If you watched the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, you heard songs by Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and many others.
No, they didn't perform, but their songs were spun on stage by DJ Cassidy as each state's delegation was called on to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Here's the list of rock songs as reported in The Hill:
- Alabama – “Sweet Home Alabama” - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Arizona – “Edge of Seventeen” - Stevie Nicks, who's from Phoenix
- Arkansas – “Don’t Stop” - Fleetwood Mac. This was the 1992 campaign song for former President Clinton, who also served as the governor of Arkansas.
- Florida – “I Won’t Back Down” - Florida native Tom Petty
- Idaho – “Private Idaho” - The B-52’s
- Illinois – “Sirius” - The Alan Parsons Project. The song was played when the Chicago Bulls were introduced in the 1990s.
- Kansas – “Carry on Wayward Son” - Kansas
- Massachusetts – “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” - Dropkick Murphys
- Montana – “American Woman” - Lenny Kravitz, a possible nod to electing the first woman to the Oval Office.
- New Hampshire – “Don’t Stop Believin'” - Journey
- New Jersey – “Born in the U.S.A.” - Bruce Springsteen (See below for more on this selection.)
- Oregon – “Float On” - Modest Mouse
- South Dakota – “What I Like About You” - The Romantics
- Utah – “Animal” - Neon Trees
- Vermont – “Stick Season” - Noah Kahan
It's amazing that Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." is still considered by some to be patriotic. Released by The Boss in 1984, it was meant to convey the negative effects of the Vietnam War on Americans, something that was lost on President Reagan and his staff.
During a September 1984 campaign stop in New Jersey, Reagan said, "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts; it rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about." This did not sit well with Springsteen, who is a Democrat.
Bruce Springsteen on President Reagan referencing him and "Born in the U.S.A." during his 1984 campaign. OC:...what I was communicating. :05
"You know, it made me angry and made me think a lot harder about what I was doing and the way to communicate what I was communicating."
A far better choice for the New Jersey delegation would have been "Born to Run."