Biblio File, Popular Music
President Obama's 2016 Summer Playlist
"One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain." —Bob Marley (Rastaman Vibration)
President Obama released his official Summer 2016 Playlist via his Twitter feed @POTUS this past Thursday. The thirty-nine track listing features a mix of classic jazz standards, popular music genres from blues, R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, and rap to American folk, Latin, and Indie rock.
Click on any artist's name from the playlist below to read biographical information from All Music Guide.
To request your copy of the music CDs from the NYPL catalog, click on the song title or visit your Library branch.
The President's Summer Playlist: Daytime
- "LoveHate Thing" (feat. Sam Dew) - Wale
- "Smooth Sailin'" - Leon Bridges
- "Elevator Operator" - Courtney Barnett
- "Home" - Edward Sharpe and Magnetic Zeros
- "Many the Miles" - Sara Bareilles
- "Tightrope" (Solo Version) - Janelle Monáe
- "Classic Man" (feat. Roman GianArthur) - Jidenna
- "So Ambitous feat. Pharrell" - Jay Z
- "Me Gustas Tu" - Manu Chao
- "Forever Begins" - Common
- "The Man" - Aloe Blacc
- "As We Enter" - Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley
- "Sinner Man" - Nina Simone
- "U Got the Look" - Prince
- "Rock Steady" - Aretha Franklin
- "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
- "Don't Owe You a Thang" - Gary Clark Jr.
- "Man Like That" - Gin Wigmore
- "II B.S." - Charles Mingus
The President's Summer Playlist: Nighttime
- If I Have My Way - Chrisette Michele
- "Espera" - Esperanza Spalding & Leo Genovese
- Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
- Alright - Ledisi
- "Trapped By a Thing Called Love" - Denise La Salle
- Lady - D'Angelo
- "So Very Hard to Go" - Tower Of Power
- "Midnight Sun" - Carmen McRae
- Cucurrucucu Paloma - Caetano Veloso (This song was featured in Pedro Almodovar's film Talk to Her, You can request the DVD copy here.)
- "Green Aphrodisiac" - Corinne Bailey Rae
- "I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need to Get By" - Mary J. Blige/Method Man
- Lover Man - Billie Holiday
- Criminal - Fiona Apple
- "My Funny Valentine (Live)" - Miles Davis
- "Do You Feel Me" - Anthony Hamilton
- I Get Lonely - Janet Jackson
- Lean In - Lizz Wright
- "All Day Music" - War
- Say Yes - Floetry
Read E-Books with SimplyE
With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.
If you don’t have an NYPL library card, New York State residents can apply for a digital card online or through SimplyE (available on the App Store or Google Play).
Need more help? Read our guide to using SimplyE.