Listen To President Obama’s Surprising Summer Playlists

In a rare bit of political news that doesn’t make it seem as though we’re hurtling rapidly towards an inevitable apocalypse, President Obama released his summer playlists today. Our outgoing President had both summer days and summer nights playlists, we’ll break down each one.

The daytime playlist kicks off with DC local Wale but also features some surprises. For example, did anyone think indie darling Courtney Barnett would be something the President was listening to? We are pleasantly shocked. Other highlights include Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and Gary Clark, Jr. Gary Clark, Jr. is the most “dad” artist Obama has on either playlist. Unfortunately, President Obama also seems susceptible to the myth that Chicago native Common is good. Our guess is that he really wanted to put Kanye but couldn’t because he once called Kanye a jackass.

Obama loves Fiona Apple’s “Criminal,” but then again we all do. The summer nights playlist is way sexier than the day one. It’s actually, like, insanely sexy. If you put this playlist on with a date over, it would seem like you were about to swoop in for a kiss. D’Angelo, Tower Of Power, Janet Jackson, and Miles Davis are all present, but really the highlight is “Criminal.” The thought of President Obama singing “I’ve been a bad, bad girl” in the Oval Office is so insane we need to take several laps. We wonder what Obama thinks of her short-lived relationship with Paul Thomas Anderson. Here are his two playlists in tweet form.