It’s been a minute since the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last took place in Chicago — in 1996, when Bill Clinton and Al Gore were on the winning ticket — but to illustrate the passage of time through a pop culture lens, it was so long ago … attendees did a group performance of the Macarena.
If the idea of the ’90s feels like another time, footage from the convention that year — held at the United Center in Chicago, where it returned in 2024 as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz formally accept the nomination — seems otherworldly as an arena of delegates sang and danced to the song, rump-shaking finish and all.
It’s hard to watch the C-SPAN footage and not hit rewind as then-first lady Hillary Clinton, wearing a pink suit and rocking a bob, cheered them on, wisely not participating herself. (When she ran for president herself in 2016, the clip resurfaced. She led to its going viral again in 2020.)
There were varying degrees of dance skill on display, making it even more entertaining. Honestly, give the attendees an E for effort. If this happened today during a break between convention speakers, we’d venture to guess everyone would be too busy checking their phones to notice.
“Macarena” mania at the ’96 DNC
“Macarena,” by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, was originally released in 1993. Antonio Romero — inspired by a flamenco dancer’s moves — came up with it during a studio session and recorded it with partner Rafael Ruiz.
While the song had modest success, a remix dropped by Miami-based producers the Bayside Boys on Aug. 3, 1996, hit differently. The newer version included a dance beat and saucy English lyrics about the hip-swiveling woman named Macarena — “They all want me, they can’t have me/So they all come and dance beside me … And if you’re good, I’ll take you home with me” — and it shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for 14 weeks.
It was helped along by the music video, choreographed and starring Mia Frye, which was essentially a dance tutorial, running through the moves step-by-step, by a bunch of women in booty shorts.
A mere three weeks after the remix dropped, the DNC took place, from Aug. 26 to Aug. 29, and the song was already an earworm that had people feeling the moves. The Macarena became a “nightly ritual”in Chicago, according to the New York Times coverage.
When Gore addressed the convention, he used the song for a punchline. He joked that he would demonstrate his version of the viral dance and then stood like a statue, poking at his reputation for being stiff.
The New York Times described the scene of the delegates dancing as “a virtual music video” and said it “signaled the Democrats’ vitality, ethnic variety (the song has lyrics in English and Spanish) and comparative looseness” following the Republican National Convention two weeks earlier at which Bob Dole — who, at 73, was 23 years older than incumbent Bill Clinton — accepted his party’s nomination. However, the New York Times reported that “Macarena” was also played at the RNC, where it didn’t connect in the same way — or inspire a danceathon.
It wasn’t “Macarena” all the time at the 1996 DNC. The Democratic convention also featured live performances by Aretha Franklin, Emmylou Harris and the cast of Broadway’s Rent, which the New York Times compared to a “variety show” with “overtly symbolic star turns.”
It’s important to note that while “Macarena” had a moment at the DNC, it was never an official campaign song. Bill Clinton used 1977’s “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac starting in 1992. (The group reunited for Clinton’s 1993 inauguration.)
Dana Gorzelany-Mostak — creator of Trax on the Trail, a website and database tracking U.S. presidential campaign music — told the Kansas City Star that politicians use music to “rouse the crowd and transition between speakers.” Over time, the type of music played has changed from American standards to pop. Gorzelany-Mostak pointed to Bill Clinton using “Don’t Stop” as paving the way.
What will be the soundtrack to this year’s DNC?
Those who tune in this year will hear Beyoncé’s 2016 anthem “Freedom,” which is Harris’s official campaign song. Harris made a surprise appearance on night one in Chicago with the song welcoming her to the stage. If not a recorded version, spun by the DNC DJ who is helping infuse “pizzazz” into the convention, then maybe a surprise live performance, as many hope.
Equally buzzed about — and also totally speculative — is that Taylor Swift plans to make a surprise appearance and endorsement. Swift is currently on tour, wrapping her six-day stint at Wembley Stadium in London on Aug. 20. She won’t hit the road again until Oct. 18.
Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell performed on Aug. 18, which had a theme of “For the People” and at which President Biden addressed the convention. (James Taylor got bumped for time.)
While not every performance has been announced, there will be plenty of music in Chicago this week. At the parties around the convention (there are over 100 events happening), John Legend, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Drive-By-Truckers, SistaStrings and Lil Jon are all set to sing at events.
