“30 Days, 30 Songs”: The First Five
Spotify’s Attempt to Sway the Election
No one needs to sell me on David Eggers. The man could write a grocery list and I would think it was genius. His novels have absolute beauty and he has an ability to capture political climates in his writing, be it Bush-era American imperialism, Obama status-uncertainty or Second/Third World climates in his analyses of rising powers. But when I heard he was planning on producing a playlist of 30 anti-Trump songs through a Spotify partnership I was more than skeptical.
I was certain this project would be an absolute catastrophe, full of partisan songs that were rushed through in order to produce a playlist. I was wrong. The songs he has cultivated, from bands like Death Cab for Cutie to solo artists like Josh Ritter, go beyond the election. They speak to what we the populace deal with every single day. They aren’t drivel spouting Hillary talking points, they are actual analysis of what the hell we are going through. So here’s my take:
1. Million Dollar Loan — Death Cab for Cutie
“A million Dollar loan, Nobody makes it on their own, without a million dollar loan. And you’ll reap what you’ve sown from the million dollar loan. Call your father on the phone and get that million dollar loan.”
Regardless of how you’re voting, this song might be the most important piece of art to come out of the 2016 election. It serves not only as a critique of Trump’s elitism, but as a window into how the middle-class American feels. We are forced to accept loads of debt with little promise of return. The country is increasingly becoming “who-you-know” not “what-you-do” to the point where unless daddy has some influential golf buddies, the future can seem bleak. Sure you can work your ass off for 40–50 hours a week to make an impression but most likely you will see the kid at the cubicle next to you who puts in no effort but has a trust fund to rival Fort Knox get promoted.
Million Dollar Loan, with lines like “he built his fortune the old fashioned way” is a critical piece in an era in which we have the celebrity persona of Trump competing against the royalty of the Clinton’s and their daughter who is married to the personification of Wall Street. Young voters in our nation look at the election and see a clear message that they will never rise to that level. They have neither the money nor the contacts. There is no million dollar loan for most of us, and increasingly we are having to figure out how to exist in a world in which we are automatically three steps behind.
2. Can You Tell? — Aimee Mann
“Isn’t anybody going to stop me. I don’t want this job. My god, can’t you tell, I’m unwell.”
This song is honestly sad. It’s a commentary on ambition, particularly when it affects people who are gunning for a job solely out of a desire to get the recognition of others. I honestly connected with this song the most out of the five I am reviewing here.
Let me do a quick run-down. The song is Mann’s interpretation of Trump’s internal dialogue. And damn is it powerful. She calls out Obama’s roast of Trump during the 2011 correspondents’ dinner as a significant reason for Trump running. More importantly, she references Trump’s undiagnosed personality disorder and how feeding his personality might be harmful to Trump as a human being.
“You handing me grenades is just compelling me to pull the pin. Isn’t anybody going to stop me now. I don’t want this job, I can’t do this job.”
Here’s the thing, regardless of whether you want a republican in office in order to preserve the supreme court’s conservative hold or even if you just can’t stand Hillary, Trump is stomping on the party of conservative moralism. I’m not saying vote against him or even that Mann’s interpretation of what Trump is going through is correct. Just consider what Trump’s psyche is going through currently and do with that what you will.
Mann’s interpretation of Trump speaks to anyone who has a desire to be in a position of power. It’s a call for help when no one is listening. In an era in which we have a show like House of Cards embodying the worst in ambition, where contacts are increasingly becoming viewed as sources rather than friends, where cults of personality reign supreme, Aimee Mann’s song is a much needed reality check.
3. With Love From Russia — Bhi Bhiman
“With love from Russia, Vladimir says hi. Just like the Phoenix, a superpower never dies.”
Unlike the previous two artists, I have very little familiarity with Bhiman. This was the first realease of the 30/30 playlist that I wasn’t a huge fan of. It’s a discussion of Trump and Putin’s relationship. While it’s funky and hits at some important points, it certainly won’t change any minds and plays on the conspiracy angle more than any actual policy points. The song makes an argument that a Trump candidacy will lead to a new Soviet Union. If you believe that this is the case, that’s fine. I just think the song could have done a whole lot more and gotten at more significant issues that lie in the Trump/Russia relationship. It’s hook “I am the life of the Party” reminds listeners of Dictators of the past, and yet fails to achieve what the previous songs did in establishing a connection between artist and listener.
4. Same Old Lie — Jim James
“Now who’s getting cheated out? you best believe it’s the silent majority, and if you don’t vote it’s on you, not me. The same old lie told from the dawn of time.”
Ok Jim. I gotta be honest. I don’t think you put a whole lot of thought into this one. I get that you think the populist appeal is just rehashing old ideology, but the same line of “same old lie” can be just as easily applied to Hillary and the liberals as well.
Plus there are lines that go off on tangents about firearms and islamophobia and terrorism and I’m not sure I really understood what you were going for. I’m not going to dwell on this song too long, mainly because I didn’t really like it. I felt like I could have taken the same beat and made a much better and more impactful song.
5. Demagogue — Franz Ferdinand
“Those p****-grabbing fingers won’t let go of me now.”
Franz Ferdinand is one of those “voice of a generation” figures. This song, however, comes across as a sequel to “flying purple people eater.” Here’s the thing. This 30/30 presented the chance for well-respected artists to plead their case in artistically-brilliant forms that would appeal to listeners, particularly young voters with Spotify subscriptions. Franz failed, plain and simple.
I am writing this after the sixth and seventh songs have been released so I know that we return to the quality of the first two songs of the series, but when just analyzing this set as a group of five, the last three are quite disappointing. While the first two songs are quality snapshots of America at the moment, the last three are merely harping on what the media has presented to us for the last several months. I realize that Trump uses the language of demagogues, I realize that not voting is the same as voting against your beliefs, I realize that Putin wants Trump. These are not the things that are going to sway the election this late in the game. Voters have already made up their minds on those issues. The undecided voters will be swayed by emotional appeals that get at issues we have not grown tired of hearing. And so far Eggers’ and his crew are 2/5 for achieving that goal.
