By now, you’ve heard about the five artists who are slated to receive Kennedy Center Honors in December – Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, KISS, Sylvester Stallone and George Strait. At a press conference announcing the honorees, President Trump said he was “98% involved” in the selections and that he’ll host the televised ceremony on which these artists are saluted.
While Trump’s involvement will make many view these selections through a partisan lens, we’re asking you to put that aside and simply tell us what’s your favorite song associated with this year’s honorees. We give you two choices for each honoree.
For Crawford, the Tony-winning star of The Phantom of the Opera, you can choose between his two most famous solos in that show: “The Music of the Night” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”
For Gaynor, you can choose between her two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: her discofied remake of The Jackson 5’s “Never Can Say Goodbye” and her Grammy-winning No. 1 smash “I Will Survive.”
For KISS, you can choose between their rock anthem “Rock and Roll All Nite” and their image-broadening ballad “Beth,” the band’s first top 10 hit on the Hot 100.
For Stallone, you can choose between Hot 100-topping hits from two of his Rocky movies: Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” and Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” Both songs were Oscar-nominated for best original song. (Fun Fact: Stallone is this year’s only Kennedy Center Honors recipient who is associated with two No. 1 Hot 100 hits.)
For Strait, you can choose between “Amarillo by Morning,” a 1983 hit that has long been a fan favorite, and “Check Yes or No,” one of his record 44 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
What’s your favorite of these 10 songs associated with this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees? Vote!