Hillary Clinton’s ‘Fight Song’ is driving some people nuts
It’s Hillary Clinton’s fight song, but some listeners don’t have a lot of fight left in them.
Before and after the Democratic nominee takes the stage at rallies, her campaign inevitably plays the 2015 pop hit “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. The catchy tune inspires hatred from some outsiders, but some Clinton campaign staffers insist they’ve grown to love it.
Los Angeles Times music writer Gerrick Kennedy was blunt when Yahoo News asked him for a review of the track.
“I hate ‘Fight Song.’ It’s one of the worst songs ever released,” Kennedy said. “It’s schmaltzy, forgettable.”
Clinton’s rivals also find the song ripe for mocking. One former Bernie Sanders campaign staffer described it as “wrecking balls inside my brain.”
Those in close proximity to Clinton’s team end up listening to “Fight Song” a lot.
Several reporters who have covered her events turned to social media to complain about repeatedly hearing Clinton’s campaign anthem. On July 24, the Daily Beast’s Olivia Nuzzi unfavorably compared “Fight Song” to a song from Donald Trump’s soundtrack.
“I would rather be strapped to a chair and forced to listen to Tiny Dancer on a loop for 9 hours than hear Fight Song one more time,” Nuzzi wrote, later adding, “If I hear Fight Song one more time I am joining ISIS.”
And Clinton’s theme music has also provoked negative reactions from Democrats — even some of her own staffers. Guy Cecil, the political director of Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid, who was rumored to be in the running for a top position on her current campaign, took to Twitter to complain about the tune’s catchiness.
“Somebody help me!! I can’t get ‘Fight Song’ out of my head,” Cecil wrote.
And anti-“Fight Song” tweets have been favorited by members of Clinton’s team — a gesture that could be seen as a silent, social-media scream from a campaign that has cracked down on leaks. Some staffers declined to even anonymously give an assessment of the song for fear of being disciplined. One Clinton aide admitted to initially disliking the song, but the person suggested the star-studded video of it played at the Democratic National Convention improved their opinion of it.
“The version they played at the convention was actually awesome. It made me stop hating the song, at least temporarily. Like, I’m confident I can handle it for three more months now,” the aide said.
Yet other Clintonites insist they love “Fight Song.” One aide referred requests for comment about the tune to the campaign’s director of millennial media, Christopher Huntley, who suggested that it epitomizes Clinton’s values.
“I actually love ‘Fight Song.’ It represents how Hillary Clinton will never give up, and she will do everything she can to make sure families get ahead and stay ahead,” Huntley said.
Huntley also directed Yahoo News to the Clinton campaign’s millennial vote director, Sarah Audelo.
“For me, ‘Fight Song’ is a reminder of what’s at stake in this election. The fight for immigration reform, the protection of black lives, environmental justice and the continued fight for reproductive justice. We can’t afford to give up — the stakes are too high,” Audelo said.
And even other staffers who remained anonymous still praised the song when asked about it. While some pointed to its kitschy appeal, one person said they developed an attachment upon hearing it after Clinton’s wins in the Democratic primary.
“’Fight Song’ is an anthem. ‘Fight Song’ is a way of f***ing life,” the staffer said. “It un-ironically brings me joy.”
