News

Barack Obama just shared the 20-song playlist that inspired his new memoir

The former President's new book, 'A Promised Land,' drops today.

Anna Rahmanan
Written by
Anna Rahmanan
Senior National News Editor
Obama top moments
Photograph: Shutterstock
Advertising

In true Barack Obama fashion, the former President of the United States just released a 20-song playlist to accompany his newest memoir, A Promised Land, which hits shelves today.

RECOMMENDED: These U.S. states require you to quarantine or present a negative test when visiting

"Music has always played an important role throughout my life—and that was especially true during my presidency," Obama said in an official statement aligned with the release of the collection. "While reviewing my notes ahead of debates, I'd listen to Jay-Z's 'My 1st Song' or Frank Sinatra's 'Luck be a Lady.' Throughout our time in the White House, Michelle and I invited artists like Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan to conduct afternoon workshops with young people before performing an evening show in the East Room. And there were all sorts of performances I’ll always remember—like Beyoncé performing 'At Last' for our first dance at our inauguration or Paul McCarthy serenading Michelle in the East Room with, 'Michelle.'"

In addition to all the above-mentioned tunes, the playlist includes a hit by Gloria Estefan, U2's 'Beautiful Day,' 'Rhiannon' by Fleetwood Mac and a slew of other classics.

You can listen to the entire collection through Spotify right here:

The Obamas are no strangers to family-sanctioned musical playlists made available to the public. Back in 2018, Michelle Obama  accompanied the release of her memoir, Becoming, with a three-part playlist called The Michelle Obama Musiaqualogy put together by Questlove. Before that, the couple took turns releasing a slew of different musical collections, some serving as pre-event warm-ups and others as seasonal favorites.

A Promised Land is part one of Obama's memoirs, this portion focusing on his ascent to the White House. You can get your hands on a copy right here.

Most popular on Time Out

This map highlights the most popular Thanksgiving sides in each state
Arkansas is paying people $10,000 to move there
These U.S. states require you to quarantine or present a negative test when visiting
You can rent that famous 'Bachelor' mansion on Airbnb right now
According to a new study, New York currently is the best city for vegans

You may also like
You may also like
Advertising