DNC’s DJ’d Roll Call Was Inspired: Here are the Top State Song Choices

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Producers of the Democratic National Convention did something unconventional Tuesday night for the time-honored tradition of the state-by-state roll call of delegate votes: they introduced DJ Cassidy to play a song as each state was introduced.

I will say that I got a little angry when the DJ first showed up on my television. My assumption was that this would be an incredibly cheesy waste of time after Monday night’s schedule led to a very late President Joe Biden speech. What were they thinking!?

It turns out I was wrong — very wrong. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the 45-minute deejayed roll call was the most entertaining endeavor of any political convention I’ve ever seen, and it was so for (mostly) non-political reasons.

I’m a sucker for a great music bed. Great film directors know how critical the right song is to sell an emotional moment. Even bad directors (like Cameron Crowe ) can get by with shitty films so long as they have terrific taste in music. So the notion that this act of American Democracy came with nods to regional classics? It was an inspired decision by which found myself more moved than I could have expected.

Now , there were many states that got the standard wedding fare hit. (Iowa has nothing to do with Kool & the Gang, but “Celebration” sort of worked, I guess?). Don’t think about it too much.

But if you want to: While Athens, Georgia legends The B-52s mainly lived in NYC after they blew up and had nothing to do with the land of potatoes, Private Idaho was selected for the Gem State — a surprising choice that elicited a chuckle, the likes of which have never before been elicited in me during any RNC or DNC .

Billboard put together a list of all the songs played for every state , territory, and “other,” but the following are my top choices in no particular order:

Oregon: “Float On,” Modest Mouse

The seminal indie band is actually from Issaquah, Washington, but they have become synonymous with the Portland scene since making it their home base. The opening riff is magic, sure to send a chill down the spine of any ex-hipster fluent in indie rock from the turn of the millennium. Its lyrics have a ‘let it all go and enjoy the ride’ message that is equal parts joyful and contemplative. Terrific choice.

Michigan: “Lose Yourself” , Eminem

Look, there are many good reasons why cliches exist. And this is a perfect example. Eminem’s signature song (I see you “Slim Shady” ) served as the denouement in the David vs. Goliath biopic 8 Mile. The signature riff that opens the track is transcendent, evidenced by the DNC crowd reaction once it started playing for its home state of Michigan. I don’t personally love the song, and while it was an “on the nose” choice? It really worked.

Tennessee: “9 to 5” , Dolly Parton

There are so many artists who work for Tennessee, but can anyone really argue with Dolly Parton here? “9 to 5” isn’t maybe the ideal choice from her discography, but the soundtrack to the same movie offers a get-up-and-go vibe that played a whole lot better had “Jolene” been used here instead.

Wisconsin: “Jump Around” , House of Pain

No, these Irish Catholic wannabe-boys are not from Wisconsin; they hail from California (and not Boston or NYC, as the video suggests.) But anyone familiar with Wisconsin Badger football know that their fans go APESHIT when the opening horn sample blares and signals the start of this hip-hop classic from the early 90s. (Just TRY to watch this video of the first post-Covid game and not to get emotional.) Shout out to DJ Muggs for being an impossibly under-appreciated hip-hop producer.

Arkansas: “Don’t Stop” , Fleetwood Mac

I mean…like most people of a certain age, I’ve heard this song far too many times for it to move me. Yet this was a perfect nod to the “Bridge to the 21st Century” hopeful vibes that got Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton elected president in 1992. I’m glad it didn’t play for very long, but it was a cheeky wink and a nod to past and present Democratic conventions.

District of Columbia: “Let Me Clear My Throat” , DJ Kool

Featuring perhaps the single greatest sample of all time — the bass sax riff from “ The 900 Song ” — this hip-hop classic perfectly befits a loud and proud DC population. A bold choice for the DJ to choose this track, but fortune favors the bold.

Georgia, “Turn Down for What” , Lil Jon

To be fair, Lil Jon’s surprise cameo to perform this song is what entirely sold this choice.  Lil Jon could hype a glass of milk if you needed him to (don’t take my word for it, Lil Jon revealed this himself in this sketch video of Lil Jon making dinner party conversations I wrote and directed for iHeart with the esteemed Paul Costabile !)

Illinois, “Sirius” , The Alan Parsons Project

Hearing this song play in Chicago’s United Center, one day after Bulls legend Steve Kerr addressed the crowd? Michael Jordan doesn’t do politics (because, as he famously said, “Republicans buy Nikes too”), but this was a perfect homage to Chicago’s NBA glories of yesterdecade.

Kansas, “Carry On My Wayward Son” , Kansas

What can I say? I grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas, and The Point of Know Return was on heavy rotation for me as a kid. Also, the opening beat is remarkably funky for a Midwestern rock band that boasted a rock violinist Kerry Livgren .

Minnesota, “Kiss” , Prince

Minnesota isn’t all about hunting football coaches who served in the National Guard. It’s also home to the single funkiest person ever to live in my lifetime, or probably any other (save James Brown , of course). Look, I would have possibly gone with The Replacement’s “Can’t Hardly Wait,” but no one can deny Prince his place here.

Northern Mariana Islands, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

No this song has nothing to do with the Northern Mariana Islands, the delegates of which should be praised for attending in traditional garb. No this song is here because it’s an ELITE song, with perhaps the best James Jamerson baseline of all time (supported by the Funk Brothers.) I would have also allowed Dianna Ross’s version of the same song here, featuring the ELITE bass line of the funkiest woman of all time, Carol Kaye.

Some other hits from the roll call? New Jersey got The Boss’s “Born in the USA”, New York got Alicia Keys’s ubiquitous “New York”, and Florida got Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” . All solid, if not predictable , choices. I am not sure why Ohio didn’t get “Fire” from The Ohio Players or why Maine didn’t get “Rock Lobster” (and yes, I know Rock Lobster is not indigenous to Vacationland.)

But it’s far easier to be a critic than a fan, and on Tuesday night, I was a fan. I hope that both parties engage in this tradition moving forward. America will be better for it.