You |
| Nina Simone | I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free |
| Zoot Sims | Summertime |
| Mickey Mangun | In the Presence of Jehovah |
| Igor Butman | Nostalgie |
| Mahalia Jackson | Take My Hand, Precious Lord |
| Judy Collins | Chelsea Morning |
As for Bush, we already know some of what’s on his iPod thanks to numerous stories earlier this summer (my sources: reports from the BBC, ABC News and Editor & Publisher). These are some of the songs he listens to while he’s mountain biking.
| Bush’s Mix | |
|---|---|
| John Fogerty | Centerfield |
| Van Morrison | Brown-Eyed Girl |
| Stevie Ray Vaughan | The House is Rockin’ |
| The Knack | My Sharona |
| John Hiatt | Circle Back |
| Joni Mitchell | (You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care |
| Alan Jackson | Gone Country |
| Robert Palmer | Simply Irresistible |
| Johnny Winter | Rock ‘n’ Roll, Hoochie Koo |
| Los Lonely Boys | Real Emotions |
| Huey Lewis & The News | Jacob’s Ladder |
| Hall and Oates | You Make My Dreams Come True |
Compare and contrast! In the heady days pre-playlists, I remember when the press would furiously analyize Presidential campaign theme songs for any scrap of hidden meaning. Now the press has whole segments of the presidential iPod to investigate and psychoanalyze, dedicating column inches to ponder whether “Running down the length of my thighs, Sharona” is an appropriately Presidential lyric.
The funny thing is, sidestepping the fun-and-obvious cracks that can be made about specific song choices, I really can imagine each of these guys listening to these songs. Clinton’s selections are established classics from gospel and sax-heavy jazz, with a wild-haired song from the sixties by Judy Collins tossed in for good measure. Bush’s selections are predominantly upbeat country, with “classic rock” favorites and goofy ’80s pop tunes blended in.