Midterms Sparked a Blue Wave of Music Memes on Social Media

By Tom Whitfield

Democrats won several state contests for the first time in decades and took control of the entirety of Congress, according to “The Midterms Gave Us a Blue Wave — And Some Hilarious Music Memes.” The same report says people from minority demographics secured historic first-time positions. It gives no election date, vote totals or state-by-state breakdown, so readers cannot audit its political summary from the text alone.

According to the report, celebratory posts flooded timelines as soon as the earliest results were called. It says X was back to “Twitter-levels of funny,” while Music Twitter became one of the internet’s liveliest corners. Its evidence is a set of viral posts and recurring clips, with no audience measurements or trend data to establish the scale of that reaction.

A soundtrack for the blue surge

The proposed soundtrack to the “blue surge” ranged from making Selena and Bobby Pulido the official state anthem to replacing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The source identifies Pulido as the winner of his congressional race in Texas. It names no state for the anthem joke and reports no move by either artist or any institution.

Halsey turns “Colors” into campaign commentary

On Instagram, singer-songwriter Halsey used lyrics from “Colors” to write: “EVERYTHING IS MF BLUE BABY.” A viral post featuring a video of the 2015 song tagged nearly two dozen profiles, including Nicki Minaj, JD Vance, and direct accounts for the Republican party and ICE. The source lists no reach or engagement figures and does not say whether those accounts responded.

Halsey then shifted from comedy to a more solemn register: “So many firsts, so much hope, but also so much work to do,” they said.

They continued: “This moment of unity feels amazing and I sincerely hope we can make it last through the very long road ahead. I’m so grateful to every single voter who made their voice heard and made this possible.”

Tinashe makes fandom partisan

According to the report, Tinashe fans backed the singer after she encouraged Republican fans to exit her fandom. She wrote: “VOTE OR DIE ! LETS GO AMERICA,” followed by 12 blue heart emojis.

When another user accused her of alienating red-voting fans, Tinashe replied: “Yall can go.” The source presents this exchange as an example of polarized fandom, not as evidence of the size or political makeup of her audience.

Several users then proposed that Tinashe’s electric Popstar single “Melatonin” replace “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem. The article records the joke, not a formal campaign, and gives no chart data showing that the single gained momentum from the election.

Old clips return as political shorthand

The article reaches back to Fergie’s one-handed cartwheels on the Today Show at 9 o’clock in the morning in 2008, during a performance of “Barracuda.” It contrasts the song with the more optimistic Black Eyed Peas hit “I Gotta Feeling” and calls the Fergie clip an everlasting meme that fits the current moment.

It also invokes Benson Boone flipping off pianos, but supplies no date or context for that reference.

Backhanded approval for Lizzo

The source says post-election optimism brought some voters around to Lizzo. The X post read, in full: “Lizzo music sounding good asfff tonight”. The article calls the compliment backhanded. Lizzo responded in the quotes with a GIF of comedian Druski playing a character who had just got out of jail.

The source gives no user name, post date or wider response data for the exchange.

Morgan Wallen as the anti-meme

The article treats Morgan Wallen as the artist least likely to benefit from the mood. It cites a video of the country star screaming racial slurs while drunk and flipping over pianos, and says the behavior brought backlash toward his collaborators. The backlash now reaches his biggest fans in the article’s telling.

One X user joked: “If Morgan Wallen is in your Spotify Wrapped this year you’re getting sent to Guantanamo Bay”. The source offers no evidence that fans took it literally, and one post cannot support its broad claim that no one plans to uplift him.

A forced-download scheme returns

More than a decade after millions of iTunes users were force-fed a download of U2’s Songs of Innocence, the source says, fans considered repeating the marketing tactic. Under the proposal, everyone would have no choice but to listen to the Hamilton soundtrack. The article names no campaign organizer, rights holder or service behind the idea.

If the “Melatonin” national anthem plan failed, one user suggested that Lin-Manuel Miranda write a whole new one. That remains a user’s joke, not an announced project or a change to any national or state protocol.

What does this change for music culture?

On the evidence supplied, little beyond the conversation. The source documents artists and users posting election imagery, tagging political accounts and reviving old clips. It reports no chart movement, release schedule, institutional adoption or policy consequence. For listeners, the election supplied a ready-made theme for a burst of partisan music jokes rather than a new musical movement.

The test will be whether those posts produce releases, performances or durable political endorsements; the source documents none so far.