Hillary Clinton is a woman of stupendous intellect. She's a political leviathan. But is she a woman of taste?
For her "campaign song," a tune that presumably defines the tone and intent of the campaign, Hillary Clinton chose Celine Dion's "You and I." This is the song that's supposed to make me want to rally the troops in support of our first female president? Are you kidding me? I have so many problems with this song I don't even know where to start. But here are a few of my gripes:
1. Hillary has struggled to prove to America that she's authentic and relatable. She decided to choose a campaign song that would help her seem more authentic, more in touch with the populace, more cool. And so she selected a song by Celine Dion, one of the most inauthentic, least cool musicians on the market. Celine is soppy and emotional. She's all about Las Vegas, and crocodile tears, and forced glamour, and cheesiness. She's despised by young (and young-ish) people everywhere. Personally, I cannot listen to even three seconds of any Celine Dion song without wanting to bash my head against the wall. I know that Celine has many ardent fans. But are any of them under the age of 30? To the MTV generation (and let's face it, Hillary needs those votes), Celine is as unacceptable as they come. Hillary's "cool" factor just hit rock bottom.
2. Hillary Clinton is running for president of the United States. Celine is Canadian. A great number of my favorite musicians are Canadian. But I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that a presidential candidate might choose a patriotic song written by an American to represent her campaign. I mean, come on, the song was originally written as a jingle for Air Canada.
3. In his campaign, Bill Clinton used "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, a song about change and optimism. "You and I" is a love song: "Brighter than the sun and darker than the night I can see your love shining like a light." If you read all of the lyrics to this song, you might just retch. If I were Hillary, which, clearly, I am not, I would have tried to choose a song that proved I could hang with the boys -- maybe something by Bruce Springsteen, U2, or the Rolling Stones. If Hillary really wanted to use a song by a woman, she could've chosen an edgier artist like Sheryl Crow, KT Tunstall, or the Dixie Chicks. Celine Dion will hardly make Hillary look tough. Or cool. Or in touch with the populace. Or fun. Or authentic.
Call me crazy, but I expect my president to be a person of intellect, compassion, strength, AND taste. And when I say "taste," I'm not talking about having fabulous clothes and a slick car. I'm talking about presenting oneself in a manner that shows sophistication. Perhaps in some circles Celine Dion is considered sophisticated; but the under-40 generation does not travel in those circles.