The Best Musical Remedies for Lockdown / Article

Music has been the voice of reason throughout the first national UK lockdown, and now, the second. Here are my top five lockdown tracks which have kept me sane (for the moment). 

‘Cardigan’ – Taylor Swift. 

Despite the country-pop singer songwriter releasing her eighth studio album in July of this year (2020), Cardigan is a song I only discovered recently, much to my regret. The lead single from Folklore, Swift’s lockdown project album, with over 160 million streams on Spotify, the song explores the loss of an old lover, and the memories of being with them. For me, this song emphasises the loss of human contact during the pandemic, with lyrics like: “To kiss in cars and downtown bars was all we needed.” 

‘Nobody’ – Mitski.

Does this song need an explanation? Mitski perfectly captures the early lockdown vibes I’m sure a lot of people were feeling during the first national lockdown way back in March. The Japanese – American singer released this song as the ninth track off her fifth album Be The Cowboy, in 2018. 

‘I Can Hear Music (alternate lead vocal)’ – The Beach Boys.

This remake features on The Beach Boys’ 2018 album, I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions, and is one filled with dreamy summer undertones. Although just only over two minutes long, the song propels the listener into a carefree, nostalgic mood, leaving them feeling light on their feet. A quick fix for a guaranteed brighter mood. 

‘Do You Remember The First Time?’ – Pulp. 

Released in 1994, the meaning behind the song, of having a “first time”, is still prevalent to angsty, lustful teens everywhere. Jarvis Cocker manages to release music which puts the listener in his shoes, and makes them feel as though they are on the cusp of discovering something with his music, much like what ‘Common People’ managed to do a year later in 1995. 

‘Where Is The Love?’ – The Black Eyed Peas. 

This was the soundtrack of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests around the globe, which surged after the murder of American George Floyd by police officers, in May of this year, (2020). Although released in 2003, the message behind the song clung to 2020 events, and re-entered the charts earlier this year.