From rock and roll to country and gospel, candidates face the music and reveal their tastes

US Election: Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are showing some bipartisanship when it comes to music.

US Election:Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are showing some bipartisanship when it comes to music.

Democrat Hillary Clinton (60), and Republicans Fred Thompson (65) and Rudy Giuliani (63), last week all used Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway at their Iowa appearances.

Thompson and Democrat John Edwards (54) shared Our Country by John Mellencamp, who is supporting Edwards and campaigned with him.

Most of the songs are chosen to enhance a theme.

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Clinton, not surprisingly, is inclined toward tunes about strong women.

At a Des Moines rally, speakers blared out Tom Petty's American Girl and The Police song Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.

Barack Obama warms up audiences with Van Halen and U2.

At the close of most events, Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered prompts spontaneous clapping and dancing.

While recorded music is the norm, Republican Mike Huckabee (52) favours live music, including his own.

After a full day of campaigning this week, Huckabee finished off by taking the stage at a 1950s-style dance hall in Des Moines packed with an estimated 3,000 attendees. Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, delivered his standard stump speech.

Then he picked up his bass to jam with a local band, the Boogey Woogers, for covers of Sweet Home Alabama, Shake It Up Baby and Roll Over Beethoven.

Meanwhile, Edwards's hectic dash across Iowa in the final 36 hours before the caucuses was costly for those trying to keep up.

The Iowa State Patrol stopped one of the campaign vans carrying members of the media in the Edwards caravan.

The fine was $102.80 for travelling 17 miles per hour over the 55mph speed limit.

The vehicle carrying the candidate wasn't cited. - (Bloomberg)