Political pundits and undergraduate students have dubbed today, “the most important election in recent memory.” From multiple assassination attempts to Biden stepping down before the convention to never looking at cats the same way, it’s been a whirlwind campaign season. As it poises to close, we asked our staff what song they’re listening to today. We hope you’ll relate to their picks, chuckle, or be inspired to cast a ballot.
Mia Toubian’s choice: “Really Don’t Care” by Demi Lovato
“Really Don’t Care” by Demi Lovato is America’s new National Anthem.
No one embodies the spirit of Demi Lovato’s “Really Don’t Care” quite like former president Donald Trump…except maybe the voters who, at this point, really don’t care either.
Trump embodies the song, not because he’s a secret Lovatic (although, wouldn’t that be something?), but because “Really Don’t care” seems to be his go-to on the debate stage.
You’d find this anthem blasting at Mar-a-Lago after any given rally— or, let’s be honest, on the campaign trail, as he brushes off the latest headline with a grin that says, “Next question.” As Trump yells “You can take your words and all your lies” to the press, the public is practically yelling it back at him in tandem.
When to play it? Mid-scandal, mid-lawsuit, mid-meme. The louder the opposition, the louder the anthem—because in 2024, “Really Don’t Care” is just what we tell ourselves to keep the election soundtrack from turning into “Heart Attack” instead.
Liana Nikta’s choice: “America F**k Yeah!” by Geek Music
*eagle screeching, loud fireworks in the background, gunfire*
Benjamin Katz’s choice: “We Didn’t Start The Fire” by Billy Joel:
In this exhausting election year, Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” can feel like a song that speaks straight to our hearts. Every line in the song captures a conflict or crisis, one piled on top of the next, like today’s endless stream of breaking news. The song’s rapid-fire pace feels like the overwhelm we’re all living through, scrolling past headlines about “Trump’s comeback,” “climate crisis,” “AI takeover,” and so much more. It’s a fire we didn’t start, yet here we are, carrying the weight of it.
For many of us, neither candidate feels like the answer. It’s as if we’re being asked to pick between two paths that lead us in circles rather than forward. But even with the disappointment and exhaustion, we’re still trying, still showing up, hoping our choices might somehow bring a little light to the next chapter. Just like in Joel’s song, we’re part of this story now, doing our best to push through the chaos and hold on to hope for something better.
Bella Brannon’s choice: “Let It Be” by The Beatles
In a speech, Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik once called John Lennon’s “Imagine” the worst song ever written. He has a point: the song’s idealistic “hold hands and hug it out” ethos of the 60s can be, at best, an ideological stumbling block and, at worst, an Achilles heel of starry eyes. Projecting our own wistful, progressive ideals onto some of history’s most egregious fundamentalist groups does a disservice to both them and us. (Hamas knew what it meant to say that they wanted to kill all Jews when they wrote it in their charter…)
To my best friend and father, both lifelong Beatles fans: one tree-hugging John Lennon doesn’t mean hope is lost. (Revolver still stands as one of the greatest albums of all time.) “Let It Be ”is my election-day anthem. This isn’t a call to sit back—the stakes for Israel and America in this election are monumental.
Yet, let’s cool the sensationalism and let it be. Democracy will not collapse on November 6, regardless of who wins. Despite the maximalist charges and front-page op-eds accusing each candidate of Nazism, our society bears little resemblance to the decaying Weimar Republic. We live in a free society, grounded in the belief that all men are created equal, where we can debate and stress over the election precisely because we know the voice of the people will ultimately decide it.
So tonight, I’m borrowing the words of wisdom of the Beatles, Kohelet, and Mother Mary, if the latter isn’t Avodah Zara.
“Only this, I have found, is a real good: that one should eat and drink and get pleasure with all the gains he makes under the sun, during the numbered days of life that God has given him; for that is his portion.” (Ecclesiastes 5:14)
Today is a time to vote above all else. Tomorrow, no matter who wins, will be a “time to build.” (Ecclesiastes 3:3)
Delilah Hirshland’s choice: “360” by Charli XCX
No album has been more influential in American politics this year than Charli XCX’s Brat. Its hit single, 360, was used so much by the Harris campaign that you might have thought it was written specifically for her candidacy. Whether it be a catchy phrase “I’m so Julia,” rebranded by the campaign as “I’m so Kamala,” or the line “We gonna jump if AG made it,” which the campaign was quick to theorize may be an homage to Kamala’s reign as A.G. of California, this has been one bratty election cycle. From TikTok to X to Instagram, the iconic bright lime green dominated every aspect of Kamala’s online campaign. This song fueled our political year, and for better or for worse, it will never leave our minds.
Megan Freeman’s choice: “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash
Sure, Israel may be dealing with an actual war, but here, Election Day has us in the emotional trenches! I can’t decide which is worse. Should I Stay or Should I Go is basically the theme song for terrified voters: Do I cast my vote, or just make Aliyah? A Marzipan rugelach might cure all my problems.
Let’s face it. Both options are pretty terrible. So even if my candidate wins, there will be trouble. And if they don’t do well… we’re all in for double.
Grace Overman’s choice: “Four Jews in a Room B*itching” from Falsettos the musical
As America gears up to make one of the most crucial decisions in its history, rest assured Jews will be taking part in the time-honored tradition of Kvetching.
Bill Finn’s own Jewish background saw him place this trait of b*tching and complaining first and foremost as his opening number to Falsettos. Tonight though it won’t just be four (five) Jews b*tching, it will be many. I can attest to at least fifteen kvetching Jews for the night.
Four Jews in a Room paints the portrait of two characters, Marvin “manipulating people” and his wife Trina, trying to hold it all together. Sound familiar?
Marvin of Act 1 of Falsettos makes a fine stand-in for Trump. Full of himself. Expecting everyone to cater to his every whim. And just plainly a little stupid. The difference though is that Marvin can change, though it takes the death of his lover, assaulting his ex-wife, and his son’s hatred.
Trina, the long-suffering wife, is trying to keep everything from “Breaking Down” and her family from falling apart. She also reminds the men in their b*itching to remember “slavery, slavery” resulting in a retelling of the Jews’s exodus from Egypt. “Pharaoh is behind us wanting us extinct/ what we need is a miracle”. Not exactly an unfamiliar feeling for us today and a story that I’m sure will be brought up tonight.
To the Jews tonight remember as we ”b*tch, b*tch, b*tch” to also be “funny, funny, funny, funny”. It may be the only way through.
Samantha Reavis’ Choice: “‘Merican by Descendants“
We flipped our finger to the king of England
Stole our country from the Indians
Being an American is to be a confused admixture of a patriot and dissident. As Americans, we grapple with the privileges our country gives us – the right to free speech, religion, political demonstration and action – alongside our country’s marred, and oftentimes dark history. As we face yet another contentious election, we are once again reminded of the good, the bad, and the ugly of this country. Election days are a beautiful representation of American democracy and freedom, yet as we scroll through social media posts convincing us that a vote for either candidate is a vote for either Nazism or Soviet-style communism, we are reminded of the extreme and sometimes violent polarization of the current American two-party political climate. In this quippy yet awfully poignant punk song by Manhattan Beach band Descendants, listeners are confronted with the beauty and despair of this country and our shared American dream.
On this Election Day, much like Descendants singer and Jewish punker Milo Aukerman, I am proud and ashamed to be an American. I am proud that I live in a country where I, as a Jewish woman, have the right to vote, express my opinions, and write my thoughts and share them with the world. However, I am ashamed to live in a country where my life is threatened by white supremacists and neo-nazis, my right to make decisions about my body is threatened, and where political violence has reared its ugly head in two assassination attempts against a former sitting president. I come from a land that has born greats but has also born evil. I cannot say if this is unique to America, but I can proudly exclaim that as a citizen of this country, I stand proudly as a patriot and a dissident, without it being an oxymoron.
The views expressed in this post reflect the views of the author(s) and not UCLA or ASUCLA Communications Board.
Cover Image via RawPixel
