Presidential playlist: Obama opens up his iPodAngela Balakrishnan guardian.co.uk, Wednesday June 25, 2008 Article history
Tuning in: As well as Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones, Barack admires rappers such as Q-Tip ... but worries about the influence of rap lyrics on his daughters. Photograph: Kamil Krzaczynski/EPA
The Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama showcased his diverse musical taste, ranging from Bob Dylan to Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen, after revealing the playlist on his iPod.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, to be published this Friday, the Illinois senator said he had "pretty eclectic tastes".
The list of bands reads like the acts at a summer music festival, with the Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow and Ludacris all in the mix.
Obama said that, growing up, he listened to Elton John and Earth, Wind & Fire but that Stevie Wonder was his ultimate musical hero during the 70s.
The Stones' track Gimme Shelter topped his favourite songs from the band.
His selection also contained 30 songs from Dylan. "One of my favourites [for] the political season is [Dylan's] Maggie's Farm. It speaks to me as I listen to some of the political rhetoric."
In the song, Dylan sings about trying to be himself, "but everybody wants you to be just like them".
The jazz legends Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker were also included in the compilation.
Many of the musicians on Obama's iPod, such as Bruce Springsteen, are supporting his White House bid.
Earlier this month, Dylan said he believed Obama was redefining politics in the US and could bring change to a nation in upheaval.
"I've got to say, having both Dylan and Bruce Springsteen say kind words about you is pretty remarkable," Obama said. "Those guys are icons."
Obama said he had not met Springsteen but that the two had talked over the phone.
"Not only do I love Bruce's music, I just love him as a person," Obama said. "He is a guy who has never lost track of his roots, who knows who he is, who has never put on a front."
He added that, when speaking to the singer, he addressed him by his moniker the Boss. "You've got to," Obama said.
The candidate said he thought rap music was also helping to break down barriers within the music world. Indeed it was reported last month that Obama will make a cameo performance on the rap singer Q-Tip's next album.
However, he expressed concern over his daughters – Malia, nine, and Sasha, seven – listening to some rap songs.
"I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics," he said, "but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music."
He said the hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the rappers Jay-Z and Ludacris were "great talents and great businessmen".
"It would be nice if I could have my daughters listen to their music without me worrying they were getting bad images of themselves," he added.
Obama appears on the cover of the Rolling Stone issue. The magazine endorsed him for president in March.
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