Songs to Celebrate the Blue Tsunami

From “Texas Hold ‘Em” to “Carolina in My Mind,” a playlist for those in a triumphant mood

Democrats have plenty to crow about following Tuesday’s historic midterm election — a blue deluge bigger than anything that’s happened in American politics in 50 years. As of Wednesday afternoon, Democrats are on track to control more than 250 seats in the House of Representatives, and at least 54 seats in the Senate — giving them a sizable majority in both houses of Congress.

But it’s not just the size of the victory that is so thrilling, it’s the geographic distributions of the win. Democrats flipped states that have been Republican strongholds for decades, including Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina. They also won decisively in places like Ohio and Iowa — former swing states that have swung hard to the right over the last decade. And, as of this writing, they are tantalizingly close to flipping a Senate seat in Missi-freaking-ssippi.

There is, in short, much to celebrate (even as we remain conscious of the considerable work ahead of us in undoing the damage of the last two years). With that in mind, we have compiled a playlist of songs that capture today’s triumphant energy.

“Texas Hold ‘Em,” Beyoncé

In the most symbolically potent rout of the night, Democrats swept Texas, a state that has broken liberal hearts for the past 30 years. It is also the home of our lord and savior, Beyoncé.

Listen to celebrate such milestones as:

1. James Talarico becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988 (the year before he was born);

2. Gina Hinojosa becoming the first Democratic governor since Ann Richards in 1990 and the first Latina to hold the office), and;

3. Elon Musk blowing a half-billion dollars on nothing. So blast a little “Texas Hold ‘Em”? (From Cowboy Carter, an album largely about reclaiming Black contributions to country music.)

“Mississippi Goddam,” Nina Simone

It’s Wednesday afternoon on the east coast and at this moment, Democrat Scott Column leads Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Republican incumbent, by 65 votes. Colum could prevail in a state that Trump won by 22 points in 2024 — and become the first Black senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction. All of which makes today a great day to listen to “Mississippi, Goddam,” the Civil Rights anthem that Nina Simone wrote in 1963 in response to the assassination of Medgar Evers and other racist violence against Black people in the Jim Crow South.

“Ohio,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Neil Young wrote this song in a few hours after seeing horrific images of the Kent State shooting on the cover of Life magazine in 1970. Released as a single within a month of the massacre, it gave voice to outraged young people who felt they were being silenced by the Nixon administration. In 2026, it speaks to the anger that may have fueled Democratic gains Ohio, a former bellwether state that has been trending red for the last decade. That is, until Tuesday, when former Senator Sherrod Brown won a comeback election, and Amy Acton defeated her bottom-feeding opponent Vivek Ramaswamy to become the first female governor in the history of the state.

“Carolina In My Mind,” James Taylor

James Taylor wrote this song while homesick and living abroad. It’s a nostalgic ode to North Carolina, the state where the folk singer spent much of his childhood — and where Democrat Roy Cooper won his senate race by nearly 20 points, and Democrats flipped multiple House seats held by Republican incumbents, including National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson. Now’s the time to fire up some Sweet Baby James and let the mellow acoustic vibes wash over you.

“Georgia on My Mind,” Ray Charles

Ray Charles recorded his version of this song, written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, in 1960. In 1979, it became the official state song of Georgia, a once solidly Republican state where Democrat Jon Ossoff cruised to reelection by 18 points, and where Keisha Lance Bottoms, the great-great-granddaughter of an enslaved man, resoundingly defeated her Republican opponent in the race for governor. In a historic first that’s both thrilling and shockingly overdue, she is the first Black woman elected governor anywhere in the United States.

“Lose Yourself,” Eminem

After a contentious race that featured a ludicrous last-minute defection by his former opponent, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed soundly defeated Republican opponent Mike Rogers on Tuesday. He will be the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate, and prevailed by a healthy margin in a race marred by flagrant Islamophobia. Alas, there are shockingly few pop songs that name-check the Great Lakes State. But Michigan has produced an inordinate number of musical greats, including The Supremes, Madonna, and the artist formerly known as Marshall Mathers, whose 2010 song “Not Afraid” served as the inspirational soundtrack for one of El-Sayed’s final campaign spots.

“Iowa,” Dar Williams

Singer-songwriter Dar Williams probably wasn’t thinking about the price of diesel or fertilizer and how it might affect voting patterns in the Hawkeye State —where Democrats just flipped a Senate seat, the governorship, and three House seats — when she wrote this song 30 years ago. But we should listen to it on repeat just to be sure.

“Dust in the Wind,” Kansas

This song, by the Topeka prog-rock group proudly named after the Sunflower State, was supposedly inspired by a line in a book of Native American poetry. It speaks to the impermanent nature of existence and the impermanent nature of Republican control in Kansas, where Adam Hamilton was just elected to the US Senate — making him the first Democratic Senator from Kansas in nearly a century.

“Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” Dolly Parton

It’s always a good day for Dolly Parton, especially this song about hope and resilience, which the beloved country icon wrote during a rainy drive home after leaving the Porter Wagoner show in 1975. “That was my first song in my freedom,” she said in 2019. The lyrics might resonate today:

It's been a long dark night
And I've been a-waitin' for the morning
It's been a long hard fight
But I see a brand new day dawning

Meredith Blake is the culture columnist for The Contrarian