Soundtrack Scorecard

This week’s Republican convention will be full of overt and subliminal references to all of last week’s Democratic catchphrases, and the pundits will congratulate themselves on how many they can point out. Expect Rove to write glib rejoinders to Clinton’s “example of our power…” line, and watch for a clever spin on Mark Warner’s “Four more months…”

But what about the soundtrack? The Dems have a lot to answer for, starting with how Michael McDonald’s overwrought gospel “America” FOLLOWED Stevie Wonder’s uncrunked funk. Here was the measure of the party’s timidity at nominating a black man: position the weak blue-eyed fascsimile of soul as the musical climax. This tacky aestheticism typified the way Dems sweat to the oldies, a place where Joe Biden’s new theme song becomes Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World.” Yeah, in exactly no other context, bubba. Our favorite was the way “Born in the USA” followed military testimonials and segued into “Power to the People” to set up Obama’s entrance. “Only in America” by Brooks and Dunn didn’t cap his speech so much as deflate it. I mean, you can’t disqualify the man for his taste in music, but that song alone was a trap door negating all the spine-tingles of his soaring, BIBLICAL finale. (What — no Charley Pride)?
This was a symbolic answer to RNC’s use of the song after Bush’s 2000 inaugural, and Cheney’s convention speech in 2004. Watch the Reps pull out “Elvira” by Alabama just to get even. But the Republicans have only themselves to top: Rush pretends to be hip daily to the sound of “Ohio,” by the Pretenders. And Ray Charles proved his craven psychotic allegiance for his “America” at more than one Republican convention. And that man was born with one leg.