Setting campaigns to music Tunes chosen to set tone, but potential missteps abound John Jurgensen Mitt Romney’s theme music could seem off for a presidential candidate trying to shore up his conservative credentials. He often mounts the stage to a remix of “A Little Less Conversation,” in which Elvis Presley urges a lover to stop talking and just “satisfy me, baby.” Romney’s camp doesn’t see the song as racy.

“The theme it conveys is that Washington needs a little less talk and a lot more action,” says spokesman Kevin Madden. In rotation at John Edwards’ events: a John Mellencamp song first heard in Chevy truck ads. Rudy Giuliani, a native New Yorker and opera buff, has been cueing up country act Rascal Flatts. Hillary Clinton has taken a shine to a rock song originally written for a space-shuttle launch.

Use of popular songs in politics is on the rise in an age when voters are pulled by more and more media sources. Politicians seek tools to cut through the clutter. There are trade-offs, however, including potentially loaded lyrics and possible artist backlash. John McCain was playing “I Won’t Back Down,” but rocker Tom Petty asked him to do just that and stop using the tune. Most candidates haven’t named “official” theme songs. That usually follows a party nomination.

But playlists are used to amp up crowds, signal an approach to the stage or accompany the handshaking marathons that follow. So far, the presidential race is loaded with populist anthems from classic rock and country. Rap is absent, but there is a sprinkling of alterna-pop for the young electorate. The goal: Strike a visceral chord with listeners, piggyback on the literal message in the title or chorus — and hope people don’t analyze lyrics too closely.