American Sounds

THE big question on everyone’s mind at our political conventions is: What music are they going to play?

Well, this may not be the biggest question, but it is an interesting one nonetheless. Music has been part of our politics since the beginning—fifes and drums and all that. At the conventions, aficionados like to speculate about what music the organizers will play for certain speakers. (Sometimes—in fact, usually—this speculation is mischievous.) They also like to divine hidden meaning in the music that those organizers have, in fact, chosen.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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Presidential Election

THE big question on everyone’s mind at our political conventions is: What music are they going to play?

Well, this may not be the biggest question, but it is an interesting one nonetheless. Music has been part of our politics since the beginning—fifes and drums and all that. At the conventions, aficionados like to speculate about what music the organizers will play for certain speakers. (Sometimes—in fact, usually—this speculation is mischievous.) They also like to divine hidden meaning in the music that those organizers have, in fact, chosen.