The Summer Playlist

Every year, I get excited to share my summer playlist because I learn about so many new artists from your replies—it’s an example of how music really can bring us all together.

Here’s what I’ve been listening to this summer. What songs would you add? pic.twitter.com/9OgPq0SRy4

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 26, 2022

Summer Playlist

With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer. Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately—it's a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between. pic.twitter.com/xwTPun9wsw

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 10, 2021

Summer Reading List

While we were still in the White House, I began sharing my summer favorites—and now, it’s become a little tradition that I look forward to sharing with you all. So here's this year's offering. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. pic.twitter.com/29T7CcKiWZ

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 9, 2021

The New Grammy

With summer winding down, here’s a sampling of what Michelle and I have been listening to — some new, some old, som… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 24, 2019

I TWEETED THIS AT 10:26AM AND ONE HOUR LATER PRESIDENT @BarackObama TWEETED ABOUT ME!!! WE’RE FRIENDS NOW I DONT… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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|L I Z Z O| (@lizzo) August 24, 2019

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***Maggie Rogers:***

Makin President Barack Obama’s playlist is the new Grammy

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Maségo (@UncleSego) August 24, 2019

Finally, something worth reading! #ObamaPlaylist twitter.com/thehill/status…

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Maya Wiley (@mayawiley) August 24, 2019

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@BarackObama This playlist is a vibe ☀️ spoti.fi/ObamaSummer2019

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  (@Spotify) August 24, 2019

✭ Rema being on Barack Obama’s summer playlist is the best thing I’ve seen today. That guy deserves everything he’s getting.

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✭ Ug? (@Justiiin_Ug) August 24, 2019

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@UKtoUSmomma @BarackObama I gotchu fam open.spotify.com/user/nicksyn/p…

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Nick Synodis (@NickSynodis) August 24, 2019

Barack and Michelle Obama's 2019 summer playlist is all about good vibes. huffp.st/uZr3TMo

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  (@HuffPost) August 25, 2019

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obama said twitter.com/barackobama/st… https://t.co/rC9IPwa0Iw

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nope (@LilNasX) August 25, 2019

It's very fun watching musicians freak out about being on the Obama's summer playlist ow.ly/X0UH30ppJOo

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Mother Jones (@MotherJones) August 25, 2019

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When that Obama summer playlist rings off twitter.com/udokaanugwo/st…

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Desus Nice (@desusnice) August 25, 2019

Meeting President Obama is on my bucket list , but this will most definitely work for now 🙏🏿 https://t.co/kSexOWkIKk

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Tity Boi (2 Chainz) (@2chainz) August 25, 2019

The Sounds Of Summer

With summer winding down, here’s a sampling of what Michelle and I have been listening to — some new, some old, som… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 24, 2019

Chat Away

*sobbing maniacally at the idea that presidents used to read books* twitter.com/thehill/status…

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Kashana (@kashanacauley) August 20, 2018

Um, I don't have words....but I'm very grateful. https://t.co/d3AJf08f4b

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Tara Westover (@tarawestover) August 19, 2018

Read On

Dear Mr. President, I always look forward to your summer reading suggestions, but what an honor to find An American… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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Tayari Jones (@tayari) August 19, 2018

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President Barack Obama

One of my favorite parts of summer is deciding what to read when things slow down just a bit, whether it’s on a vacation with family or just a quiet afternoon. This summer I’ve been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

Tara Westover’s Educated is a remarkable memoir of a young woman raised in a survivalist family in Idaho who strives for education while still showing great understanding and love for the world she leaves behind.

Set after WWII, Warlight by Michael Ondaatje is a meditation on the lingering effects of war on family.

With the recent passing of V.S. Naipaul, I reread A House for Mr Biswas, the Nobel Prize winner’s first great novel about growing up in Trinidad and the challenge of post-colonial identity.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is a moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.

Factfulness by Hans Rosling, an outstanding international public health expert, is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases.

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I always love @BarackObama's reading lists — & this is an especially great one https://t.co/qMaJu9s2pR

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Tina Jordan (@TinaJordanNYT) August 19, 2018

Summer Reading List

Obama shares list of his recently-read books hill.cm/E5MDvFE https://t.co/RwMIjmSzJv

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The Hill (@thehill) June 16, 2018

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Barack Obama

I’m often asked what I’m reading, watching, and listening to, so I thought I might share a short list from time to time. There’s so much good writing and art and variety of thought out there these days that this is by no means comprehensive – like many of you, I’ll miss “The Americans” – but here’s what I’ve been reading lately. It’s admittedly a slightly heavier list than what I’ll be reading over the summer:

Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging, by Alex Wagner
I once wrote a book on my own search for identity, so I was curious to see what Alex, daughter of a Burmese mother and Iowan Irish-Catholic father – and a friend of mine – discovered during her own. What she came up with is a thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are – the search for harmony between our own individual identities and the values and ideals that bind us together as Americans.

More here

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Thank you to @BarackObama for giving my book the most incredible co-sign a Futureface could dream of: https://t.co/vaJmljfxTD

—
Alex Wagner (@alexwagner) June 16, 2018

Summer Playlist II: What Are You Listening To?

Tell us in the comments what’s on your summer playlist. You could be introducing us to an artist we haven’t heard and need to explore and that would be fabulous! You can even show us an example of a song from the artist

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Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What's everybody listening to? https://t.co/mqh1YVrycj

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President Obama (@POTUS) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS you got Acid Rain on here...GOAT

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TheThirdPew (@NathanZed) August 11, 2016

When the @POTUS drops his summer mix and it's 💯 https://t.co/MM5YWwxGHr

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The GRAMMYs (@TheGRAMMYs) August 11, 2016

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There has never and will never be a president as effortlessly cool as President Barack Obama

That's it. All other playlists can go home. @POTUS just won the summer 🙌🏽 twitter.com/potus/status/7…

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Michelle Bobb-Parris (@whoisbobbparris) August 11, 2016

.@POTUS This is the most 🔥 🔥 🔥 playlist of summer 16. I want to jam with you in the Oval Office. mic.com/articles/15132… @Mic

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Chris Riotta (@chrisriotta) August 11, 2016

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GOAT PRESIDENT “@POTUS: Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What's everybody listening to? https://t.co/Nw8dXOwKxa”

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Donwill (@donwill) August 11, 2016

@POTUS i I'll miss you so much.

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Michaela Watkins (@michaelaWat) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS You're the coolest President ever and will be sorely missed!!!

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Donna NoShock (@NoShock) August 11, 2016

That feeling when @POTUS has cooler music taste than you… twitter.com/POTUS/status/7…

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Taylor Pratt (@pratt) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS Say Yes by Floetry? You lit bro. 💯

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TEE￦H¥¥ (@AintYouTeeWhyy) August 11, 2016

@POTUS I thought you were dropping a mixtape for a sec. Lol.

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The Big Cue.Sea. (@quintin23) August 11, 2016

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@Alessandra_Ram @POTUS He has even better taste than us!

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eric steuer (@ericsteuer) August 11, 2016

@POTUS ugh youre the coolest president there ever was ❤

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nina toscano (@ninatoscano) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS https://t.co/s0F4AHrEIq

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fka tween (@trillotto) August 11, 2016

@POTUS DONT GO

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georgia (@jonnybuckIand) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS, you're the coolest. Please don't leave us. #15MoreYears

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chella negro (@chellanegro) August 11, 2016

@guyincognito @chellanegro @POTUS POTUS 4EVER PLS!!!!

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nope (@Oh_Suzanney) August 11, 2016

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4 more years of this @POTUS

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Andy (@andersost_) August 11, 2016

@POTUS still listening to Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes?! My dude?!?!

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Fedora Papí (@sam_reginald) August 11, 2016

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@westbrook_jr @POTUS I just want him to be president forever. 😭

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Alyssa Tilley (@Alyssa_Tilley) August 11, 2016

@POTUS and just like that, the American people realized they would never have a cooler president

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Sophicles (@phia_lily) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS Mr President this mix is straight flames

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Matt Miller (@Millllllllller) August 11, 2016

@Drozzabozza @POTUS @MrLeaah if it's good enough for Obama it's good enough for me

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Anastasia Spencer (@elochickennuget) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS never leave us

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Sarah Nichols (@scnichols97) August 11, 2016

@scnichols97 @POTUS seriously he's so precious

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Amber (@_ambermester) August 11, 2016

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Love these tracks. @POTUS's summer nighttime playlist is like my everyday emo playlist. He jams hard.

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Katie (@Kater_tot) August 11, 2016

I love you @POTUS

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jane (@hyperbole_jane) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS pls don't leave

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✨kristin✨ (@emotionalnaiad) August 11, 2016

@POTUS can you drop a festival line up and then make it happen?

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Sarah S. Menendez (@SarahMenendez) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS It is soooooooooo good! Thank you for this! Listening all day, running errands, and dancing around my house while working!

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CALLSFROMTHEPUBLIC (@coeurdartichaut) August 11, 2016

@POTUS I ❤️ MY President.

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Shawndell (@IShawndell) August 11, 2016

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@POTUS @heychristopherd ugh he is just effortless cool

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Ben Bram (@thebenbram) August 11, 2016

.@POTUS please don't leave us.

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Devin (@DeeRut) August 11, 2016

Presidential Summer Playlist

Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What's everybody listening to? https://t.co/mqh1YVrycj

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President Obama (@POTUS) August 11, 2016

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The fact that President Obama listens to Lil Chano From 79th, says a lot. The fact he chose ‘Acid Rain’ says a lot. If you haven’t listened to Chance The Rapper, correct that error. His lyrics are haunting yet joyful; his words, beats, and arrangements pack so much power and meaning. The way he mixes gospel with rap is mind blowing. A good primer on Chance can be read here

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I'm honored that our President would include in his summer playlist BUT THE FACT THAT HE PICKED ACID RAIN 😳😳😭😭💯💯⛽️🅰🆖 twitter.com/potus/status/7…

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Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) August 11, 2016

POTUS knows. # 1 “@POTUS: Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What's everybody listening to? https://t.co/thKoXMZPHW”

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  (@Wale) August 11, 2016

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Tell us what you’re listening to

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Want to feel like @POTUS for the day? Check out his ☀️ playlist now: spoti.fi/POTUSDay https://t.co/3fS7s1LT4g

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  (@Spotify) August 11, 2016

No big deaaaaaaaaal. #daytime #potus #goodcompany twitter.com/potus/status/7…

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Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) August 11, 2016

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Wow, I'm honored to be included on the official @POTUS Nighttime playlist. Nice choice! #50YearsofTellItLikeItIs twitter.com/POTUS/status/7…

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Aaron Neville (@aaronneville) August 11, 2016

@jenayemarnique @POTUS 🙌🏽

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MARSHA AMBROSIUS © (@MarshaAmbrosius) August 11, 2016

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What an honor! "Green Aphrodisiac" is featured on @POTUS's @Spotify Summer Playlist! 💚 💙 ❤️ spoti.fi/POTUSNight twitter.com/POTUS/status/7…

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Corinne Bailey Rae (@CorinneBRae) August 11, 2016

Wow. Swank you Mr. President. I'd like to imagine that @POTUS suits up to #classicman before boarding Air Force 1 twitter.com/potus/status/7…

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  (@Jidenna) August 11, 2016

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#LadyDay makes the @POTUS list two years in a row! twitter.com/POTUS/status/7…

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Billie Holiday (@BillieHolidayHQ) August 11, 2016

We're pickin' up good vibrations today with this great #SummerPlaylist from @POTUS! 🎶 #GoodVibrations50 twitter.com/potus/status/7…

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  (@TheBeachBoys) August 11, 2016