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The Democratic National Convention 2024 is set to be remembered as one of the most historical events, marking the official nomination of Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. This milestone makes her the first black and Indian-American woman to receive such a mandate for a major US party.
Held from August 19 to August 22, 2024, the convention was further highlighted by musical performances from celebrated artists like Stevie Wonder and John Legend. The musical segments spanned various genres, including country, hip-hop, and soul, with the performers delivering renditions that explored themes of resilience, hope, and freedom.
From Stevie Wonder’s performance of Higher Ground to Mickey Guyton’s rendition of All American, this article explores the musical highlights of the Democratic National Convention.
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Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground, Mickey Guyton's All American, and other Musical highlights from the 2024 Democratic National Convention
1) Stevie Wonder’s performance of Higher Ground
The legendary soul singer Stevie Wonder voiced his support for Kamala Harris with a supportive speech and a rendition of his classic song, Higher Ground.
In his speech, Stevie Wonder urged attendees to:
"choose courage over complacency and to keep on keeping on until we are truly a people of the United States."
The Superstition hitmaker then proceeded to sing Higher Ground with his voice ringing loud and true in the convention’s hall as he belted lyrics that promoted themes of courage, determination, and hope. Surrounded by dancers in white, Wonder sang:
"People keep on learning/Soldiers keep on warring/World keep on turning/’Cause it won’t be too long."
2) Common’s performance of Fortunate
The Chicago rapper Common thrilled the Democratic National Convention's attendees with the performance of Fortunate, from his latest joint album with Pete Rock. He switched up the lyrics to include encouraging words like:
"Be fortunate, y’all, for Kamala Harris."
Common's performance featured lyrics like:
"I'm fortunate to be alive/ Can't explain how I got here, but we've arrived/ The deliverance and diligence from which we strive/ It's the feelin' it's no ceilin' is when we rise/ Fortunate to have friends who don't synthesize."
The rapper made his second appearance at the DNC on August 20, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, after previously appearing virtually at the DNC in 2020 alongside John Legend to perform their collaborative song, Glory, which won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the movie, Selma.
3) Patti LaBelle’s performance of You Are My Friend
Patti LaBelle joined Common at the DNC on August 20, 2024, to show her support for the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. The 80-year-old R&B and hip-hop veteran performed her 1978 hit track at the convention’s In Memoriam segment.
Her performance featured lyrics like:
"Your love has made me realize/ My future looks bright to me/ Oh because you are my friend."
LaBelle graced the Democratic National Convention 2004 with the performance of A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke. LaBelle also lent her vocals for President Joe Biden’s Juneteenth concert at the White House.
4) Marren Morris's performance of Better Than We Found It
The 36-year-old singer took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on August 21, 2024, to perform her 2020 song, Better Than We Found It. Marren Morris recorded the hit track in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020 and expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement with lyrics like:
"When lines of tomorrow are drawn / Can I live with the side that I chose to be on? / Will we sit on our hands, do nothing about it? / Or will we leave this world better than we found it?"
Her lyrics posed deep questions about the country's state and how it got to that state, with lyrics like:
"America, America, divided we fall / America, America, God save us all / From ourselves and the Hell that we've built for our kids / America, America, we're better than this."
5) John Legend’s performance of Let’s Go Crazy by Prince
On the third night of the Democratic National Convention on August 23, 2024, musical titan John Legend showed his support for the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, Kamala Harris, with a rendition of the 1984 classic Let’s Go Crazy by the Prince and the Revolution.
He was joined by Sheila E and Stevie Wonder, the trio presented an energetic performance with lyrics like:
"If you don’t like the world you’re living in/ Take a look around, At least you got friends/ You see, I called my old lady/ For a friendly word/ She picked up the phone/ Dropped it on the floor/ Ah, ah, is all I heard."
Legend has appeared four times for the Democratic National Convention, his first time in 2008, when he sang for former president Barack Obama.
6) Mickey Guyton’s performance of All American
Mickey Guyton lent her voice in support of Kamala Harris. The country singer made her Democratic National Convention debut on August 19, 2024, singing her hit song, All American.
Guyton is the first black woman to earn a Grammy Award nomination for best country solo performance. She co-wrote All American with Victoria Banks for her 2021 album, Remember Her Name. The song featured lyrics like:
"Ain't we all? Ain't we all all-American? Ain't we all? Ain't we all all-American? We got the same stars, the same stripes just wanna live that good life Ain't we all? Ain't we all all-American?"
7) Jason Isbell’s performance of Something More Than Free
Jason Isbell made his debut at the Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024, the first day of the four-day-long event. Isbell graced the event by singing his song, Something More Than Free, the title track of his 2015 album, in his unique Alabama accent.
He sang in front of the image of a barn with the American flag on it. The six-time Grammy winner’s performance explored themes of handwork and delayed gratification with lyrics like:
"My back is numb, my hands are freezing/ What I’m working for is something more than free/ And I don't think on why I'm here or where it hurts/ I'm just lucky to have the work/ Sunday morning I'm too tired to go to church/ But I thank God for the work."
These 2024 Democratic National Convention musical performances featured strong vocals, deep lyrics, and celebrated artists.
