The music of Obama's inauguration, mostly from the concert at the Lincoln Memorial two nights earlier, is hardly as important as the event it was decorating, but certain aspects of it fascinated me. I decided to mix up text and video in an overview moving from best to worst.

Pete Seeger, Tao Rodri­guez, Bruce Springsteen, choir - "This Land Is Your Land"

The finale of the inaugural concert as introduced by Bruce (who accompanied on acoustic guitar and occasionally added harmony vocals): "The greatest song ever written about our home." Pete's voice is not what it used to be -- after all, the man is going to turn 90 years old on May 3 -- but his grandson Tao Rodri­guez's powerful voice carried the words just fine. And they included political verses often omitted, which reminded us that the whole song is political, and repeatedly enjoined the whole audience to sing along, because it's their song, too.

Bruce Springsteen -- "The Rising"

A song that brings tears to my eyes found even greater resonance in this context -- and the choir helps, too.

U2 - "Pride (In the Name of Love)"/"City of Blinding Lights"

"On this spot where we're standing, 46 years ago, Dr. King had a dream. On Tuesday, that dream comes to pass," said Bono by way of introduction. Scaled down for this performance, for most of its four-plus minutes "Pride" took on an air of personal intimacy. And of course they also played the song that had been used by Obama's campaign.

Stevie Wonder with Usher & Shakira - "Higher Ground"

Certainly the funkiest moment of the inaugural concert. Shakira's a little overwhelmed, but Usher keeps up pretty well -- I like their call-and-response near the end. A complex song born in anger, vehemently rejecting war, but resolutely working towards a better world.

Renee Fleming - "You'll Never Walk Alone"

An artist on the level of Ms. Fleming can make a cliche like this breath freshly (not that Rodgers & Hammerstein can be faulted for the odd uses to which this song has been put). Nice arrangement too, but mostly it's about her beautiful voice and just-right delivery.

James Taylor, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, Arnold McCuller, Caroline Taylor -- "Shower the People"

This gentle song of love and hope could have ended up a terrible mess, given how odd a combination of singers it was saddled with, but though Nettles belted a bit too much and Taylor got overshadowed at times, Legend was tasteful as always and the gospel fervor that built up in the second half once McCuller let loose was surprisingly effective.

Beyonce - "America the Beautiful"

Hey, I'm as surprised as anyone that this made my list, but she doesn't oversing (well, maybe a little, but it's all good), doesn't drastically rewrite the melody, just presents a moving song in a moving way. A nice conclusion.

Mary J. Blige -- "Lean on Me"

Too bad she's accompanied by a tape, but vocally she really gives it her all. She's become a much better singer than she used to be.

Rev. Joseph Lowery -- Inauguration Benediction

Don't tell me that Rev. Lowery's wonderful rhythm and rhyme and his pitched delivery are not musical at times. Apparently some people think the conclusion was racist. Those people need to get a life, or a sense of humor.

Betty LaVette & Jon Bon Jovi -- "A Change Is Gonna Come"

Well, half of this is great. I understand they wanted to send a message of racial unity here, but couldn't they come up with a more soulful white singer than Jon Bon Jovi? He gets by okay, though. Betty's gritty voice steals the show, as usual.

Josh Groban, Heather Headley, D.C. Gay Men's Chorus -- "My Country 'Tis of Thee"

The instrumental arrangement grew syrupy and the chorus' only positive contribution was symbolic. Groban certainly couldn't match Headley as a singer, but didn't embarrass himself. What fascinates me about this is the strong possibility that whoever did the arrangement is familiar with the David Crosby/Michael Hedges version on Crosby's 1989 album Oh Yes I Can, which is absolutely beautiful and from which the opening piano part and the tender elongation of the end of the verse were presumably borrowed. Now, how cool would it have been to have Crosby sing at this concert? Alas, Michael Hedges is no longer with us, but Crosby's still going strong, still sounds great. I guess the inclusiveness so obviously at work in this concert just wouldn't extend to an ex-convict/ex-crack addict.

Now we're down to the annoyances I'm not going to dignify with video: John Mellencamp hamming it up on the despicably repurposed "Little Pink Houses" (remember when it was sarcastic, not patriotic?), Garth Brooks abbreviating "American Pie," Will.i.am and Sheryl Crow mauling Bob Marley's "One Love" (and wasting Herbie Hancock's talent), and, at the inauguration, Aretha Franklin obliterating "My Country 'Tis of Thee" amid a welter of personal tics, bad taste, and blatant oversinging, making it all about her rather than the song. - Steve Holtje

Mr. Holtje is a Brooklyn-based poet and composer who splits his time between editing Culturecatch.com, working at the Williamsburg record store Sound Fix, and editing cognitive neuroscience books for Oxford University Press. No prizes for guessing which pays best.