DNC: Stop Playing ‘Fight Song’

Anyone watching the DNC might have enjoyed the Elizabeth Banks/Jane Fonda/Eva Longoria video of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song.” But like any good ditty, if you put it on repeat, it gets old real quick.

Herewith, 5 nominations for the nominee:

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones

No, you can’t always get what you want/You can’t always get what you want/You can’t always get what you want/But if you try sometime you find/You get what you need

Republicans have recently accused Democrats of appropriating their traditional banner of “American exceptionalism,” and with this, Hillary Clinton embodies manifest destiny too, appropriating the Republican nominee’s favorite walk-off music (performed by a British band).

“Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett

I don’t give a damn ’bout my reputation/You’re living in the past, it’s a new generation/A girl can do what she wants to do and that’s what I’m gonna do

Somewhere in the world, Julian Assange types an encrypted :(

“Think” by Aretha Franklin

You better think/Think about what you’re trying to do to me/Yeah, think/Let your mind go/Let yourself be free

Franklin’s “Natural Woman” will forever remind voters of when her rendition made President Obama shed a tear. No matter. Clinton selects not even the beloved “Respect,” but instead the lesser known, more difficult anthem. It defies expectations. And the chorus—of just the word “freedom”—resounds through the hall.

“It’s Gonna Be Me” by *NSYNC

Every little thing I do/Never seems enough for you/You don’t wanna lose it again/But I’m not like them

An obvious—but appreciated—play to Bernie’s millennial holdouts. They, too, shed a tear.

“Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé

Who run the world?/Girls/Who run the world?/Girls

Hillary closes her speech and on her the final word of her final sentence—which might go something like, “Let’s continue building America into the greatest nation for all men and women, all boys and girls”—the lights drop out. We hear the wind. Then the synth. Then the drums. The first time the snare hits in a pair, the lights flash with the strikes and we see but do not believe that Hillary has disappeared. She wouldn’t. The music continues to build and we hear the murmurs: girls. And when the beat drops off and the Queen first declares “Girls!” the lights rise and we see the nominee reclaim the stage. We follow her eyes and we now see him: Bill. She remains still. She beckons him with one finger, he concedes and the tango begins. She is the lead. He grapevine-steps to her. She rebukes him, then returns. They sway together. The words “My persuasion can build a nation” washes over them and the crowd. The tango continues—with overtones of a march. Chelsea and Charlotte appear and fall in line. As does Nancy. And Elizabeth. And Ruth. And Bernie, who practiced. Soon, they fall back. It is only Hillary and Bill again, President and Nominee, Husband and Wife, two in lockstep, persuading a nation. (Only one rules the world.)