Unravelling Donald Trump’s insane Spotify playlist
You could ask if there’s any point to unpacking the Spotify playlist of Donald Trump, or Donald Trump in general, for the so-called ‘leader of the free world’ has such a terrifying, perplexing, unfathomable outlook on life, politics, and everything in between that it sometimes feels easier to look away rather than dive under the layers of fake tan and aged skin.
But really, finding the whites of the eyes underneath that menacing glare, certain aspects of Trump’s everyday life are far more human than you might ever believe.
We all know he loves golf, glitzy hotels, and a dose of societal fascism to boot, but this is all really in a day’s work, and pretty boring, by his standards. To get through the mundane slog of the office, just like the rest of us, Trump needs to get the tunes on, and helpfully, whether we wanted to know or not, a leaked version of his Spotify playlist pulls back the curtain.
Surprisingly enough, it’s not all the Village People and Kid Rock; there is actually a lot more diversity in there than you might think. In fairness, it’s not an extensive playlist, with only 13 songs from start to finish, but if it’s possible to span as many genres in existence within the most limited number of tracks imaginable, Trump may well win the prize.
He begins as many men of his particular age demographic might, with a bit of classic rock, and in this instance, it’s Metallica with ‘Enter Sandman’ and Guns N’ Roses with ‘November Rain’. Those two choices are important for different reasons: firstly, Metallica were so offended that Trump used their hit in his political videos that they banned him from using it, but also that ‘November Rain’ is such a perfect pathetic fallacy for how the rest of the world felt when he won the election that you almost couldn’t write it.
Despite my not being the one to have leaked this playlist, I do feel the need to publicly apologise to the legacy of Sinéad O’Connor for bringing this up again. As much as she’d undoubtedly be rolling in her grave, the Irish singer’s version of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ does make the Trump cut, as does ‘Losing My Religion’ by REM; if nothing else, the president loves a 1990s classic for some reason.
But let’s not forget where the roots of his origin story lie, as while New York may be the home of his business tycoon ambitions and the garish lights of Trump Tower, it also houses the glitz and the glamour of the theatre. Trump was once an aspiring Broadway producer, after all, and the irony is not lost that his favourite musical is Les Misérables. Oddly, though, that doesn’t make it to the playlist, and instead, it’s the title tracks from Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar.
There is, of course, room for a number of his favourite classics, such as ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ by The Rolling Stones, which was a common choice at his campaign rallies, while Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ and Elvis Presley’s ‘Suspicious Minds’ tell you everything you really need to know about the man’s inner psyche. Some say self-motivated, others say egotistical maniac; the choice is yours.
At the end of the day, whether it’s in your resort at Mar-a-Lago or in the Oval Office, veering dangerously close to the nuclear buttons, everyone needs a chance to stop and take stock. In Trump’s case, bizarrely enough, it seems he goes into a rather mournful and reflective mood, and to suit this, there’s a 2002 live performance of ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ by James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti, ‘Ring of Fire’ by Johnny Cash, ‘Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding’ by Elton John, and ‘Hello’ by Lionel Richie.
Could this potentially be the signs of Trump showing even a little recompense? The chances are probably not, but if the man’s politics and playlist have taught us anything, you can come out with the most deranged takes and still get away with it.
Donald Trump’s insane Spotify playlist:
- ‘Enter Sandman’ – Metallica
- ‘November Rain’ – Guns N’ Roses
- ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ – Sinéad O’Connor
- ‘Losing My Religion’ – REM
- ‘Phantom of the Opera’ – Phantom of the Opera Broadway Cast Recording
- ‘Superstar’ – Jesus Christ Superstar Broadway Cast Recording
- ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ – The Rolling Stones
- ‘My Way’ – Frank Sinatra
- ‘Suspicious Minds’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ – James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti
- ‘Ring of Fire’ – Johnny Cash
- ‘Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding’ – Elton John
- ‘Hello’ – Lionel Richie
