2020 has been an 11-month-long test of my patience. It became difficult to compartmentalize and keep track of what felt like every month’s new disaster. In an effort to keep my sanity, I made a playlist of songs that not only capture the nature of 2020, but are also incredible listens.
I’ve included 20 tracks on the playlist, so here’s a look at some of my favorites:
“Panic” – The Smiths
2020 was riddled with disaster right off the bat. To start off, we just finished dealing with the nuclear threats North Korea was issuing on Christmas. Then, of course, that led to the World War III scare. I think it’s safe to say this emotion of “panic” was felt world-wide. It was almost too relatable when the lyrics, “could life ever be sane again” were sung.
“Should I Stay or Should I Go” – The Clash
When the stay-at-home order was implemented, it seemed people were either staying inside, or had no problem breaking the quarantine regulations. Even when stores and restaurants started to open again, it was still debated if it was acceptable to go out and eat dinner on a restaurant patio. The question conveyed through the song of “Should I Stay or Should I Go” epitomizes the process of making the decision to go out or stay in during lockdown.
“Let It Happen” – Tame Impala
2020 quickly became a laughing matter amidst all of the disaster. The new decade was a complete let down from everyone’s expectations, and my quickly-adapted mindset was to just let it happen. Sure my summer was not what I had pictured, and my senior year was practically robbed, but there’s nothing I can really do. Kevin Parker, the sole member of Tame Impala, portrays being ready for change and moving on, and not being able to fight certain things — which was forced upon the world when the pandemic hit. As much as we wanted our “normal” lives back, it was out of our control, forcing us to sit back and let it happen.
“That’s Life” – Frank Sinatra
Sinatra depicts how life can have its ups and downs and how, on a less inspiring note, if things get really bad, he may as well, “Curl up in a ball and die” — which is truly something that resonates with me at this moment in time.
“Parking Lots” – Plums
This track highlights a very specific part of quarantine when parking lots were the ultimate spot to see your friends while sitting in the trunk of your car. Although it wasn’t ideal, I think back to how it was enjoyable and really spiced up everyones’ lives, as it was something we’ve never experienced before.
“Strawberry Fields Forever” – The Beatles
Speaking for myself, quarantine and the six-month-long spring break felt like a complete, unreal fever dream. This song embodies the feeling of nothing seeming real and just feeling so surreal and lost. Whenever I learned about pandemics in history class, it felt impossible that it could happen in current time — especially during my own lifetime. In the lines, “living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see” felt applicable to the quarantine life, as I wanted nothing more than to just shut the world out and forget all of the political unrest and toxicity.
“Little Dark Age” – MGMT
This song holds a great amount of meaning and can be applied to 2020 as a whole. The song goes to describe police brutality, mental health and the dangers of the media and “fake news.” The artists also point to how they “grieve in stereo” or how they use the radio or TV to take their mind off things, which is what a lot of my quarantine consisted of — listening to music and watching movies to distract myself from reality.
“Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” – Tame Impala
It’s been 11 months of 2020 — a year that’s felt like eternity but also only a few days, just waiting for it to get better. Now it seems almost no progress has been made. Of course that’s not true and there have been changes — most importantly the new vaccines being found effective. But, cases are still going up and there’s talk of another stay-at-home order, making it feel like we’re only going backwards.
“This Year” – Beach Fossils
In 2019, 2020 was looked at to be everyone’s savior — the best year of everyone’s lives. Everyone I talked to seemed to think it would be “their year” or it’d be as glamorous as the “roaring 20s.” 2020 of course had different plans. So this year, in the nature of not wanting to jinx or curse anything, let’s not get our hopes up. Sure, a new year with new circumstances would be very refreshing — but the most we can hope for is that 2021 will not just be a carbon copy of the notorious 2020.