From the Subliminal to the Ridiculing

Abstract

In studies conducted by scholars of political science, rhetoric, and media studies, the vast majority of research on political ads focuses either on images or on verbal appeals made by candidates or on their behalf. Yet the highest voter recall is for ads that make an emotional connection with the viewer. Often music is the lynchpin of an emotional appeal, and philosophers such as Jenefer Robinson and Derek Matravers write of the centrality of emotion to the musical experience. Recent scholarship on the relationship between emotion and politics includes the work of Ted Brader on emotional appeals in campaign ads and Drew Westen on the role of emotion in political thinking. Focusing on four basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, and fear) and two compound emotions (patriotism and contempt), this chapter explores how music evokes these emotions in several case studies.