What a year, huh?
Surely most of us are happy to welcome the last day of what feels like a prolonged 2020. It has been a year which presented countless challenges, making it difficult to outline which ranks at the top of the hard-hitting hurdles spectrum.
And it feels as if Heraclitus’s saying “Change is the only constant in life” has never been more true. Change was all around us. In fact, it was all inside us just as much – be it emotionally, mentally or physically; affecting our professional, personal and social lives; questioning our beliefs, priorities and, above all, hope.
While some sadly lost loved ones, others began battles with uncertainty in the face of job redundancies or adverse work rearrangements, insecurity about their resilience against physical and mental health conditions, and a gloomy despair about life and its future, the opportunities it opens and the little wonders it creates.
For me personally, it has been a year starting with a heartbreak of one kind and ending with a heartbreak of another. And while it was near to impossible to get emotional support, let alone hugs, in times of social distancing and isolation, I poured all efforts in keeping a balanced mindset and a weeny bit of hope in my heart. As if a quiet voice from the inside was assuring me it all happens for a reason and there are many valuable lessons we keep learning in life, regardless of what’s happening on a personal or a global level. It allowed me to just… let it be. Man, did The Beatles hit the spot!
Now, the beautiful world of arts was among the most negatively affected industries from the Covid-19 (coronavirus)-related crisis. In the UK, for instance, live performances such as concerts and theatre acts are non-existent since the outbreak hit Europe in March. As if health concerns and social restrictions weren’t enough, the inability to feed our souls with meaningful content, experienced live, kept adding to the woes both for artists and their audiences.
In these hard times, musicians had to adapt and many of them turned to Facebook, Instragram and other apps making some kind of ‘live’ performances possible – in the comfort of anyone’s living room. Fans also had to adjust to the new thing (I’ll restrain from the ‘new normal’ term as this way of living, in my opinion, is anything but natural), accepting the fact they sometimes have merely a 30-ish minute long online session, organised by a favourite artist once every couple of months – which could easily get interrupted or delayed depending on internet connection capacity.
Others took a different (and really mindful) approach of sending a message of optimism to their fans and the world through what they do best – yes, you guessed it – music!
Songs written during/for Covid-19
Among the pioneers in the effort to sympathise and provide much-needed comfort was OneRepublic which as early as the end of March made a claim for better days. As a person who understands the power of words and music, I am a big aficionado of meaningful and touching song lyrics. What I found in “Better Days” is a genuine promise of a brighter future which will surely come, because there will indeed be better days 🙂 Plus – its official music video is also pretty powerful in conveying a message of positivity.
Another big moment to understand the distress we have been living in this year was to realise that despite being isolated, we are all going through the same thing and face the same struggles. Holding space for ourselves and anyone else experiencing a hard time in 2020 was probably one of the most valuable insights to make a note of moving forward. And this was, in my view, the centrepiece in OK Go’s “All Together Now“, released in May. The song – and the video respectively – was recorded while the band members were “together alone” in their homes.
OK, so… we have been given a pinch of optimism for a better future, we have been reassured we are not alone in this and the whole world is going through the same struggles. But what else can we take from the 2020 experience? (See what I did there? :- ) A really useful, important and difficult skill to obtain, but one that guarantees balance and even wisdom. Yes, I’m talking about patience. Michael Bublé, Barenaked Ladies and Sofía Reyes taught us that we gotta be patient (ain’t it funny how the word means both a person receiving medical care and a person who is tolerant and enduring?) and we need to enjoy the period of lockdowns and social isolation as much as it’s possible for us.
Another good advice we got from music this year was to simply do what you can in these times. Bon Jovi told us we need to accept the situation as it is, while hinting it might be time for us to be kinder to others.
Pop music was there for us this year and it repeatedly made attempts to encourage us to be more kind (to ourselves and to others) and to remind us that even little things matter in such times. In their “Strange Days“, The Struts and Robbie Williams appealed for talking about the situation, but also took the chance to openly admit it is uncertain whether 2021 will be any different.
Yes, we all agree most of 2020 was nothing but an abundance of strange days. While some took it lightly, others had a more challenging time survivin’. And that’s okay – Bastille taught us this year that sometimes simply surviving and hoping you’ll one day feel fine is enough. We don’t need to always be jumping for fake and pompous joy, and we surely don’t always have to pretend all is going well. When asked “How are you?”, there’s nothing wrong with honestly confessing you’re just trying to go through another day.
Diving into the increasingly essential importance of tackling mental health issues (depression being one of the most common and pressing ones), this year brought a really powerful shift finally wiping away a bit of the unnecessary shame around psychological and emotional distress. Marshmello and Demi Lovato were a big part of the movement, telling us it’s completely okay not to be okay. The song was released to support a non-profit organisation-led movement aimed to achieve suicide prevention.
In fact, Demi herself has been open about struggling with drugs and alcohol addiction which comes to show artists are no strangers to anyone’s pain, have been through many of the things the average person is going through, and this is okay. What is NOT okay is to believe you’re all alone, different and that no one will understand you, so you bottle up and suppress emotions and don’t share or let people get close, resulting in forcefully making yourself go through this on your own. The real solution will come from opening up to people you know you can trust and would never cause you pain or make you feel embarrassed, people who appreciate and care for you. If these are not family and friends, there are ALWAYS friends, albeit seemingly in a distant way, in therapists, charities and non-profit organisations which truly care about you and the way you feel.
As my awareness of this post’s length arises, I’ll make a conclusion with two of the most comforting song lyrics I’ve ever heard and, despite not written during the pandemic, are applicable to this (and any other) difficult situation.
The first one is Mika’s brilliant way to remind us to relax, take it eeeeasy (sorry, couldn’t stop myself from singing this one), because unfortunately, there is not much we can do about the situation. Indeed, 2020 has shown us we need to let go of control and expectations about ourselves or the world, and as life has clearly demonstrated, there are times when there’s not much that can be done for the time being and we just need to calm into what is, no resistance involved. Sometimes this is the smart thing to do (there are, of course, situations when we need to do just the opposite – resist and fight for change, but more on that in another blog).
Last, but definitely not least, is a grand masterpiece (well, at least for my taste) by The All-American Rejects which ever since my teenage years taught me one of the greatest lessons in life – that even when our hope is gone, we need to move along. Words cannot describe how much I adore and appreciate the song (its beat, energy, lyrics, the vocals… everything), so I won’t say much about it, just have a listen and enjoy! I wholeheartedly hope it brings at least the same, if not higher, level of enthusiasm and love about life as much as it does for me 🙂
Finally, I’m wishing each and every one of you a happy, inspiring and truly wonderful 2021. I dare you to dream BIG and achieve all you’ve set your ❤ on! Let’s keep our heads up and our hearts open – for the best is yet to come!
P.S.: If you liked what you’ve read and want a piece of instant uplifting, here is a Spotify playlist of all the songs related to inspiration and calmness mentioned in this article.
The Music Guide 