▼ Music November Notes We made playlists for Arizona gubernatorial candidates Katie Hobbs and Kari Lake. BY CHRIS COPLAN I t’s said that every election matters. And that’s felt doubly true in recent years, as the U.S. elected a reality show host/failing real estate maven to basically resuscitate fascism. In our neck of the woods, that means we’ve got an important race pitting Katie Hobbs, a bastion for decency and politics as usual (for better and worse), and Kari Lake, a local news anchor turned alt-right politi- cian/troll. And the winner of this could have a massive effect on Arizona’s very soul. So, who’s going to win, and how should you cast your vote? For just such guidance, you need only turn to these playlists we’ve assembled for each candidate. Both are packed with songs that define and encap- sulate their respective campaigns and the kind of governor they just may prove to be. No matter what, it’s just more proof of the one thing that never changes about elections: They’re important and bloody, but we can get through ’em with a little satirical horseplay. KATIE HOBBS: ‘OLD-SCHOOL FIGHTING SPIRIT’ Queen, ‘Princes of the Universe’ There are few more glorious and trium- phant songs than this Queen single origi- nally written for the Highlander soundtrack. It’s got all the pomp and regalia of the band’s legendary catalog — albeit with a dash more cheesiness thanks to those ’80s action movie vibes. Plus, it’s got some of the best Freddie Mercury harmonies this side of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” All told, it’s the nearly perfect soundtrack to psyching yourself out for a battle with a thick-headed barbarian better left in the mostly distant past. Hmmm, does that somehow make it a little too on the nose? The Fray, ‘How to Save a Life’ There wasn’t a sitcom in the mid-2000s that, at some point or another, didn’t feature this extra-saccharine pop song. Is it overwhelmingly twee and hackneyed to the point of being almost physically painful? You got it. But does that make it a poor choice for a hype-centric playlist? Not at all, especially when you factor in the idea of how desperate and maddening things feel nowadays — like we’re in our very own bad soap opera. It’s only at this moment in time, then, that this song becomes an anthem for saving the world — or at the very least, the future of our fair and lovely fair state. Embrace the cheese. New Times photo illustration. Lake photo: Gage Skidmore Juice WRLD, ‘Already Dead’ Maybe this isn’t the best song title for a so-called celebratory playlist. (Especially when Juice WRLD himself died at just 21 years old in late 2019.) But the Chicago rapper was a genius at exploring his own personal and mental struggles across his catalog, and this song especially, from the great Fighting Demons record, does a stellar job of balancing both the light and the dark, the gritty and the optimistic. It’s ultimately a song about fighting through the pain of it all for the sake of others, and that’s the kind of life lesson and deep insight any great leader should have. Joe Esposito, ‘You’re The Best Around’ Those readers born before, say, 1992 may recognize this song from the Karate Kid soundtrack. And while a lot of people pass it off as just another hokey relic from a very cheesy part of an extra-cheesy decade, the song itself is so much more. It’s not just about winning and overcoming the odds; it’s just as much about recognizing and accepting that getting beaten down has its own lessons, and the real winners aren’t afraid to scrap. Maybe the governor’s race hasn’t been as much of a street fight as we’d hoped, but there’s no reason that we can’t have the right music for the occasion. DJ Khaled, ‘All I Do Is Win’ Of all the songs on this specific playlist, this one’s clearly the biggest “duh” inclusion. Since its release in February 2010, it’s been a simple but effective anthem for cele- brating one’s own profound accomplish- ments and general sense of awesomeness. So, to that end, its inclusion is an obvious way to play into the sense of populism — something that feels essential to the Hobbs campaign. However, there’s a surprising amount of nuance and context to be found, and in that way, the song feels more varied than just another jock jam (or campaign?) For that alone, it’s a true standout — and that’s not even mentioning all that bass. Cyndi Lauper, ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ Is Katie Hobbs a principled candidate? Mostly yes, and that’s why people have gravitated toward her. (And also, her opponent is eight kinds of bonkers.) Does she always need to be so poised? No way. Katie just wanna have fuh-un. Lake is such a unique (again, totally bonkers) opponent that you can let loose a little and maybe sling a little mud — without getting dirty yourself, of course. To that extent, this is a truly universal pop-rock jam for having a little fun with yourself and the world, and let’s hope its overtly catchy vibes can be a reminder that making things a little more light and breezy never hurt anyone (aside from your silly political candidate, of course). Rachel Platten, ‘Fight Song’ If there’s been a consistent theme of this specific playlist, it’s been that embracing the cheesiness of life can be a good thing. It just feels like the right kind of overarching vibe or aesthetic for the more straitlaced campaign run by Hobbs. And this song clearly brings the cheese and then some, as it’s another sitcom-friendly ditty about believing in yourself and fighting for your dreams. But all of that doesn’t make it any less effective, and the song itself does actually bring those goosebumps thanks to some solid lyricism. Politics are a fight, after all, and you can still keep >> p 34 33 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES NOV 3RD–NOV 9TH, 2022
