Like a lot of Lib Dems this Bank Holiday weekend I’ve been recovering from months of hard slog otherwise known as election campaigning.
A diet of canvassing, leafleting, takeaways and late night phone calls isn’t healthy for an extended period of time, so if you’re feeling knackered – worry not – I have just the thing!
In between resting aching legs/reminding friends and family what I look like/feeding the cats/watching the mayoral election/watching the French Presidential elections/sleeping I have put together a post-election playlist.
I was partly inspired by the Obama 2012 team who compiled a Campaign Playlist on Spotify and this week asked supporters to suggest a ‘Winning Soundtrack for 2012.’
Music is a constant feature in election campaigns for me and, let’s face it, delivering leaflets to music is more fun mostly thanks to my smartphone and the wonders of apps like Last.fm and Spotify.
71% of voters in my ward didn’t vote for any party on Thursday so voter disengagement has been on my mind this weekend.
With this in mind I started with I want you back (Jackson 5) AKA a message to Lib Dem voters who stayed at home.
After that, Stuck in the Middle with you (for Lib Dems everywhere) seemed obvious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohRa9lsx0Q
To pick out a few other selections:-
• I can’t stand the rain – Eruption worse campaign weather – ever!
• Hit the road Jack – a song for Lembit
• Sabotage – Beastie Boys for anti-Lords reform dinosaurs everywhere
• Crying – Roy Orbison for our Coalition Partners
• Nothing can stop us now – St Etienne A song for all the Tim Farron fans
Songs for the apathetic, the disillusioned and the ‘not-voting this year’
• The Passenger – Iggy Pop
• Wicked Game – Chris Isaaks
• Ghost Town – The Specials
Songs for Nick Clegg
• This Charming Man – The Smiths
• Can’t stand me now – Libertines
• Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve
Songs for Labour
• Erase/Rewind – The Cardigans
• Begging You – Stone Roses
• Chain of Fools – Aretha Franklin
A song for everyone who left Labour or the Tories to join the Lib Dems:
• Movin’ on up – Primal Scream
Songs for Lib Dem candidates and canvassers
• Forget me not – Patrice Rushen
• Will you still love me tomorrow? – The Shirelles
• 24 hour party people – Happy Mondays
• 99 problems – Jay-Z
A song for social Liberals:
• Should I stay or should I go? – The Clash
A song for the Orange bookers:
• Let’s do it – Cole Porter
A song for Focus deliverers:
• Somewhere only we know – Keane
Songs for paper candidates:
• Ain’t misbehavin’ – Fats Waller
• Moonlight Serenade – Glenn Miller
A song for all the election agents
• Friday I’m in love – The Cure
Songs for coalition supporters:
• Once in a lifetime – Talking Heads
• Little lies – Fleetwood Mac
• Under my thumb – Rolling Stones
• Finally – Ce Ce Peniston
• On & On – Erykah Badu
For Lib Dems who don’t {support the coalition}
• Love will tear us apart – Joy Division
And for the Lib Dems keeping their fingers crossed:
• Cool – Gwen Stefani
• True Faith – New Order
• All my friends – LCD Soundsystem
Songs for no-nonsense Lib Dem women:
• Girls (run the world) – Beyonce
• Respect – Aretha Franklin
Songs for Ken, Dave, George and Francois:-
• No surprises – Radiohead
• Eton Rifles – The Jam
• Common People – Pulp
• Quel’qun m’a dit – Carla Bruni
A song for Guardianistas
• What have you done for me lately? – Janet Jackson
And in case you’re worried I might be getting a bit maudlin, worry not – Nancy Sinatra’s classic: ‘These boots are made for walkin’ is the song that I’ll mostly be playing.
You can subscribe to my playlist on Spotify via my profile daisybenson.
I know the Lib Dems are a musical lot – why not suggest a few more in the thread below? (Light the blue touchpaper and stand well back! – Ed)
Next up: a fightback playlist!
* PS This is just for fun.
* Daisy Benson is a former PPC and Group Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Reading Borough Council.
12 Comments
In the days of old when I was in the UK and attended conferences, losing deposits and God gave the land to the people were the perennials.
A brilliant playlist Daisy. An obvious one given it’s use by the Clinton campaign in 1992 but also a reminder that there is no point in keep rehearsing the arguments about May 2010 and the Coalition: Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
Here’s one for exhausted people … 🙂
Hard Road – Black Sabbath
I have a playlist suggestion for the Labour party in Bradford: “A Little Respect” by Erasure 😉
What? A Lib Dem playlist with no Bruce Springsteen? Blasphemy! You could go for ‘The Price You Pay’, which seems rather apt at the moment.
For David Cameron when Boris won….
Hallelujah, by preference the Jeff Buckley version as it has the bittersweet feel that will reach Cameron when Boris takes over as leader!
An obvious one – “Elected” by Alice Cooper?
For many of our council groups in Scotland – “On My Own” – Les Miserables
As an appeal to voters – “Take A Chance On Me” – Abba (not JLS. Just not…)
As a regrouping anthem – “We All Stand Together” – Paul McCartney & the Frog Chorus
I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Robert Palmer’s “Riptide” as a theme for now. “Rip tide, caught in the rip tide….”
50 ways to leave your lover by Paul Simon for all those LibDems struggling to think of just one.
Another one for opponents of coalition – “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” – Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers
For Scottish local government candidates – “Say I’m Your Number One” – Princess
For that bloomin’ penguin in Edinburgh – “I Should Be So Lucky” – Kylie Minogue
For opponents of the Independence referendum – “Freedom” – Wham! (the line is “I don’t want your freedom, I don’t want to play around”)
For us ‘oldies’ and the ‘future of our party’….I suggest “”Eve of Destruction” ( Barry McGuire, 1965)
For our total number of councillors: – “Down Down” – Status Quo