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WHETHER you followed the 2025 election campaign closely, overheard snippets in passing, or even supported a rival party, chances are you still found yourself humming along or singing the United National Congress' (UNC) campaign song When UNC Wins Everybody Wins – thanks to its arguably irresistible catchy nature.
The UNC effectively turned the song into a political weapon, blasting it at every opportunity – from rallies, to walkabouts and even as a paid radio advertisement (just the song).
Steve Bailey, a behavioural psychologist with over 21 years of experience, said the song was one of the main reasons the UNC's campaign was a success.
"If you have a promise and you put it into a language people can relate to... a song, it is quite an emotional experience for most people, so it goes deeper into the psyche."
The catch, he said, was when the UNC won, everybody won.
"Most people in our country believe that they are oppressed. Grocery prices are high, they can't pay their bills and it is only a select few people who have wages that they can comfortably live on.
"When you come out with a song or any mechanism that is easy to understand that "everybody wins" – you get free laptops, you going to restart Petrotrin or whatever else you're saying – it takes people immediately to a vision out of that oppression."
Bailey said former prime minister Stuart Young's messaging was more "reasonable.
"Young telling people that they won't necessarily win and that they would have to brakes because the country cannot afford this or that was an easy sell for the UNC."
When asked about the PNM's changes of slogans from All In to A New Chapter to Red, Ready and Responsible as compared to the UNC sticking to When UNC Wins Everybody Wins, he said consistency was key.
"You have to maintain it because it has to sink in. You need to say the same thing over and over and over and then it sinks in.
"If you don't catch them the first time, you have to try until you do. And once you do catch it, you have to keep repeating it."
A communications professional with experience executing social and behaviour change campaigns across the Caribbean also agreed.
"It was a resonant message because everybody along the line of the social strata, no matter if it was rural communities or businessmen, remembered a time there was more money in the country.
[caption id="attachment_1153145" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Isasha (Brendon Young) struck a chord with Let’s Do This Together for the PNM in 2015. - Photo by Faith Ayoung[/caption]
"There were more resources in the country during the 2010-2015 period, hence more economic fluidity. And the UNC played on that."
She said one of the UNC’s strengths during the campaign was their clear and consistent messaging.
"If you really look, they essentially launched their campaign and messaging for this election since February 2024. People thought because they had no candidates they were behind, but it is the message that reads to the heart of the people."
Something to look for in 2030?
While there's no scientific evidence that a campaign song decides the outcome of an election, Newsday has noticed a trend over the past four elections – the party with the catchiest tune has marched to victory.
In 2010, Nigel Rojas delivered the soaring anthem We Will Rise for the People's Partnership. The popularity of the song and the message seemed to echo through to the ballot boxes, leading the party to a decisive 29–12 victory over the PNM.
Five years later, in 2015, the tables turned. The PNM struck a chord with Let’s Do This Together by ISasha. The hit helped propel them back into power with a 23–18 win over the UNC.
By 2020, the campaign trail was an artiste's paradise. Two PNM tracks went viral, energising voters – especially the youth.
Trinidad Ghost's PNM Balisier Steppers Dance stormed social media and street corners alike with infectious lyrics:
"PNM! Them ah the best.
All the youths, new dance, they ah go like this.
All the youth rocking with the PNM, everybody rolling with the PNM,
All the steppers moving with the PNM, with the PNM, with the PNM.
Right foot balisier, left foot balisier,
Everybody just do the balisier, everybody just do the balisier."
The Right Choice, a collaboration between Peter C Lewis, ISasha, Rishi Singh and Super Blue added more musical firepower to their winning campaign as they beat the UNC 22-19.
This year, the UNC’s main campaign anthem was performed by Devon Thomas.
While his voice carried the message, Thomas admitted he was not the song’s writer.
When asked who wrote the lyrics, he said the writer preferred to remain anonymous but confirmed they were involved in the campaign.
Thomas said the songwriter's inspiration came from wanting to capture the minds and hearts of the people in the country.
"They wanted to create a song that, regardless of race, religion, or age, people could relate to. It is meant to be an inclusive song."
Thomas said he knew the song was a hit.
"Everybody loves it. Everywhere I perform it, I lose my voice because I sing it so much.
"When you go places and you hear people singing the song and people walk up to you and say, 'We didn't know you sang it. It is so inspirational.'"
He said the party and everyone involved in the process knew how much impact the song would have.
"When we sent the boss (Kamla Persad-Bissessar), she was like, 'Yeah, we're going for when the UNC wins, everybody wins.' She loved it so she gave it the stamp of approval immediately.
"When we went to the studio, all of us were there and trying to create the song to give it that effect."
And an effect it had, as the political road march this election, helped the UNC gain 26 seats, to the PNM's 13 and the Tobago People's Party's (TPP) two.
 
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