Barack Obama Releases His 2020 Playlist

Former President Barack Obama tweeted a star-studded motivational playlist that shared a name with his new memoir A Promised Land. The song selection featured talent that ranged across decades and many genres.

On November 16, just a day before his memoir would be released, Obama tweeted an accompanying playlist of songs that he says motivated him during his presidency. The caption read, “Music has always played an important role in my life – and that was especially true during my presidency. In honor of my book hitting shelves tomorrow, I put together this playlist featuring some memorable songs from my administration. Hope you enjoy it.”

The playlist itself is listed as including Aretha Franklin‘s The Weight; B.B. King‘s The Thrill Is Gone, Beyoncé‘s Halo and At Last; Bob Dylan‘s The Times They Are a-Changin; Brooks & Dunn’s Only in America; Bruce Springsteen‘s The Rising; Eminem‘s Lose Yourself; Frank Sinatra’s Luck Be a Lady; Gloria Estefan‘s Always Tomorrow; Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon; Jay-Z‘s My 1st Song; John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things; Miles Davis’ Freddie Freeloader; Phillip Phillips’ Home; The Beatles’ Michelle; Sade‘s Cherish the Day; Stevie Wonder‘s Signed, Sealed Delivered, I’m Yours and Sir Duke and finally U2’s Beautiful Day. One song pick perhaps being a dedication to his wife, Michelle Obama.

The memoir itself was released this week and contained anecdotes ranging from Obama’s experiences at his daughter’s basketball game to delivering praise to other notable political figures such as Angela Merkel, according to excerpts that were released priorly. The book will also include exclusive information about Obama’s childhood and an insider perspective when news regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden had reached the White House. Reviews by The New York Times has called certain lines from the memoir “mournful” whenever the former president gets into detail about his plunging support from white voters over his criticisms of how police arrested Henry Louis Gates, Jr.