Politics As Usual Or Has Ikonic Music Changed Everything?

With the height of the election behind us, it's evident that it was by far the most popular, and heavy publicized election of our lifetime. Many credit this to the historic value of Hillary Clinton as the first woman to be an actual for-runner in the presidency, others to Barack Obama becoming the first African American President. But how much has music played a role in the popularity of this election? Anti-War songs combined with pro-candidate tunes, music videos, and concert rally’s would have most agree that the high turn out of the youth vote could be connected.

Music has a history of being involved in politics but was never really considered a serious influence. Big name recording artist are asked to sing the national anthem at political conventions, but were also asked to do the same at sporting events. So the influence that music plays on an individuals vote was never given much attention as it concerns political power.

On January 28, 2008 at the wake of the primaries, then presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama gave his famous “Yes, We Can” speech in Nashua, New Hampshire. The speech became widely recognized thanks to the help of international pop star and Iconic music recorder Will.I.Am a member of the Black Eyed Peas. Will.I.Am transformed the speech into an inspirational song whose video features clips of the actual speech. The video also included cameos from John Legend, Common, Mr. Bentley, Marcus Huston, Nicole formally of the Pussy Cats Dolls and slew of other A-List recording artist and actors. The tune caught fire and “Yes, We Can” soon became the phrase heard around the world.

The success of the Billboard chart topper Will.I.Am song inspired others to become involved in the election. Pop songstress Pink openly sang songs opposing the war. Jay-Z threw a concert in support of Barack Obama. Record executive P. Diddy made special edition election “No Bitch-Ass-Ness” t-shirts. Bob Dillon even preformed live at a rally for President Obama. Even John McCain had the backing of recording artist John Rich who performed is song “Raisin” at the 2008 Republican National Convention.

A week before election night, both candidates where very tight lipped and hidden from the public eye. Neither Sen. McCain or Obama were granting many interviews to the press. Until Barack Obama broke his silence and agreed to be interviewed by Sway from MTV. Major news stations like FOX, MSMBC, CNN, and a list of high profile news stations all question why would any presidential candidate grant an interview with a music network just days before the election. Risky move? Or did President Obama know something that no other candidate realized before him? Could this mean that music will be more than just a means of entertainment and become a major influence in upcoming elections, or is this just a phase that will soon pass?

I want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on how much or how little music played in the election? Did it influence your vote, or not at all? Will music play a more important role in upcoming elections?

How music changed Washington or has it remained politics as usual?