Since I usually judge movies only by their soundtracks, I figured that philosophy would work for the presidential election as well. Thankfully, earlier this week, Barack Obama and John McCain released their Top Ten Songs of All Time to Blender Magazine, and suprisingly my theory works even better than with movies.

BARACK OBAMA
1. Ready or Not Fugees
2. What’s Going On Marvin Gaye
3. I’m On Fire Bruce Spingsteen
4. Gimme Shelter Rolling Stones
5. Sinnerman Nina Simone
6. Touch the Sky Kanye West
7. You’d Be So Easy to Love Frank Sinatra
8. Think Aretha Franklin
9. City of Blinding Lights U2
10. Yes We Can

JOHN McCAIN
1. Dancing Queen ABBA
2. Blue Bayou Roy Orbison
3. Take a Chance On Me ABBA
4. If We MakeIt Through December Merle Haggard
5. As Time Goes By Dooley Wilson
6. Good Vibrations The Beach Boys
7. What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong
8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin Frank Sinatra
9. Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond
10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes The Platters

Obama proves to be cool (the Fugees), fresh (Kanye), classy (Sinatra), and arguably the greatest of all time (Gimme Shelter). Not to mention he just has overall good taste (I’m On Fire, Marvin Gaye in general), but his own tribute for Song #10? That’s a little arrogant.

McCain proves to be cheesy (ABBA? Twice!?), corny (Neil Diamond), and really, really old (Song #2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10).

Honestly, there really is no older sounding name in the History of American Music than Merle Haggard. Someone should have told him not to put that on his list.

Trevor Timm is a Blast Magazine staff writer