A U.S. congressman tried (unsuccessfully) to falsify his Spotify Wrapped for political gain.
The American representative Josh Gottheimer was caught faking his Spotify Wrapped list on X.
In various regions of the United States, there are behaviors that are considered unacceptable. For example, one should not use low-quality salsa during a cattle drive in Texas, nor eat pizza with a knife and fork in New York. In Boston, it's best not to loudly call Bill Belichick a “cheater,” and in New Jersey, it's sacrilege to pronounce Bruce Springsteen’s name in a derogatory manner. Therefore, it is surprising that a representative from New Jersey would choose to distort his musical interests regarding the iconic artist.
Recently, Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) made an intriguing post on the platform X that caught attention. He shared what appeared to be his Spotify Wrapped for the year, where one of the lists included Springsteen classics like “Glory Days” and “Thunder Road,” while the other was filled with songs from different rappers. To reinforce his admiration for Springsteen, he mentioned that his “first concert was at Meadowlands” to see him. However, the online community, familiar with Spotify, quickly noticed that the list was a fabrication aimed at winning the favor of his voters.
Among the evident errors in Gottheimer's list were inconsistencies in font sizes, improper spacing between albums, and the fact that both lists were titled "Your Top Songs," even though one only contained Springsteen albums. Additionally, there was no uniform font or size used in the titles and album entries.
When confronted by the press about this musical slip-up, Gottheimer stood firm in his appreciation for Springsteen's songs, attributing the rest of the list to his family's influence. He admitted to creating a fake Spotify Wrapped list but insisted that the songs in each list were accurate, as he shares an account with his children. He argued that it was easier than creating a family plan from scratch. "This would be my Spotify Wrapped if I didn't share my account with my 12 and 15-year-old kids," he explained. "While for me it’s Springsteen all day, don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy listening to Taylor Swift!"
Subsequently, Gottheimer deleted the original post and replaced it with a list of his most listened-to Springsteen tracks. In the context of a heated gubernatorial race, he is attempting to show his devotion to "The Boss" in a state where this can be crucial for his campaign. If his goal is also to present himself as the “dad who embarrasses his kids with his musical choices,” it seems he has a winning strategy.