Saturday, November 7, 2020, started as any normal day. I poured myself a cup of coffee and started planning out the homework I needed to get done that day. Suddenly, my roommate ran down the hallway and into the kitchen and excitedly proclaimed that the presidential race had finally been called by the Associated Press — and that Joe Biden had won.
Almost immediately we heard people outside our apartment cheering and banging pots and pans. We made an emergency grocery store run for some orange juice to make celebratory mimosas, and on our way we saw people gathering (socially distant, of course) on a corner near our apartment. We decided to run home, grab our bluetooth speaker, and play some music for the people that had gathered.
Here’s the playlist we spontaneously put together that turned out to be a big hit with the Chicago celebrators.
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Party in the U.S.A – Miley Cyrus
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This Is America – Childish Gambino
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Treat People With Kindness – Harry Styles
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Bye Bye Bye – *NSYNC
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Irreplaceable – Beyonce
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Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond (specifically if you replace *bum bum bum* with “Goodbye, Trump”)
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Happy – Pharrell Williams
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Same Love – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, feat. Mary Lambert
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Safe and Sound – Capital Cities
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Whatever You Like – T.I. (if you’re wondering why we chose this song, read this Buzzfeed article)
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FDT – YG, Nipsey Hussle
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Moment 4 Life – Nicki Minaj (specifically because of this tweet)
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Good as Hell – Lizzo
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Higher Love – Kygo, Whitney Houston
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You Make My Dreams (Come True) – Daryl Hall & John Oates
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A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay (Did anyone else tear up at the victory speeches or was that just me?)
While it’s important to remember that there is still much more work to be done, it’s also important to celebrate such a historic victory. This playlist is sure to get you hyped, bring you hope and help you remember how you felt during such a momentous occasion!
Listen to this playlist on Spotify.