One of the highlights of my USA ’08 Special Report for Spotlight Online was a review of all the different music videos that expressed the election campaign in song. Will.i.am’s “Yes, We Can” video, along with Barelypolitical’s Obama Girl series, started an avalanche of user-made songs and parodies about all the candidates that kept us entertained for a year. There were almost too many songs to mention.
The year 2012 has been very different. YouTube users failed to get excited enough about the candidates to go out and write songs about them. The campaigns were unexciting and uneventful, so that was no surprise.
About a month ago, however, that suddenly changed — and now I’m proud to present my own Oscars, if you will, for political songs in four categories, judged on technical merit, humor, clever lyrics, overall catchiness, and skillful dance moves. Feel free to suggest other videos you’ve found in the comments section.
iPad users may not see the embedded videos here. Click on “Direct link” to watch each one on YouTube — where you’ll usually find the lyrics as well.
Our first category is…
Best original songs
The Kaufer Clan’s “The Obama Smackdown” lends a funky sound to the kind of superhero imagery we saw in the 2008 campaign.
The most common musical genre among this year’s election videos is rap. Lukerative’s “Mitt Romney Music Video” excels with lyrical skills and a strong bassline.
Illy Ill lends some “Presidential Swagger” to the campaign in this soulful rap:
Bruce Bellott‘s country song is more anti-Obama than pro-Romney, but gives a voice to the “tea party” movement. The title is “Mitt Romney to Obama: You’re Fired!”
The minor-party candidates were not invited to the debates, but their supporters — who may be as many as six percent of voters — are present on YouTube. Jvince makes the case for Libertarian Gary Johnson in this content-heavy rap:
There don’t appear to be any well-made videos for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, but Dr. Revolution hopes to generate support for all minor parties. His somber “No Red, No Blue” reminds us of the protest songs of the 1960s:
Best political parodies of pop songs
All of the videos in this category have subtitles.
Gotye’s video to “Somebody That I Used to Know” has inspired countless imitations. “Obama That I Used to Know” by Just New Productions is a well-worded account of the disillusionment felt by many Obama supporters.
Hugh Atkin pokes fun at Mitt Romney’s constantly changing positions in “Will The Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up?”, a homage to Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady”.
Barack Obama was heavily criticized for saying that individual success depends on government investments in infrastructure. Hugh Atkin also gets our respect for “U Didn’t Build That”, a brilliant mashup that plays on MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”.
Honorable mention goes to “Romney Girl”, a parody of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” that shows Mitt Romney and Miss Swiss Bank Account frolicking in the Alps without having to pay taxes. The Agenda Project Action Fund took down its video following a copyright complaint by Universal Music Group. The Swiss government was apparently also not amused. The video can still be found, but it is no longer officially available.
Best real debates
The Gregory Brothers of Auto-Tune the News are back, and they’ve made songs out of all four of the October debates. Here’s the first (“Debate Highlights Songified!”). The others are here: VP debate | 2nd debate | 3rd debate
Best fictional debates
Presidential imitator Alphacat faces his counterpart in a three-part “Presidential Rap Battle” full of dis rhymes. Here’s how it starts.
The two also square off in “Epic Rap Battles Of History: Season 2”.
Best dance videos
is our final category, and there’s no question what kind of dancing is to be done: the horse-inspired trot invented by Korean star Psy for “Gangnam Style (강남스타일)” — the most popular song in the world right now. Psy says the motto of “Gangnam Style” is “Dress classy, dance cheesy”; in our top video, “Obama Style”, Smooth-E, Alphacat and their friends do a stellar job of both. Watch for Mitt Romney doing the “worm”!
Coming in a very close second is (what else?) “Mitt Romney Style” by CollegeHumor.
May the best man win!
