Beyoncé’s Stirring A Cappella ‘Freedom’ Video Helped Kick-Off Night 1 of Democratic National Convention
The 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago kicked off in style on Monday night (August 19) with rousing speeches from former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden and riveting performances from Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton.
But on a night when Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her VP nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, made surprise appearances, one of the biggest unexpected moments came during the reveal of a new ad for the Harris/Walz campaign that is scored to Beyoncé‘s a cappella version of the bid’s theme song, “Freedom.”
The powerful Lemonade track that has quickly become the musical grace note of the 11th hour campaign that kicked off when Biden unexpectedly agreed to drop out of his second race against convicted felon and former one-term President Donald Trump soared from the speakers inside Chicago’s United Center to help hype the crowd up for what turned out to be a very long night.
Opening with images of horses running free on the prairie and trains moving through the desert West, the video was full of classic images of Americana, from desperate Dust Bowl families to American troops storming the beaches during WWII, plenty of American flags and the Statue of Liberty. “What kind of America do we want?” Oscar-nominee actor Jeffrey Wright intoned over video of regular citizens suiting up for a day’s work. “One where we’re divided, angry, depressed? C’mon! We’re Americans! Fascism? We conquered it. The Moon? Landed on it. The future? Building it. Freedom? Nobody loves it more.”
As pics of Black Lives Matter protests, the moon landing and Civil Rights, reproductive rights and gay pride marches mixed with training film of Paralympic athletes and citizens of all races and abilities filled the screen, Bey’s voice soared as she sang, “Freedom, freedom, I can’t move/ Freedom, cut me loose/ Singin’ freedom, freedom/ Where are you?”
In contrast to the often dark, dire message from Republicans during the RNC several weeks ago, the “Freedom” video offered a message of hope and unity, save for a bit that spotlighted the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by Trump’s followers. “I’mma keep on running cuz a winner don’t quit on themselves,” Beyoncé’s bellowed as footage of Harris promised, “extremists want to take us back, but we are not going back!”
The convention that runs through Thursday (August 22) will nominate the nation’s first Black and Asian American woman to the precipice of the highest office in the land. It is expected to be a star-studded affair that will contrast with the RNCs roster of septuagenarian professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Fighting CEO Dana White, model Amber Rose, country singers Lee Greenwood, Jason Aldean and Chris Janson and rapper-turned-far-right country singer Kid Rock. Instead, the DNC will have nightly celeb hosts including Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Ana Navarro and Tony Goldwyn as well as guest Julia Louis-Dreyfus, along with Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton (who performed on night one) and James Taylor, who was cut for time on the first night.
After jumping into the race at the end of last month, Harris’ campaign rolled out “Freedom” during the veep’s walk-out at her inaugural visit to campaign headquarters; the rousing, full-band album version of the song was also featured in an early campaign video. Unlike Trump, who has been sued, issued cease & desist orders and strongly-worded requests to stop using the music of popular acts during his campaign stops by musicians who do not agree with his divisive, name-calling rhetoric, Queen Bey gave the Harris campaign full approval to use “Freedom” during the run for the White House.
And while Trump re-posted fake AI-generated images of what appeared to be Taylor Swift fans, and the singer herself, endorsing his third presidential bid over the weekend, the Harris campaign has been flooded with full-throated, A-list endorsements from a galaxy of contemporary and classic stars, from Olivia Rodrigo and Barbra Streisand to Megan Thee Stallion, John Legend, Spike Lee, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, P!nk, Cardi B, Kesha, Jane Fonda, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and George Clooney, among many others.
Watch the new “Freedom” campaign video below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard
