campaign music

"he really sucks tobe honest his singing ability needs a lot of work!"
  wayne p

America’s Song: Why is Awful Will.i.am the Musical Voice of Obama Inauguration?

Published January 20th, 2009 by Karen

Will.i.am is either some sort of ultra-patriotic musical genius, or a very likable puppet of the music industry.

We’re guessing it’s the latter.

Known for his work with the Black Eyed Peas and their nightmarish spawn, Fergie, Will.i.am has gone from writing garbage like “Fergilicious” (complete with unintentionally misspelled lyrical chants of “tastey“), to becoming the unlikely voice of Barack Obama’s America thanks to songs such as “Yes We Can,” “We Are the Ones” and “It’s a New Day.” CNN even tapped the popstar as the punchline/holographic correspondent during its election night coverage.

Now, Will.i.am, along with a string of stars such as Bono, Seal, Mary J. Blige and Faith Hill are pushing a slab of patriotic musical drivel dubbed, “America’s Song,” which Continue reading »

2009 Election Results and Top Election Music

Published November 4th, 2008 by Karen

While it’ll still be a few hours before America’s fate for the next four years is revealed, we thought we’d get into the Election Day spirit with some political songs and info on where you can get free stuff for voting (although, you should vote even without the promise of treats).

Voters who stop by Starbucks on Election Day and say they’ve voted will receive a free tall/small coffee.

Voters who visit Krispy Kreme while waiting for the election results on Tuesday will receive a free star-shaped donut.

Whether you want to hear the Obama Won or McCain Won, everybody wins if they take the time to vote today!

And, as an added bonus, get free Patriotic Music downloads right here!

free Star Spangled Banner mp3
This Land is Your Land download
Free Born in the USA mp3—Bruce Springsteen free download

Stay tuned for official election results as soon as they’re announced.

And leave a comment and tell us: Did you vote yet? Is this the first time you’ve voted?

"Cheers for writing about this. FYI - here's some more info about latest movies online you might like!"
  satyakishore3

Watch Palin Biden Debate Video plus free political music downloads

Published October 2nd, 2008 by Karen

Sarah Palin and Joe Biden are set to participate in a historic debate tonight, Thursday October 2, 2008, but there’s no debating that the economy is heading in a bad direction lately.

So, to help fatten up the piggy banks across the land, we’re offering up a handy guide to some of our favorite free stuff on the web.

(You can watch the Biden Palin Debate online here)

Ready…Set…Save!

Favorite Free Stuff Online
Free Music
While many music sites offer songs up for less than a buck apiece, we know a few that offer music that’s free and legal. No file-sharing or lawbreaking, just enjoy some free tunes. Sounds good to us!

EZ-Tracks offers a wide variety of free music downloads as well as streaming radio, video and other cool stuff.

Last.fm is a cool place to hear new music with its customizable internet radio stations.
WFMU is an independent freeform radio station broadcasting out of New Jersey, but you can listen online from anywhere on Earth and tap into the station’s impressive musical archives featuring great live performances, interviews and more.

Free Food
Ok, so food doesn’t exactly flow out of your monitor (although, that would be kinda sweet), but you can score free eats online anyway.

Free 7up–Go here to print a coupon for a Free 20oz. bottle of this lemon-lime soda. Easy enough!

Free Snacks–This site offers lots of coupons, including buy one/get one free offers on lots of snacks.

Free Movies
If you’re too tired to go to the video store and don’t have a mail rental service like Netflix, Movies Found Online offers a selection of movies, cartoons, tv shows, documentaries and other cool stuff you can watch on your computer—all free and legal.

Free Ringtones
Tired of having a phone that sounds like every other phone when it rings? We’ve got you covered. With all of the free ringtones floating around the web, you can change your tune everyday if you want to.

EZ-Tracks has a huge selection of free ringtones featuring popular songs and other fun sound effects.

Free Games
While we’re sure you don’t play games during work hours, ahem, we’ve got the scoop on some fun online challenges worth checking out when you’ve got a little time to kill once you’re off the clock.

Sudoku–Wanna win some $ playing this popular number game?

Yahoo! 5 Minute Games–If you’ve only got a little time to spend, check out Yahoo’s selection of quick games like sudoku, crosswords, jigsaw puzzles and vocabulary builders, they only take a few minutes to play. They’re near the bottom of the page here.

Free Advice?
What do you do for fun when you’re trying to save cash? Leave a comment and give us your tips for free fun!

"I believe there are certain songs that should be done as close to the original as possible, and one of them is the national anthem. Unless you're going..."
  Marc

Who Is Kat DeLuna and Why Did She Ruin the National Anthem?

Published September 17th, 2008 by Karen

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch the video of Kat DeLuna massacring the National Anthem on Monday Night Football, here. After butchering the melody, over-singing and delivering a ton of off-key and shaky notes, DeLuna was booed by the crowd.

Ashley Simpson’s infamous Orange Bowl performance notwithstanding (she was booed by a stadium full of fans), DeLuna’s sub-American Idol caliber performance is one of the most embarrassing musical moments in recent memory…Or is it.

The fact that DeLuna (a collaborator of Elephantman) is another pretty but talentless starlet isn’t too surprising considering the general state of pop music at the moment. TV stars and reality TV attention-seekers pump out albums faster than you can say “Brooke Hogan sucks.” Everyone tries their hand at overproduced dance pop with computer “enhanced” vocals that make them sound like malfunctioning Cher robots and as a result we’re stuck with a generation of one-hit wonders who lip-synch their mediocre songs in concerts and other staged television performances.

So, is DeLuna really any worse than Simpson? Or Beyonce? Or Christina Aguilera? Or any of the other over-singing, over-produced, under-talented singers flooding the airwaves? Not really. The only difference is that she tried to sing instead of lip-synching and revealed her true (awful) voice.

Shows like American Idol promote this sort of over-the-top Mariah Carey-esque singing style, ensuring that this horrible style isn’t going to disappear soon. Other than the girls who are trying to imitate this style in order to succeed in the industry, does anyone actually enjoy this kind of music?

Do you like Kat DeLuna? Is pop music getting worse?
Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

Who is Sarah Palin? McCain Announces VP Pick

Published August 29th, 2008 by Karen

Who is Sarah Palin?

Well, if John McCain has his way, she just might be the next Vice President of the United States. With this surprise announcement comes a flood of questions, let’s sort through some of the basics.

1. Who is Sarah Palin?
Sarah Louise Heath Palin is the Governor of Alaska. The 44-year-old politician is only three years younger than Barack Obama, but 28 years younger than her running mate John McCain. This is interesting because McCain has been quick to target Obama’s youthfulness as a sign of inexperience. Hypocritical? We’ll let you decide.

2. Does she have experience?
Of course this will be a hot topic. The short answer is: sort of. Palin was tapped as Governor less than two years ago, making her a relative newcomer to big-time politics.

3. Is picking a female VP a wise move?
Again, this is pretty subjective. However, this might be a good opportunity for McCain to win over some voters left cold by Hilary Clinton’s removal from the presidential race. It may also help him soften his image.

4. Is Palin the first female VP candidate?
No. In 1984 Geraldine Ferraro was on the Democrat ticket. Palin is the second candidate representing a major political party.

5. As Gov. of Alaska, what’s her position on drilling for oil?
From 2003-2004 Palin was a member of Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. She eventually resigned in protest over what she called the “lack of ethics” of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders, who ignored her whistleblowing complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest. After she resigned, she filed formal complaints against Alaska’s Republican partychairman, Randy Ruedrich and former Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned; Ruedrich paid a record $12,000 fine.

6. Um, Alaska?
Alaska became a state in 1959. Known for its natural beauty and resources, the secluded state has become a hotbed of political debates regarding the possibility of drilling for oil on protected lands. Alaska is also the home of folk/pop singer Jewel “Who Will Save Your Soul?” Kilcher (the host of Nashville Star recently wed longtime beau/rodeo star Ty Murray). Free Jewel mp3 music downloads, here.

We’re sure tons of other questions will pop up over the coming hours and days, so check back for more information as it becomes available.

Do you think Palin is a good VP choice?
Leave a comment
and tell us what you think!

Scared to Write Protest Songs for Iraq War? Plus Top Political Songs

Published February 27th, 2008 by Karen

During this Presidential campaign season, one of the biggest issues being discussed by candidates is the war in Iraq.

While this is certainly one of the most controversial wars the US has been involved in, it seems that few musicians and artists are tackling this issue in their music.

With that in mind, we’re taking a look at some of the best political songs, political rock songs and peace rally songs. This time around, we’re focusing mostly on numbers from the outspoken Vietnam Era. Next time around, we’ll check out some songs from other wars and social causes.

If you have suggestions of Iraq-themed songs we should include on our next list–please leave a comment and let us know.

Top Protest Songs

“Give Peace a Chance”—John Lennon

“Born in the U.S.A”—Bruce Springsteen

“Where Have all the Flowers Gone?”—Pete Seeger

“All You Need is Love”—The Beatles

“Fortunate Son”—Credence Clearwater Revival

“Ohio”—Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

“Masters of War”—Bob Dylan

“Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag”—Country Joe and the Fish

“Imagine”—John Lennon

What’s your favorite political song?
Leave a comment and let us know what’s on your list.

"Queen of the Supermarket - Working On A Dream... ...The best Bruce Springsteen awesome disc, 'Working On A Dream', is published January..."
  Bruce Springsteen superstar

Top 10 Campaign Songs. Plus, How Springsteen Won the Election.

Published December 26th, 2007 by Karen

In the current round of campaigning, some noise has been made over Hillary Clinton’s decision to use Celine Dion’s horrendous “You and I” as her theme song, while Barack Obama is using the somewhat more hip “Better Way” by Ben Harper.

But does it matter?

The idea of campaign songs is nothing new, with the practice dating back at least as far as George Washington (“Follow Washington”) and Thomas Jefferson (“For Jefferson and Liberty”). Since then, there have been some good and bad songs blaring on the campaign trail, so we’ve decided to take a look at a few of them with our new list:

Top 10 Presidential Campaign Theme Songs

10. Frank Sinatra—“High Hopes”
Sinatra’s hit song “High Hopes” was fitted with new Kennedy-themed lyrics to provide the optimistic theme song for John F. Kennedy’s presidential bid in 1960.

9. Simon and Garfunkel—“Bridge Over Troubled Water”
McGovern lost to Nixon in the election 1972. The pretty but depressing song probably didn’t cheer him up after the loss.

8. Bruce Springsteen—“Born in the U.S.A.”
“California Here We Come” provided the upbeat soundtrack for Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign, and while he won again in 1984 with Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A” as his anthem, Springsteen, a democrat, requested that Reagan stop using the song.

7. Woody Guthrie—“This Land is Your Land”
George H.W. Bush made it to the Oval Office in 1988 with this classic. Although it’s difficult to believe that Guthrie would’ve endorsed Bush, the President won the vote.

6. Neil Diamond—“Coming to America”
Michael Dukakis had a glitzy anthem, but that didn’t keep him from losing to the first President Bush in 1988.

5. Fleetwood Mac—“Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow”
In addition to appearing on television playing his saxophone and having fun, President Clinton tore up the campaign trail with Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop.”

4. Patsy Cline—“Crazy”
In 1992 wealthy Texas businessman Ross Perot was an entertaining entry in the presidential race, but his theme song’s title may have described him a little too well.

3. Bruce Springsteen VS Brooks and Dunn
John Kerry campaigned to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “No Surrender,” but even the Boss couldn’t save him from George W. Bush and Brooks & Dunn’s “Only in America.”

2. Sam & Dave—“Soul Man”
A Bob Dole-themed take-off on Sam & Dave’s Stax Records classic, “Soul Man,” the reworked “Dole Man” is embarrassing for everyone involved, both politically and musically.

1. Tom Petty—“I Won’t Back Down”
George W. Bush was using Tom Petty’s song “I Won’t Back Down,” but Petty—a supporter of Bush’s opponent Al Gore— threatened to sue him if he didn’t stop using it.

Which campaign songs would get your vote? Leave a comment and let us know!