Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid has a soundtrack: Beyoncé’s “Freedom.”
The Democratic presidential front-runner took the stage during her first visit to her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, and again during her first campaign rally in Wisconsin as the song played.
Now, the cathartic anthem graces Harris’s first campaign ad, in which she says: “There are people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate. But us? We choose something different: We choose freedom.”
Contrast that with the musical number his competitor chose for his grand entrance on the third night of the Republican National Conference. Donald Trump came onstage to James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” — an ill-advised choice for a former president who was convicted of sexual assault, who bragged about sexually assaulting women, a married man who paid a porn star to keep quiet, and a former president who set back women’s reproductive rights by 50 years with the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
The Godfather of Soul might have endorsed Trump's use of his song, but Brown would be breaking with decades of musicians who have criticized Republican candidates for playing their songs at rallies and support events. Adele, Rihanna, R.E.M., the Rolling Stones, Prince, Neil Young, Guns N' Roses and Queen are among the many artists who have spoken out against Trump using their songs for campaign purposes.
Hearts ached when the McCain-Palin campaign used “Barracuda.” Tom Petty insisted that George W. Bush retract “I Won't Back Down.” Bruce Springsteen condemned Ronald Reagan's appropriation of “Born in the USA.”
However, Beyoncé did give Harris her blessing to use “Freedom,” a single from her 2016 hit album “Lemonade.” The song, which features guest appearances by rapper Kendrick Lamar, is an explosive expression of empowerment. At the time of its release, it spoke to public outrage over police killings of unarmed black men and women (Eric Garner, Tamar Rice, Freddie Gray) and protests that were largely fueled by the anger of younger generations.
Whether Beyoncé was singing about the tyranny of an unfaithful spouse or racial injustice (or both), the song became an anthem for a potentially potent new bloc of the American electorate.
For the first time, Generation Z and millennials could now account for as many votes as baby boomers and their elders, groups that have made up the majority of the electorate for decades.
People under 40 have grown up with Beyoncé and her omnipresent work. Think of Beyoncé as The Who for baby boomers: Her work is everywhere (Republican Sen. Rand Paul played the band’s anti-war hit “Baba O’Riley” when he campaigned in 2015), or Nirvana for Gen Xers — except no one cares what we think. It doesn’t matter.
Harris's savvy choice of music coincides with a willingness to lean into a meme culture that has emerged organically around the 59-year-old vice president since President Biden announced Sunday that he was dropping out of the race.
Pop star Charli XCX showed her support for Harris when she tweeted: “Kamala IS an 18 year old girl.” The British singer is referring to TikTok and Twitter edits of Harris’ image superimposed over songs from Charli XCX’s hit album, “Brat.” The onslaught of memes stems from a video clip in which Harris discusses her mother’s response to the arrogance of youth: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of everything you live through and what came before you.”
Right-wing social media used the quote to ridicule Harris as inarticulate and adept at “word salad,” but liberal Gen Zers have since reworked the clip into emojis and memes celebrating Harris’s maverick approach. It’s become a viral sensation — in a good way, unlike JD Vance’s damning “single cat lady” memes and a cringeworthy internet joke about couch hookups.
It’s rare for a major talent to be involved in campaigning for a Republican candidate. Case in point: Trump’s pop culture ambassadors at this year’s Republican National Convention were Kid Rock, Kanye’s ex Amber Rose, and former WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan, whose big moment was ripping off his shirt and shouting “Let Trump’s mania go wild!”
Harris decided to let freedom ring and has Queen Bey behind her.
