STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Obama And Springsteen Podcast: Exclusive Listen To How The Former Pres. Singing Al Green's ‘Let’s Stay Together’ Became A Viral Moment

In an exclusive clip, the former POTUS talks about his passion for music and how he unintentionally stole the show!

Since releasing his Renegades: Born in the USA podcast with Bruce Springsteen on Feb. 22, former President Barack Obama is taking us behind the scenes on how the viral video of him singing “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green really went down. 

Renegades: Born in the USA podcast with Bruce Springsteen is an eight-episode series featuring Obama and music legend Springsteen discussing a series of topics, Variety reports. The duo have been friends for over a decade and spend time engaging in “deep and revealing conversation, spanning race, marriage, fatherhood and the state of America.”

In episode two of Renegades, airing on Monday (March 1) on Spotify, the 44th president shared how his shower singing eventually turned into him breaking into song at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 2012. 

In an exclusive clip released to BET.com, Obama says, “I am unembarrased about singing. My daughters and my wife sometimes roll their eyes. I have been known to have been scolded by my staff for doing air guitar stuff on Air Force One.”

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Taking listeners back in time to when he wowed millions, Obama gave us the lowdown on how the world got introduced to his soulful voice. 

“Listen here’s the story,” he starts saying that he was attending a fundraiser at the legendary theater after missing Al Green’s performance on stage earlier that evening. “As is always true - I don't get to see the act 'cause they've got me somewhere else. I'm getting there late after the performance.” 

(Photo by Rob DeMartin)

Photo by Rob DeMartin

(Photo by Rob DeMartin)

RELATED: Barack Obama And Bruce Springsteen Launch Spotify Podcast

The former Potus continued saying that he was disappointed that he had missed the legendary soul singer’s stirring performance and started singing backstage. But what he didn’t realize was that once he got on stage, Green would still be there sitting in the lower seats. 

Admitting that he might not have broken out in song if he wasn’t running on his fifth event of the day, Obama blames the fatigue for his crooning moment. 

President Obama also talks about how his passion for music was birthed out of listening to Top 40 songs on the radio and discussing with Springsteen how the Rock & Roll legend became a guitar aficionado starting with folk music in the 1960’s while growing up in Freehold, N.J. 

Listen to the full podcast episode below on how Barack Obama’s viral Al Green rendition came to be:

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