Barack Obama shared a characteristically comprehensive list of his favorite songs of 2019, including selections from Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Rosalía, Frank Ocean, Maggie Rogers, Big Thief and more.
The former president shared his picks on social media along with the note, “From hip-hop to country to The Boss, here are my songs of the year. If you’re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there’s a track or two in here that does the trick.” Obama’s songs are also available to listen to as a Spotify playlist.
Obama’s list traipses across the musical spectrum: There’s “Redesigning Women” from the country supergroup the Highwomen next to Nigerian superstar Burna Boy’s “Anybody” — while elsewhere he singles out rising R&B star Summer Walker’s “Playing Games,” “Not” by indie darlings Big Thief and Indian singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad’s “Cold/Mess.” Other selections include DaBaby’s “Suge,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Hello Sunshine,” Mavis Staples’ “Change,” J. Cole’s “Middle Child,” Frank Ocean’s “In My Room,” Dominic Fike’s “3 Nights” and Ozuna’s all-star “Baila Baila Baila” remix with Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Farruko and Anuel AA.
Obama’s playlist also includes a handful of songs that appeared on his summer playlist, such as Beyoncé’s “Mood 4 Eva,” Lil Nas X “Old Town Road” remix with Billy Ray Cyrus, Maggie Rogers’ “Burning,” Lizzo’s “Juice” and Rosalía’s “Con Altura.”
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Obama’s favorite songs list follows his list of favorite films, TV shows and books of 2019.