Barack Obama shares summer 2023 playlist including Boygenius, Janelle Monaé, Ice Spice and more

21 July, 2023

Barack Obama has shared his annual summer playlist, which this year includes tracks from Boygenius, Janelle Monaé, Ice Spice, Bob Dylan, SZA and more.

The former president of the United States began sharing his recommendations for music, books and films and TV shows during his time in the White House and has continued the tradition since.

Obama took to social media to share the list of songs in his playlist, writing: “Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer – a mix of old and new. Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed”.

You can listen to Barack Obama’s summer 2023 playlist below.

This year’s summer playlist comes a month after Obama confirmed that his famous playlists are actually curated by him, refuting claims that the compilations are pieced together by someone else.

Speaking to comedian Hasan Minhaj, Obama said when asked if he listens and chooses himself: “I do! Listen. I am so glad that I have this opportunity. People, they believe the books and the movies, but the playlists, they somehow think — and this is mostly coming from young people like you — somehow, y’all think you invented rock ‘n’ roll. You invented hip-hop.

“And so the fact that my lists are, you know, pretty incredible — people seem to think, well, he must’ve had some 20-year-old intern who was figuring out this latest cut. No, man! It’s on my iPad right now.”

Barack Obama’s summer 2023 playlist is:

J Hus and Drake – ‘Who Told You’
SZA – ‘Snooze’
Pretenders – ‘I’ll Stand By You’
Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro – ‘Vampiros’
Luke Combs – ‘Fast Car’
Tupac, Roger, & Dr. Dre – ‘California Love’
Leonard Cohen – ‘Dance Me to the End of Love (Live)’
Martha Reeves & the Vandellas – ‘Nowhere to Run’
Nobigdyl. – ‘Parabolic!’
Jorja Smith – ‘Try Me’
Burna Boy, 21 Savage – ‘Sittin’ on Top of the World’
Janet Jackson – ‘Got ’Til It’s Gone’
La Doña – ‘Penas con Pan’
The Bangles – ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’
The Beths – ‘Watching the Credits’
The War and Treaty – ‘That’s How Love Is Made’
The Rolling Stones – ‘Soul Survivor’
Aretha Franklin – ‘Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business)’
John Coltrane – ‘Blue Train’
Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj – ‘Princess Diana’
Toots and the Maytals – ‘Funky Kingston’
The Righteous Brothers – ‘Unchained Melody’
Golden Lady – ‘Stevie Wonder’
Jackson Browne – ‘Doctor My Eyes’
Ayra Starr – ‘Sability’
Boygenius – ‘Not Strong Enough’
Otis Redding – ‘(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay’
Bob Dylan – ‘Everything Is Broken’
Ella Fitzgerald – ‘Cry Me a River’
Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma – ‘LA Bebe (Remix)’
Money Man & Babyface Ray – ‘Drums’
Nas – ‘The World Is Yours’
Four Tops – ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’
Pearl Jam – ‘Just Breathe’
J’calm – ‘Tempted’
Kelela – ‘Contact’
Marvin Gaye – ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’
Ike & Tina Turner – ‘River Deep/Moutain High’
Janelle Monáe – ‘Only Have Eyes 42’
Ashley McBride – ‘The Devil I Know’
Michael Kiwanuka – ‘Love & Hate’

At the end of 2022, he revealed that his favourite songs of the year included Kendrick Lamar’s single ‘The Heart Part 5’, Bad Bunny‘s ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ and ‘POF’ by Ari Lennox, while other tracks in the ranked list were ‘Something In The Orange’ by Zach Bryan, ‘Last Last’ by Burna Boy, ‘American Teenager’ by Ethel Cain and ‘Communion In My Cup’ by Tank And The Bangas.

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