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03rd Jan 2018

Barack Obama’s ‘Best of 2017’ playlist is better than yours

Dave Hanratty

Obama Clinton

Kendrick Lamar and Harry Styles, together at last.

Barack Obama has eclectic taste, that’s for sure.

In what has become something of a cult favourite tradition, the 44th President of the United States has once again shared his favourite music of the year gone by.

Closing out 2017 with a Facebook post comprising of his most-loved books and music of the past 12 months, Obama noted that he had some “extra time on his hands” with which to catch up.

So, what made the cut?

Kendrick Lamar is in there with ‘HUMBLE.’, which should come as no surprise seeing as Obama picked him over Drake in a 2016 YouTube Q&A.

Jay-Z’s Beyoncé-assisted ‘Family Feud’ also features, along with gloomy alt-rockers The National and a shout-out for a live version of Bruce Springsteen classic ‘Born in the U.S.A.’, which is just cheating, really.

Elsewhere you have Frank Ocean’s winsome ‘Chanel’, ‘Broken Clocks’ by SZA – who kicked off JOE’s Top 10 Albums of 2017 list – and ex-One Direction man Harry Styles, whose ‘Style of the Times’ garnered some rather generous David Bowie comparisons but proved good enough for the former president.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s own U2 get involved with the ‘Extraordinary Mix’ of ‘Ordinary Love’, which, although a bonus track on December’s Songs of Experience record, feels a bit cheeky given the original came out in late 2013.

But hey, it’s Obama so I guess it’s cool.

Pitchfork went ahead and did a Spotify playlist of all 20 tracks, which you can enjoy below.

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