A giant in the field of politics, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich—who stands just under 5 feet tall—has spent a lifetime fighting for, yes, the little guys. He shares how dealing with grade school bullies prepared him to battle for the middle class. Here are his seven songs.

Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael
Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
Chain Gang – Sam Cooke
Baby I Need Your Loving – The Four Tops
Lady Madonna – The Beatles
Metaphor – The Fantasticks
Suzanne – Judy Collins

Listen to Robert Reich’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.

How Robert Reich learned to fight bullies