Every four years, playlists get a little political.

Presidential campaigns strive to pick songs for their rallies that bolster support for the candidate before the election. The songs should also somehow elicit meaning from the lyrics as a source of inspiration, in addition to having broad appeal to the masses.

Where some campaigns get it wrong is when they completely mangle the song's meaning.

It was immediately unlikely that Bruce Springsteen intended to construct an allegory to Ronald Reagan when he penned "Born in the U.S.A.," a protest song on the harrowing effects of the Vietnam War on Americans.

The song was misconstrued as a "message of hope" and became a hallmark of Reagan's re-election campaign in the '80s.

It's the right of the artist to decide if his or her song should represent a political cause.

In the case of this year's election, Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign has been marked by the onslaught of left-wing musicians lashing out because of unauthorized use of their songs. Foo Fighters, John Mellencamp and Heart have complained when their respective songs, "My Hero," "Pink Houses" and "Barracuda" (Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's theme) have been used in campaigns. Jackson Browne filed a lawsuit against McCain and the Republican National Committee when "Running on Empty" was played to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Returning to the drawing board, McCain has opted to indulge in his favoritism for Swedish pop group ABBA by playing "Take a Chance on Me" as his theme tune. According to Blender magazine, McCain has listed his favorite song as "Dancing Queen," an image that clashes with the gun-slinging maverick archetype.

McCain's not the only one whose playlist has ruffled some feathers. At the beginning of the year, Sam Moore of the soul duo Sam and Dave told Obama to stop using his song, "Hold on, I'm Comin'."

The Obama campaign, which has leaned toward a healthy blending of feel-good Motown pop and U2, has mostly averted troubles with artists since a wide majority have come out in support of his cause.

The artist has the right to complain and request campaigns remove their song from their rally's audio supplement.

This campaign season has been loaded with potshots aimed below the belt. The least the candidates could do is make a pick that isn't seen as a tacky strategic move.

Some advice for the respective campaigns: pick a song that reflects you, not how you want the public to view you. McCain might have a very diverse list of music on his iPod that very well might include ABBA, but picturing him rocking out to Foo Fighters is an image I'm just not ready to process just yet.

Mark Maurer is a senior majoring in journalism, and is a senior music reporter for The Daily Collegian. His e-mail is mgm5025@psu.edu.