Barack Obama has dropped his annual summer playlist, and this year it opens on a somber note. Notably, the former President led the tracklist with a tribute to Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter who tragically passed away this week at 56 in a motorcycle accident.
“Here are some of the songs I’ve been listening to this summer,” Obama wrote on social media. “It starts with a song Michelle and I love by Glen Hansard, a great musician who passed tragically this week. Our hearts go out to his family.”
Furthermore, Obama opened with Hansard’s “Song of Good Hope” from the singer’s 2012 solo debut ‘Rhythm and Repose’. Meanwhile, the rest of the playlist swings widely across genre. Additionally, rock picks include The Strokes‘ “Going Shopping,” Coldplay’s “Charlie Brown,” The Beatles’ “Revolution” and David Bowie’s “Modern Love.”
On the folk side, Obama tapped Noah Kahan‘s “Doors” alongside Mumford & Sons and Hozier’s “Rubber Band Man”. Meanwhile, R&B featured Tyla with Zara Larsson (“She Did It Again”), Kelela and Luther Vandross. Furthermore, hip-hop selections span Vince Staples, BossMan Dlow and Doechii & SZA, plus classic A Tribe Called Quest (“Award Tour”). Beyond that, Neil Young’s 1972 “Heart of Gold” sits next to Temper City’s 2026 breakout “Self Aware,” Charley Crockett next to Johnny Cash.
Ultimately, the list also includes Drake, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone, Buena Vista Social Club, Los Lobos, Chaka Khan and Sam & Dave. Additionally, tastemaking newer picks came from October London, Gvrden Boy, Gabriel Jacoby and Baby Rose. As always, Obama’s playlist reads less like a President’s PR moment and more like a real record collection.
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