Presidential Pardon? POTUS Barack Obama Shows No Love for Country Music on His New Playlists

As evidenced by his recently released two summer playlists, President Barack Obama has eclectic taste in music. However, the POTUS has no love for country musicโ€”at least while he vacations in Marthaโ€™s Vineyard.

President Obama released two summer playlistsโ€”daytime and nighttimeโ€”last week on Twitter while he vacationed in Marthaโ€™s Vineyard. According to the White House, the music was โ€œhand-selectedโ€ and features 39 songs, ranging from Aretha Franklin and the Beach Boys to Jay-Z and Common. But alas, there was no Hank, Dolly, Willie, Waylon, Merle or Johnnyโ€”just 39 twangless songs. No worries, weโ€™ll keep our fingers crossed that his Fall Playlist has a healthy dose of Dwight Yoakam and Travis Tritt.

POTUS Summer Playlist: Daytime

โ€œLoveHate Thingโ€ โ€“ Wale
โ€œSmooth Sailin'โ€ โ€“ Leon Bridges
โ€œElevator Operatorโ€ โ€“ Courtney Barnett
โ€œHomeโ€ โ€“ Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
โ€œMany the Milesโ€ โ€“ Sara Bareilles
โ€œTightropeโ€ โ€“ Janelle Monae
โ€œClassic Manโ€ โ€“ Jidenna
โ€œSo Ambitiousโ€ โ€“ Jay-Z, feat. Pharrell
โ€œMe Gustas Tuโ€ โ€“ Manu Chao
โ€œForever Beginsโ€ โ€“ Common
โ€œThe Manโ€ โ€“ Aloe Blacc
โ€œAs We Enterโ€ โ€“ Nas & Damian โ€œJr. Gongโ€ Marley
โ€œSinnermanโ€ โ€“ Nina Simone
โ€œU Got the Lookโ€ โ€“ Prince
โ€œRock Steadyโ€ โ€“ Aretha Franklin
โ€œGood Vibrationsโ€ โ€“ Beach Boys
โ€œDonโ€™t Owe You a Thangโ€ โ€“ Gary Clark Jr.
โ€œMan Like Thatโ€ โ€“ Gin Wigmore
โ€œII B.S.โ€ (edit) โ€“ Charles Mingus

POTUS Summer Playlist: Nighttime

โ€œIf I Have My Wayโ€ โ€“ Chrisette Michelle
โ€œEsperaโ€ โ€“ Esperanza Spalding
โ€œTell It Like It Isโ€ โ€“ Aaron Neville
โ€œAlrightโ€ โ€“ Ledisi
โ€œTrapped By a Thing Called Loveโ€ โ€“ Denise Lasalle
โ€œLadyโ€ โ€“ Dโ€™Angelo
โ€œSo Very Hard to Goโ€ โ€“ Tower of Power
โ€œMidnight Sunโ€ โ€“ Carmen McCrae
โ€œCucurrucucu Palomaโ€ โ€“ Caetano Veloso
โ€œGreen Aphrodisiacโ€ โ€“ Corinne Bailey Rae
โ€œIโ€™ll Be There for You / Youโ€™re All I Needโ€ โ€“ Mary J Blige / Method Man
โ€œLover Manโ€โ€“ | Billie Holiday
โ€œCriminalโ€ โ€“ Fiona Apple
โ€œAcid Rainโ€ โ€“ Chance the Rapper
โ€œMy Funny Valentineโ€ โ€“ Miles Davis
โ€œDo You Feel Meโ€ โ€“ Anthony Hamilton
โ€œI Get Lonelyโ€ โ€“ Janet Jackson
โ€œLean Inโ€ โ€“ Lizz Wright
โ€œAll Day Musicโ€ โ€“ War
โ€œSay Yesโ€ โ€“ Floetry

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill also dropped the soundtrack to their summer days and nights. The Bidensโ€™ 15-song playlist is also void of any country tunes with the exception of Ray Charlesโ€™ โ€œYou Donโ€™t Know Me,โ€ from his 1962 album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.

The Bidensโ€™ Summer Playlist

โ€œStay With Meโ€Šโ€ โ€“ โ€ŠSam Smith
โ€œWe Take Care of Our Ownโ€โ€Š โ€“ โ€ŠBruce Springsteen
โ€œCome Togetherโ€โ€Š โ€“ The Beatles
โ€œHelloโ€โ€Š โ€“ Adele
โ€œTil It Happens to Youโ€โ€Š โ€“ โ€ŠLady Gaga
โ€œI Wanna Hold Your Handโ€โ€Š โ€“ Al Green
โ€œMy Wayโ€โ€Š โ€“ Frank Sinatra
โ€œCanโ€™t Take My Eyes Off of Youโ€โ€Š โ€“ โ€ŠFrankie Valli and the Four Seasons
โ€œThe Bestโ€โ€Š โ€“ Tina Turner
โ€œTil Kingdom Comeโ€โ€Š โ€“ Coldplay
โ€œIf We Fall in Love Tonightโ€โ€Š โ€“ Rod Stewart
โ€œHallelujahโ€Šโ€ โ€“ KD Lang
โ€œDo You Hear the People Sing?โ€โ€Š โ€“ โ€ŠLes Misรฉrables
โ€œYou Donโ€™t Know Meโ€โ€Š โ€“ Ray Charles
โ€œYou Are So Beautifulโ€Šโ€ โ€“ โ€ŠJoe Cocker

photo courtesy ABC/Travis Bell

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