Midterm elections are approaching, so it’s time to get excited to vote.
The artists on this playlist are diverse—women, people of color and LGBTQ people—mirroring the diversity that is growing in our generation.
It includes a current popular song, a throwback song from our angsty middle school days and a few well-known blasts from the past. Listening to these songs on your way to the polls is a definite way to get pumped to vote.
“This Is America” by Childish Gambino
“This Is America” was released earlier this year and became an instant hit. Many people talk about the music video and its political imagery, but the song itself has an important message as well. This song represents what you think about when deciding how to vote. What issues are important to you? Who can you support to see your interests represented?
“Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen
This song is a classic throwback to the ’80s. It conveys anger, stress and their toll on society and that message is still relevant today. Many of us young voters feel pressured to vote one way or the other due to the partisan gap widening more and more. We also know that voting is a privilege but feel the pressure of deciding who will be leading our country the next few years.
“Complicated” by Avril Lavigne
Even though it was released in 2002, “Complicated” has remained an iconic song for years. Though this song is about a romantic relationship, it can also be interpreted as the complicated relationship many have with politics. Election season can cause your relationships with your friends and family members who have differing political views to become more tense and complicated as well.
“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
This is an iconic song from the 1970s that is still relevant in pop culture today. It’s important to remember during election season that even if your candidate doesn’t win, it’s not the end of the world. We can get through all the stress and pressure, because our generation is stronger and more influential than we know.
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel
Though “We Didn’t Start the Fire” recounts culture and politics from the ’50s and ’60s, its chorus reminds us that times then were crazy and times now are crazy too, but the world will keep on turning. This song is also fun to jam out to, so it’s a good note to end on before you reach the polls.
This playlist represents the many emotions we may have when looking at our current political state and deciding how we want to vote. These songs can’t tell you who to vote for, but they can inspire you along the way.
Follow this link to listen to the playlist on Spotify.
