Music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas.
Courtesy of BB Gun Press
Bill Clinton had Fleetwood Mac‘s “Don’t Stop”; George W. Bush had Tom Petty‘s “I Won’t Back Down.” With the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses looming, Billboard asked Alexandra Patsavas (above) to take a break from picking tunes for a fake president on Scandal and instead choose campaign theme songs for four of the 2016 election’s real-life contenders.
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Donald Trump
“Lawyers, Guns and Money,” Warren Zevon
“It was hard to narrow down all the possibilities to one final choice — it was hard to resist ‘Hair’! But the lyrics from Warren Zevon’s classic are spot-on.”
Hillary Clinton
“This Will Be Our Year,” Foo Fighters (Zombies cover)
“One of my all-time top five favorite tunes performed by one of my favorite bands to accompany what is sure to be a great 2016 for Clinton.”
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Bernie Sanders
“My Shot,” Hamilton cast
“This innovative piece from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s current smash musical — and future classic — tells a story that feels like a perfect fit for Sanders.”
Ben Carson
“Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” The Beatles
“Reportedly it was inspired by The American Rifleman‘s [magazine] cover riff on [Peanuts cartoonist] Charles Schulz’s ‘Happiness is a warm puppy,’ ” says Patsavas. “This terrific track just seemed right for Carson.”
This story originally appeared in the Feb. 6 issue of Billboard.