"By The People; For The People" Soundtrack Lyrics

"By The People; For The People" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album?

Yes—By The People; For The People (Music Inspired by the Motion Picture “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama”) was released digitally on January 12, 2010, as an iTunes exclusive charity compilation.

Is it the film’s score or a various-artists set?

It’s a various-artists compilation “inspired by” the documentary. The film’s original score is by Craig Wedren; the album features songs by multiple artists.

Who’s on it?

Contributors include John Mayer (with Ben Harper), Sheryl Crow, The Chicks, John Legend, Tim McGraw, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Dashboard Confessional, India.Arie and more. (according to AllMusic)

Where did the proceeds go?

All proceeds—including artist and publishing royalties—were directed to United Way and Enterprise Community Partners for Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.

Was there a Springsteen track?

A bonus live video of Bruce Springsteen performing “This Land Is Your Land” (Oct 6, 2008, Ypsilanti, MI) accompanied the digital release.

Can I stream or buy it today?

Digital storefronts still list the compilation; availability can vary by region, but Apple Music/iTunes retains the 14-track listing.

Notes & Trivia

• The album was released by Green Film Company as a digital-only iTunes exclusive on January 12, 2010; proceeds supported United Way and Enterprise Community Partners. (as stated in a PR Newswire release)
• AllMusic lists the compilation at 55:59 and tags its styles across retro-soul, heartland rock, contemporary R&B, and roots rock. (according to AllMusic)
• Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds appear with an 8-minute performance of “The Dreaming Tree”; the release also bundled a Springsteen live video of “This Land Is Your Land.” (as reported by Backstreets and the artist site)
• Dashboard Confessional contribute a cover of U2’s “City of Blinding Lights,” a song heavily associated with Obama’s 2008 rallies. (as noted by Wikipedia’s U2 coverography)
• The film itself credits composer Craig Wedren for original score; the VA album is positioned as “music inspired by” the documentary’s arc. (according to the film’s entry)

Overview

Why package a cinéma-vérité campaign diary with a star-driven song set? Because the music reframes a procedural documentary as lived-in memory—what it felt like to watch a candidacy crest into a movement. By The People; For The People pulls from pop, country, soul, and singer-songwriter repertoires to paint that moment with familiar voices and protest-era colors. It is an “inspired by” compilation, not the film’s score, yet it mirrors the timeline’s emotional spikes: hope, doubt, grind, and release. (according to AllMusic)

It’s also a fundraiser. The release channeled all proceeds to United Way and Enterprise Community Partners for Gulf Coast rebuilding—turning passive listening into direct aid. That philanthropic frame, spelled out the week of release, keeps the album anchored to civic purpose even as it plays like a road-trip playlist. (as stated in PR Newswire’s announcement)

Genres & Themes

• Retro-soul & Americana: organ grit and back-porch guitars evoke campaign-trail town halls and union halls.
• Heartland rock & adult-alternative: steady-tempo optimism for montage energy; choruses sized for arenas.
• Contemporary R&B/gospel inflections: conscience and uplift without sermonizing; a throughline from civil-rights songcraft to 21st-century pop.
• Acoustic testimony: unplugged performances function like diary margins—intimate, unvarnished.

Tracks & Scenes

Because this is a “music inspired by the motion picture” compilation, most songs are not used as cues inside the film. Below are notable album cuts and the documentary moments they resonate with.

“Waiting on the World to Change” — John Mayer feat. Ben Harper
Scene resonance: Early-chapter organizing and door-knocking; the lyric’s generational shrug turns into action across the film’s two-year arc.
Why it matters: A mid-2000s civic pop touchstone repurposed as pre-movement mood music. (as listed on Apple Music)

“Rise Up” — Sheryl Crow
Scene resonance: Volunteer scrums and late-night HQ shots; a steady march rhythm that suits montage pacing.
Why it matters: Optimism at tempo—less protest chant, more shared breath between cuts. (mentioned in The Boot’s round-up)

“I Hope” — The Chicks
Scene resonance: Policy-speech interludes and quieter family moments on the trail.
Why it matters: Country-roots timbre broadens the coalition sonically without sanding off conscience. (as The Boot notes)

“(RED)emption Song” — John Legend
Scene resonance: Archival echoes of past movements woven through campaign footage.
Why it matters: A Marley standard, reframed by a modern soul voice—heritage and present tense in one take. (listed on Apple Music)

“Free Man” — Tim McGraw
Scene resonance: County-fair stump speeches; a pragmatic counter-melody to big-city rallies.
Why it matters: Narrative country as civic argument—bridging audiences. (as cited by The Boot)

“The Dreaming Tree” (live) — Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
Scene resonance: On-the-road dusk shots and reflective downbeats near the campaign’s inflection points.
Why it matters: An 8-minute acoustic sprawl that reads like the diary version of a victory-speech cadences. (artist site & Backstreets mention)

“City of Blinding Lights” — Dashboard Confessional (U2 cover)
Scene resonance: Election-night aesthetics and urban rally glow.
Why it matters: A song closely linked with 2008 rallies returns in indie-acoustic dress—nostalgia without bombast. (as noted in U2 cover discography)

Bonus video: “This Land Is Your Land” (live) — Bruce Springsteen
Where to find: Included with the iTunes bundle tied to the album’s release.
Why it matters: A folk hymn to pluralism; the performance dates to Oct 6, 2008 (Ypsilanti, MI). (as reported by Backstreets and storefront notes)

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats)

• Grassroots cadence: mid-tempo, four-on-the-floor tracks (“Rise Up,” Mayer’s cut) match the editing rhythm of clipboards, canvassing, and call time.
• Coalition in timbre: country (Tim McGraw), soul (John Legend, India.Arie), AAA/indie (Dashboard, Dave & Tim) mirror the film’s broad tent.
• Memory vs. momentum: Springsteen’s “This Land” and Legend’s Marley cover invoke heritage; newer pop cuts point to forward motion.
• Acoustic intimacy: the Dave & Tim performance functions as the mixtape’s quiet room—akin to the doc’s offstage beats with staff and family.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

The compilation was assembled and released by Green Film Company to accompany HBO’s documentary feature. It’s a curated “inspired by” set rather than a cue-sheet dump, pairing major-label catalog highlights with new/live recordings; the film’s original score is by Craig Wedren. (according to the film’s entry and PR Newswire)

Day-of-release materials emphasized the charitable model: 100% of proceeds (including publishing) were earmarked for United Way and Enterprise Community Partners to support Gulf-Coast rebuilding. The artist lineup crosses genre lines by design, signaling a coalition aesthetic to match the campaign narrative. (as stated in the 2010 press notice)

Reception & Quotes

This kind of “inspired by” set lives or dies by coherence; here, the sequencing and breadth drew attention from fan sites and music press tracking Springsteen’s bonus video and the Dave & Tim appearance. AllMusic’s style tags and duration cement it as a succinct civic-mood document of the era. (according to AllMusic)

“Made available exclusively on iTunes… an intriguing blend of songs and artists… a socially-conscious tour de force.” PR Newswire

“13 audio tracks… plus a bonus video of Springsteen performing ‘This Land Is Your Land’ live in Ypsilanti, MI.” Backstreets (Springsteen news)

Technical Info

• Title: By The People; For The People — Music Inspired by the Motion Picture By the People: The Election of Barack Obama
• Year / Type: 2010 / Movie
• Album Type: Various-artists compilation (digital-only at release)
• Film Score: Craig Wedren (for the 2009 HBO documentary)
• Label / Release: Green Film Company; iTunes exclusive release on January 12, 2010
• Duration: ~56 minutes; 14 tracks on Apple Music listing
• Notable Contributors (select): John Mayer (feat. Ben Harper), Sheryl Crow, The Chicks, John Legend, Tim McGraw, Dashboard Confessional, India.Arie, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds; bonus Springsteen live video
• Charity: Proceeds to United Way & Enterprise Community Partners for Gulf-Coast rebuilding
• Availability: Digital storefronts (regional availability may vary)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: AllMusic; Apple Music/iTunes listing; PR Newswire (release announcement); Dave Matthews Band site & Backstreets; Wikipedia film entry; U2 covers discography.

October, 26th 2025