Bob Marley, Chronixx Songs Among 46 Chosen For Official Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Inauguration Playlist

Reggae legend Bob Marley and singer Chronixx have appeared among the 46 songs selected by the United States Presidential Inaugural Committee of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for an official playlist to mark the 46th president’s inauguration, which is set to take place on Wednesday, January 20 at the nation’s Capitol.

Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Could You Be Loved was picked by the committee, which teamed up with DJ D-Nice and American actor/director Issa Rae’s label Raedio, to put together the playlist for President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris.  Chronixx and the Free Nationals’ Eternal Light also made the list.  The sultry serenade recently appeared on the soundtrack for the Netflix thriller, Fatale.

Could You Be Loved has made countless appearances in movies of its own over the years, such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), The Bachelor (1999), 50 First Dates (2004), and Fool’s Gold (2008).  It was first released in 1980 on the Bob Marley and the Wailers’ last album Uprising and was included on the 1984 Legend album, which remains at the top of the Billboard Reggae Album chart to this day.

Such is the enduring popularity of Bob Marley’s music, that even Trump supporters were spotted singing the words “every little thing is gonna be alright” from the reggae legend’s Three Little Birds after the Capitol riot last week.  A mob of Trump supporters had earlier that day broke through security perimeters, tussled with cops, invaded personal offices, and interrupted a joint session of the newly sworn-in Congress which was in the process of affirming Biden’s Electoral College win.

“We know that music has the power to bring people together, and after a year of national challenges and division, we hope this collection serves as an indication of a new beginning, positive change, and a reminder that music of all types is a common language,” co-founder of Raedio, Benoni Tagoe, said in a press statement today.

The playlist (see full list below) also includes recent hit records such as Levitating by Dua Lipa, Good Days by SZA and Higher Love by Kygo and Whitney Houston, as well as underground rap picks like Kota The Friend’s Lupita Interlude.  Classic oldie tracks such as  Daryl Hall and John Oates’s You Make My Dreams Come True and Bill Withers’ Lovely Day were also selected.

Walk-on songs for Biden and Harris are Bruce Springsteen’s We Take Care of Our Own and Mary J. Blige’s Work That respectively.  For incoming First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff the picks were Hall and Oates’ You Make My Dreams and the New Radicals’ You Get What You Give respectively.

Artists such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Jill Scott, Mac Miller, A Tribe Called Quest, Burna Boy, and Major Lazer also made the cut.

The playlist is available on major streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.  A sequence-mixed version is available on Soundcloud.

Correction: A previous version of this story did not include Chronixx.