Playlist 508: Mar 2020, Quarantine of Hope Mix (44)
These are a bunch of songs. Primarily they’re all songs or tunes I love. They all mean something to me. But I was also thinking about music during a pandemic. Music that can unite as all the best music does. That’s universal. Music when you’re stuck somewhere – at home, maybe, or somewhere not many other people are – and what it can do for you. Music when you’re looking for meaning. Music when you’re isolated. Distanced. Music when you need hope or inspiration or comfort. Or an uplift. Or strength. Music when you’re worried. It turns out songwriters and composers have addressed these themes. A lot. Like Talking Heads giving paranoia a cathartic groove. Lambchop paying tribute to people in the form of an irresistible soul singalong. Songs of love for someone in particular (I’ll light your way back, You’re the one, Can’t do without you, Heart of chambers). Songs about love more generally (Undying love for humanity, Triumph of a heart)