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See Obama Sing the Blues With Mick Jagger, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy

President Barack Obama sings with Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Buddy Guy

Explain it to us slowly, everything-should-be-free zealots: Why exactly is it to so bad for politicians to cozy up with the entertainment industry, again? Is the tech industry and its contraception-loathing congressional advocates going to come up with better music? Mitt Romney has Kid Rock. New Gingrich couldn’t even get Survivor. President Barack Obama is singing the blues, but he doesn’t look like a man who has the blues, if you get our drift — Dow 13,000, goddamn.

Obama might not have Mike Huckabee’s guitar chops, but he’s actually been responsible for more musical moments than any White House resident since Bill Clinton famously tooted his horn (his saxophone, pervs). In 2008, then-candidate Obama sang a snippet of Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” to a crowd that included the Queen of Soul herself. More recently, of course, he sang 10 seconds of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and boosted the track’s sales by an eye-popping 490 percent. (In a less known musical development, First Lady Michelle Obama recently led a crowd of 10,000 Iowa school children in a dance to they-don’t-even-crab-anymore crabcore band Attack Attack!’s “Interlude.” America is truly a land of opportunity.)

Last night, during a blues concert in the East Room of the White House, Obama joined Mick Jagger, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy and sang a bit of blues standard “Sweet Home Chicago” at his musical guests’ behest. “Come on, baby don’t you want to go,” POTUS crooned twice, gamely if not quite immaculately, later adding, “Sweet home Chicago.” Based on Green’s sales per-word sales increase of 82 percent, Obama oughta help out sales of various “Sweet Home Chicago” singles to the tune of 1,558 percent, right?

Anyway, now that’s Chicago-style politics, ladies and gentlemen. Just remember not to ask for ketchup when you order from Hot Doug’s. And let us never speak of Blues Brothers 2000 again.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hhO1DnNKYbo%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded