Was it just a strange coincidence?
Music has always played a part in political campaigns. So much so that some music artists have both endorsed and refused to have their tunes played as part of some political campaigns. But how about the presidents' own taste in music? Are American presidents typically music lovers? If so, what do they really like to listen to?
In this gallery, we travel back to 1929 and beyond, and bring you all you need to know about the music tastes of American presidents up until today. Curious to find out who listened to what? Then click on!
We don't know much about President Hoover's personal musical tastes, but what we do know is that he was the first president to invite an artist to play for a visiting head of state.
The artist in question was harpist Mildred Dilling, whom Herbert and Lou Hoover invited to perform for King Phra Pok Klao Prajadhipok of Siam (present-day Thailand) in 1931. Presumably, Hoover liked Dilling's music enough to invite her to play at the White House.
FDR was a member of Harvard's Glee Club, and his favorite song was 'Home on the Range.'
Music had a special place in FDR's heart, and indeed he did contribute to American music when he launched the Federal Music Project. The government project employed musicians, composers, and conductors to play concerts and study music during the Great Depression.
According to the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, the president "was not fond of what he called ‘modern noise,’ preferring the traditional classical music of his youth."
Truman was a music lover though. Not only did he play the piano, the president also had a collection of over 680 records. Some of his favorites included Strauss waltzes, Claude Debussy, and George Gershwin, to name a few.
Eisenhower was the first president to have a Broadway performance put on in the White House, this back in 1958. Coming from a military background, military bands were among his favorites when it came to performances at the White House.
Eisenhower's presidential library makes reference to a number of songs he liked, including 'America the Beautiful,' 'Oh, Susanna!,' and 'My Old Kentucky Home,' among others.
JFK had numerous artists play at the White House during his presidency. He also had several musical supporters. Frank Sinatra, for instance, backed Kennedy's 1960 election with the song 'High Hopes.'
Some of JFK's favorite tunes included 'Mack the Knife' from The Threepenny Opera, 'The Twist' by Chubby Checker, and 'September Song' from Knickerbocker Holiday. The president was also into jazz.
President Johnson liked songs from musicals such as 'The Sound of Music,' 'Oklahoma,' and 'Hello Dolly!.' LBJ was also a fan of songs such as Roy Rogers’ 'Don’t Fence Me In' and 'Wagon Wheels.'
The president went on to ratify the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which led to the creation of NPR, CPB, and PBS.
Richard Nixon played the piano and violin, and he was a classical music fan. Among his favorite songs are Richard Rodgers’ tunes for the TV show 'Victory at Sea' (1952–1953).
Throughout the years, Nixon had many famous musicians visit the White House, including Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.
According to Ford's presidential library, the president liked "jazz/swing." Ford's favorite hymn was the Navy song 'Eternal Father Strong to Save.' Apparently, the president also enjoyed ballroom dancing (here he is dancing with Queen Elizabeth II).
Gerald Ford had his fair share of musicians visit the White House during his presidency, including George Harrison.
Jimmy Carter was great friends with Gregg Allman, and was a fan of The Allman Brothers Band (check out his t-shirt!).
President Carter was also a big Willie Nelson fan. "When I had my most difficult times, I would go in my private study and tie flies for fly-fishing and listen to Willie’s music," he once said.
Ronald Reagan tried to use Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the U.S.A.' during his reelection campaign, but the Boss wasn't happy about it. The president presumably liked the song.
The Beach Boys performed at Ronald Reagan's second inaugural ball, and throughout the years the president invited numerous artists to perform at the White House.
Bush Sr. was a country music fan. So much so that the president even attended the Country Music Awards in 1991.
"Country music gives us a window on the real world and when I want to feel a certain surge of patriotism or turn nostalgic or even when I need a little free advice about Saddam Hussein, I turn to country music," said Bush during his speech during the award ceremony.
Bill Clinton won a lot of cool points with the fact that he could play the sax. And a few years ago, the president shared a list of his favorite 20 songs, which included the likes of 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free' by Nina Simone and 'Winds of the Old Days' by Joan Baez.
Other artists on Bill Clinton's playlist included Elton John, Van Morrison, Simon & Garfunkel, and Carly Simon. And, of course, being a jazz fan, Clinton also added artists such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane to his playlist.
In 2005, The New York Times listed some of the songs on the president's iPod. Among them were tunes by artists such as Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Van Morrison, and John Fogerty.
Bush also liked to listen to 'My Sharona' by The Knack, 'Circle Back' by John Hiatt,' and '(You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care' by Joni Mitchell, among others.
Barack Obama was the first president to curate White House playlists on Spotify. For example, a playlist from 2017 features artists such as U2, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, The National, Harry Styles, and Bruce Springsteen. In 2022, Obama included artists such as Lizzo, Rosalía, Ari Lennox, Ethel Cain, Steve Lacy, and Omar Apollo on his playlist.
On a 2023 playlist by Obama, we can find tunes such as 'TQG' by Karol G and Shakira, 'I Remember Everything' by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves, 'Sprinter' by Dave and Central Cee, and 'America Has a Problem' by Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar.
Acts such as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, and Elton John are among Donald Trump's favorites.
But despite his love for feel-good pop and rock acts, Donald Trump has confessed that his favorite song is the rather nihilistic and dark 'Is That All There Is?' by Peggy Lee.
While still vice president in 2016, Joe Biden and his wife Jill shared a summer playlist on Spotify. The playlist featured artists such as Sam Smith, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Adele, Lady Gaga, Al Green, and Frank Sinatra.
Other artists featured in the Bidens' playlist included Tina Turner, Coldplay, Rod Stewart, Ray Charles, and Joe Cocker.
Sources: (Paste) (The New York Times) (National Archives Foundation) (Rock NYC) (Billboard) (Medium) (Spotify) (Ultimate Classic Rock)
The musical tastes of American presidents
Here are the presidents demonstrating their skills after working hours
MUSIC Presidents
Music has always played a part in political campaigns. So much so that some music artists have both endorsed and refused to have their tunes played as part of some political campaigns. But how about the presidents' own taste in music? Are American presidents typically music lovers? If so, what do they really like to listen to?
In this gallery, we travel back to 1929 and beyond, and bring you all you need to know about the music tastes of American presidents up until today. Curious to find out who listened to what? Then click on!