The Harris-Walz campaign’s love affair with pop music continued in full force on the second night (Aug. 20) of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
After Patti LaBelle delivered the night’s first performance with a stirring rendition of “You Are My Friend” for the in memoriam segment, Common took the stage to rap a DNC-tinged version of “Fortunate,” a song from his new joint album with Pete Rock. Outside of those performances, the house band kept the covers rolling with funky versions of Beyoncé‘s “Cuff It,” Hozier‘s “Too Sweet,” and Mark Ronson‘s “Uptown Funk!” soundtracking the jumbotron camera’s journey around the packed arena.
The real magic, however, came during the roll call. During each convention, each U.S. state and territory casts their votes for the party’s presidential nominee; last night’s roll call was a symbolic, in-person version of an August online meeting, in which Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic party’s official nominee. DJ Cassidy served as the roll call’s master of ceremonies, using his beloved “Pass the Mic” template to rattle off each state and territory represented in the venue.
For this year’s roll call, the delegates reached across decades of music to illustrate a rich sonic collage of American music history. From country and reggaeton to rock and hip-hop, the breadth of America’s rich blend of cultures and traditions illuminated the United Center arena. To top it all off, Lil Jon made a surprise appearance on the floor of the convention to help his home state of Georgia cast its votes for Harris. As if his mere presence wasn’t enough, he also treated the fired-up crown to a bombastic rendition of his DJ Snake-assisted “Turn Down For What,” which he flipped into a musical tribute to Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Georgia wasn’t the only state to make the most of their moment, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Harris’ home state of California all played multiple songs while they casted their votes.
From Aretha Franklin and Dolly Parton to Beyoncé and Chappell Roan, here are all the songs played during roll call at the 2024 DNC — and where they peaked on the Billboard Hot 100.
Hot 100 Peak: “The Next Episode” peaked at No. 23 (chart dated July 29, 2000); “California Love” peaked at No. 1 (two weeks, chart dated July 13, 1996); “Not Like Us” peaked at No. 1 (two weeks, chart dated May 18, 2024); “Alright” peaked at No. 81 (chart dated October 3, 2015)
Song: Walk The Moon, “Shut Up And Dance”
Hot 100 Peak: “Kiss” peaked at No. 1 (two weeks, chart dated April 19, 1986); “1999” peaked at No. 12 (chart dated July 23, 1983)
Song: Brooks Jefferson, “Ain’t Goin Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)”
Hot 100 Peak: “Motownphilly” peaked at No. 3 (chart dated Sept. 7, 1991); “Black and Yellow” peaked at No. 1 (chart dated Feb. 19, 2011)
Song: James Brown, “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine”
Song: The Romantics, “What I Like About You”
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 (five weeks, chart dated May 18, 2013)…Read more by Kyle Denis
