With the Democratic Nationwide Conference in Chicago kicking off Monday, Aug. 19, and with the Harris-Walz marketing campaign criss-crossing the nation selling a message of pleasure and freedom, I assumed it could be enjoyable to select some songs that match the upswing in temper that’s sweeping the nation.
In 2023, we posted Vice President Kamala Harris’ Africa journey playlist, and again when she was a senator, she launched a playlist for African American Music Month. There may be now a playlist on Spotify known as “It’s Kamencing,” which incorporates a big selection of music from a number of genres. Compiled by RepresentWomen, the brand new playlist displays how loads of us are feeling. Former President Barack Obama has additionally posted his summer time playlist.
”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly sequence highlighting all issues Black music, with 225 tales protecting performers, genres, historical past, and extra, every that includes its personal vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll discover some acquainted tunes and maybe an introduction to one thing new.
I’m opening with “Oh, Happy Day,” which is how loads of us are feeling in regards to the marketing campaign and the collection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ working mate. At present additionally occurs to be the birthday of gospel vocalist, pianist, choir grasp, composer, and arranger Edwin Hawkins, who was born on Aug. 18, 1943 in Oakland, California.
Jason Ankeny wrote about him for AllMusic:
A trailblazing pressure behind the evolution of the modern gospel sound, Edwin Hawkins was greatest identified for his 1969 traditional “Oh Happy Day,” one of many greatest gospel hits of all time and a significant pop radio smash as effectively. Born in Oakland, California in 1943, he started singing in his church youth choir whereas nonetheless a toddler, and by age 5 was taking part in piano; simply two years later, he assumed full-time piano accompaniment duties for the household gospel group, making their recorded debut in 1957. A decade later, Hawkins and Betty Watson co-founded the Northern California State Youth Choir, drawing on the best soloists from all through the Bay Space to construct the 50-member ensemble, which quickly entered the studio to chop the 1968 LP Let Us Go into the Home of the Lord, its fashionable, R&B-influenced manufacturing pointing the way in which to a brand new period in gospel recording.
You don’t have to be spiritual to really feel the enjoyment and inspiration from this traditional gospel tune:
The aforementioned playlist was lined by Eliza Powers, writing for Ms. journal in “We Coronary heart: This Kamala-Harris Themed Spotify Playlist, ‘It’s Kamencing’
An empowering, playful mix of 56 songs triumphantly bookended by Charli XCX songs “brat” and “365” is the proper playlist for the polls.
Previously two weeks, America has exploded with newfound power for Harris to tackle Trump—from a record-breaking $310 million fundraised in July, to social media help from Gen Z icons like Charli XCX and Olivia Rodrigo, to the booming gleeful meme-ification of “Project Coconut.” Challenge Coconut—an antithesis of Republicans’ proposed Challenge 2025, and a triumphant reclamation of Harris’ query, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”—is formally a go.
Enter RepresentWomen’s new Spotify playlist “It’s Kamencing,” an empowering, playful mix of 56 songs that signify the overwhelming power of younger America proper now.
At 77 years previous, I’m not a “young” American. Nevertheless, the tunes on the playlist are rejuvenating and highly effective.
Since Harris has chosen Beyoncé’s “Freedom” as her marketing campaign track (with Beyonce’s permission!), right here it’s:
Community NoVA did a video mashup of “Freedom,” blended with clips from Kamala’s marketing campaign:
Additionally on the Kamanencing playlist is Janelle Monáe’s “Americans,” which opens with these phrases:
Maintain on, do not battle your conflict alone
Halo round you, do not should face it by yourself
We’ll win this battle
Let all souls be courageous
We’ll discover a technique to heaven
We’ll discover a approach
…the opening verse incorporates a variety of references to examples of violence in opposition to black individuals in America. “Die in church, live in jail, say her name, twice in hell” is a line that arguably refers to Dylann Roof’s taking pictures of black parishioners at a church in Charleston, the prison-industrial complicated that disproportionately impacts black People, and Sandra Bland’s demise whereas in police custody. Monáe follows up with references to prejudices particularly in opposition to ladies: “I like my woman in the kitchen /… A pretty young thang, she can wash my clothes / But she’ll never ever wear my pants.” In an analogous vein, the second verse references unequal pay—“Seventy-nine cent to your dollar”—and racism—“You see my color before my vision / Sometimes I wonder if you were blind / Would it help you make a better decision?”
These lyrics counsel that racism and misogyny are as central to American society as, in Monáe’s personal phrases, “a big old piece of American pie,” and that individuals will proceed to “defend [their] land” to take care of their warped, Nineteen Fifties-era conception of society.
At this level, Monáe as soon as once more contains the voice that evokes King, however this time the voiceover speaks phrases the civil rights chief by no means really mentioned:
Till ladies can get equal pay for equal work
This isn’t my America
Till same-gender loving individuals may be who they’re
This isn’t my America
Till black individuals can come dwelling from a police cease with out being shot within the head
This isn’t my America
Till poor whites can get a shot at being profitable
This isn’t my America
…
Till Latinos and Latinas don’t should run from partitions
This isn’t my AmericaThis harsh indictment would possibly at first really feel dissonant when you think about its upbeat tempo and its function because the background music for the visible album’s triumphant remaining scene. However, importantly, it parallels the construction of the “emotion picture” as a complete, and it additionally ends on a hopeful notice. The King-like voice finishes by saying: “But I tell you today that the devil is a liar / Because it’s gon’ be my America before it’s all over.” By way of these lyrics alone, Monáe leaves open the unconventional risk of a future through which all of the totally different elements of her identification are accepted and valued on their very own phrases.
My final choice from the playlist is by Keb’ Mo’, that includes Rosanne Money.
“I may be turning 70,” Keb’ displays, “but I’m still breathing and I’m still hungry. I’m still out there going for it every single day.”
Born and raised in Compton, Keb’ started his exceptional journey on the age of 21, when he landed his first main gig taking part in with Jefferson Airplane violinist Papa John Creach. For the following 20 years, Keb’ would work primarily behind the scenes, establishing himself as a revered guitarist, songwriter, and arranger with a novel present for linking the previous and current in his evocative taking part in and singing. Although he recorded a one-off album in 1980 underneath his beginning identify, Kevin Moore, it wasn’t till 1994 that he would introduce the world to Keb’ Mo’ with the discharge of his extensively acclaimed self-titled debut. Critics had been fast to pay attention to Keb’s fashionable, genre-bending tackle old style sounds, and two years later, he garnered his first GRAMMY Award for Finest Up to date Blues Album with Simply Like You.
This Rolling Stone evaluation from Stephen L. Betts has some background:
Grammy-winning artist Keb’ Mo’ has enlisted singer-songwriter and fellow activist Rosanne Money for the anthemic and well timed “Put a Woman in Charge.” A vigorous, upbeat tune backed by a driving rhythm, the track was penned by Keb’ Mo’ with Beth Nielsen Chapman (“This Kiss,” “Happy Girl”) and John Lewis Parker (“Hard Habit to Break,” “Can’t We Fall In Love Again”).
Opening with traces about man’s preliminary accomplishments (hearth, the wheel) to the constructing of cars proper by way of to setting borders and constructing partitions, the lyrics notice “he won’t stop ’til he owns it all” after which warn, “here we are standing on the brink of disaster.” Within the background, Money may be heard singing the road, “Enough is enough is enough is enough.” The reply, after all, is correct within the track’s title, delivered as a vibrant gospel refrain that’s easy but terribly highly effective.
“‘Put a Woman in Charge’ is about trying something else,” Keb’ Mo’ says in a launch. “There have been a lot of great achievements made by men or by the masculine, but maybe, just maybe, we’ve gotten too comfortable with the imbalance of men in power and have fallen short by not listening and embracing what women have to offer when they lead.”
Some oldies however goodies didn’t make the playlist, however I play them and sing alongside for the easy pleasure they carry on an excellent day. Listed below are a number of of my private picks.
Al Inexperienced’s “Love and Happiness” was launched in 1973 in England, and right here within the U.S. in 1977.
Additionally in 1977, Invoice Withers launched “Lovely Day.”
RELATED STORY: RIP, however keep in mind: We’ll all the time have Invoice Withers’ music to lean on
For these of you who keep in mind the disco period, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” was a giant hit from McFadden & Whitehead in 1979.
In more moderen tunes, I defy anybody to not really feel blissful when listening to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,” recorded in 2013.
Pharrell Williams went from teenage prodigy to a 13-time Grammy winner whereas carving out a path as one of the authentic and versatile figures within the music business. He has been a part of the well-known manufacturing duo The Neptunes and co-founded and sang lead vocals for the alt-rock/hip-hop band N.E.R.D. Williams additionally produced songs for a few of the greatest music stars, together with Nelly, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Busta Rhymes, P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg, No Doubt, Usher and Limp Bizkit. He’s written scores and songs for motion pictures, together with the animated Despicable Me and its sequels. His track “Happy,” written for Despicable Me 2, was a high Billboard Scorching 100 chart hit for 10 straight weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award for greatest authentic track. “That song would never have been the same song if it had been for my album,” he mentioned, “but because it was for an animation, the only thing I could do was to put pure emotion into it—make a song for a man just walking down the street with pure happiness because he fell in love for the first time.” In 2014, Time journal named him one of many 100 Most Influential Individuals within the World.
Although Nina Simone initially recorded “Feeling Good” for her 1965 album “I Put a Spell on You,” this video that includes dancer-choreographer Raianna Brown was launched in 2021.
Nina challenged boundaries and all through her profession, inspired empowered expressions of Black tradition and wonder. Created in partnership with Dove, the brand new music video for “Feeling Good” goals to proceed Simone’s necessary legacy by telling a narrative of Black feminine empowerment and rejecting imposed expectations. The video follows 4 generations of Black ladies dwelling their truths, loving one another, and feeling good.
RELATED STORY: Nina Simone was blunt about hand-wringers advising Black of us to ‘go sluggish’
I look ahead to listening to what songs are in your uplifting playlists. Please put up them within the feedback part under, and ensure you are registered to vote!
