President Barack Obama last week released his first two Spotify "summer playlists." Called "Day" and "Night," they are 20 songs each and were all hand-picked by POTUS (and possibly approved by FLOTUS). Included are well-known favorites like "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones and "You Don't Know Me" by Ray Charles, along with more obscure tunes like "Tengo un Trato" (translation: "I have a deal") by Seville hip-hop artist Mala Rodriguez.
Should Vladimir Putin decide to demonstrate his power of cool by releasing a counter-playlist, we'd like to suggest some songs for Russia's peerless fearless leader. You won't find any Pussy Riot tracks here:
1. "OMG What a man!" - Natali
We assume Putin never starts his day without listening to this No. 1 Russian jam from 2013. It might explain a lot.
2. "Russian Girls" - Sasha Dith
Putin sees Obama's Beyonce track and raises him Lena, Irina, Sveta, Marina, Natasha, Anya, Olya, Tanya, Inna, Olesya, Raya, Yulya, Oksana, Rita, Masha and Lyuda.
3. "Back in the USSR" - the Beatles
Putin likes Golden Oldies, too.
4. "Sympathy for the Devil" - the Rolling Stones
In response to Obama's Rolling Stones track. Lyrics include: "I stuck around St. Petersburg/ When I saw it was a time for a change"
5. "Guts over Fear" - Eminem featuring Sia
Good Russian values.
6. "Bad Blood" - Taylor Swift
"Russia doesn't negotiate with terrorists. It destroys them." And band-aids don't fix bullet holes, either!
7. "Kapital" - Lyapis Trubetskoy
This song rhymes Karl Marx with Karl Marx.
8. "What's Beef" - the Notorious B.I.G.
Eastern side of an East-West beef.
9. "Fuck the USA" - the Exploited
'Nuff said.
10. "Fashion Man" - Sergei Zverev
Totally heterosexual men who love fashion. Totally heterosexual.
11. "Ride with Me" - Timati
For when Putin is gettin' ready to party.
12. "Hard Nuts" - Potap and Nastya
Putin's "Nutcracker Suite."
13. "Take Your Shirt Off " - T Pain
Does Obama wear a shirt while hunting?
14. "A Horse with No Name" - America
Who can look at the horse?
15. "Only Fools Russian" - Elvis Presley
No foolin'.
16. "Dance with the Wolves" - Ruslana
Much better than the Kevin Costner version by the American propaganda machine.
17. "Mother Russia" - Iron Maiden
Seems manly enough.
18. "Red" - Taylor Swift
If American girl wants to sing about Mother Russia, it must hurt Obama's feelings.
19. "Russian Roulette" - Rihanna
This must hurt Obama, too.
20. "I Saw Commies Kissing Santa Claus" - Jackson 5
Red Christmas.
21. "Rasputin" - Boney M
Can't end a Kremlin playlist without this classic.
22. "Champion" - featuring Alex Ovechkin
Take this, critics who say Putin is just a hockey puck!
23. "A Man like Putin" - Singing Together
Self-explanatory.
24. "Go Hard Like Vladimir Putin" - AMG
Pro-Kremlin rap.
25. "Cold War" - Janelle Monae
For a hot time...
26. "From Russia with Love" theme song - Matt Monro
Use this when Bond-ing with the proletariat, comrades.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Gogo Lidz was 19 when her first feature story was published in the Los Angeles Times in 2004. She wrote freelance for ... Read more
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