Barack Obama Unveils 2022 Summer Playlist, Shares Book And Music Recommendations

Another summer, Another Obama playlist! Former US president Barack Obama has dropped his annual summer playlists, including a vast mix of new hits and classics, from Beyonce to Bruce Springsteen. A total of 44 songs, it’s an eclectic mix of pop, r&b, and hip hop tracks. Old-school tracks like Prince’s dominate the list Let’s Go Crazy, Dancing In The Dark by Springsteen, Blue and Green by Miles Davis and many others.

Sharing the playlist on his social media accounts, Obama wrote, “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?”

Barack Obama Summer Playlist 2022

A few current Billboard Hot 100 hits appear on the 44-song playlist, among those hits are Beyoncé’s Break My Soul, Burna Boy‘s Last Last, Wet Leg's Angelica, and Bad Bunny & Bomba Estereo‘s Ojitos Lindos.

There are a few notable left-of-mainstream inclusions like Amber Mark‘s Bliss and Omar Apollo‘s Tamagotchi, as well as appearances from Harry Styles' Music for a Sushi Restaurant, Kacey Musgraves' Keep Lookin’ Up, and Tems' Vibe Out.

The playlist, which is available on Spotify, features the likes of Kendrick Lamar’s Die Hard featuring Blxst and Amanda Reifer, Doechii’s Persuasive, ROSALÍA’s SAOKO, Lil Yachty’s Split/Whole Time, The Internet’s Under Control, Vince Staples and DJ Mustard’s MAGIC and more.

As if that wasn't enough of Obama-curated culture, he also shared a summer reading list featuring the likes of Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility, Hanya Yanagihara's To Paradise and S.A. Cosby's crime thriller Razorblade Tears. "I’ve read a couple of great books this year and wanted to share some of my favourites so far," Obama said.

Other books Obama recommended include A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib, Why We're Polarized, by Ezra Klein and The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure Hardcover by Yascha Mounk.

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