How will music tell the story of the pandemic?
by Davinia Vincent
Studio Manager at Unfold Stories
Music is one of man’s first storytelling tools. In medieval times, songs were used to tell stories of Gods and spirits. In times of slavery, songs were used to communicate and tell stories of homelands during voyages. Music has been used throughout history to pass tales and fables from one generation to the next when there was no written account.
Music is such a key tool in understanding societies that it is studied in the exploration of past tribes and communities in hopes of revealing the shared values and consciousness that define them.
Historically, music has provided a soundtrack to subcultures born out of common problems. Disco music emerged from the fallout of the sexual liberation and Black Power movement in the 60s, 70s and 80s in America. In times of crisis, songs like John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” express shared emotions and experiences that help tell the story of political conflict and cultural rebellion happening in society.
Musicians remain key storytellers in modern culture, gathering human experience and stories and merging them into melodies, hooks and verses. In this time of social and physical isolation, we have held on to music’s ability to create communities and feelings of oneness.
This pandemic has united us in human experience in a way that has not happened since the Second World War. It comes as no surprise then that music has provided narration and relief on a global scale as the events of the last year have unfolded.
Nina Simone said: “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Since Covid-19 sent the world into lockdown, artists have been following the timeless tradition of using music to express and record the way in which our lives have been transformed.
In 2020, Spotify saw a rise of nostalgia themed playlists, providing those working from home with a soundtrack to the pandemic. With live music drawn to a halt, artists took to social media platforms to livestream performances of songs, drawing on the music of the past to help express the sentiment of now. The NHS choir released a Covid-19 themed version of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and the Foo Fighters hit “Times Like These” was re-released in a Band Aid style collaboration featuring Celeste, Dua Lipa and Rag n Bone Man.
Promptly, lyrics directly referencing “lockdown” and “social distancing” — terminology that was not in our vocabulary weeks prior –began to show up in new releases. The arrival of digital audio workstations like Logic Pro in recent years had already shifted the production of music away from the big record labels into the hands of the artists. The “Stay Home” orders of 2020 further encouraged artists to make music their bedrooms and this was reflected in style.
The “Bedroom pop” tone of 2019 was pushed further with tracks that felt vulnerable and intimate. Independent UK artist Moncrieff’s “In My Room” talks us through his quarantine anxiety, over a simple 4 chord piano track. R&B singer Sinead Harnett’s “Quarantine Queen” explores fears of not finding love before the world ends, and came with an iPhone shot video, documenting her solo social distancing.
With the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 saw the trigger of civil rights movements across the world, most notably, the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Anderson Paak’s “Lockdown” came in June 2020 and told the world “the people are risin” as he reflected on attending protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd.
Protest songs continue to provide wider reflection and tell the story of the events that shaped this last year. Oppression and frustration have long been tools to encourage musicians to use their voices in a way that was brutally honest to incite social justice.
The right to use sound in this way is not reserved only for musicians. When the city of Wuhan was placed under strict lockdown, videos emerged of residents, confined to their homes, chanting “Wuhan Jiayou!”, translating roughly as “Wuhan keep fighting” from their balconies in unison.
We heard opera singing from rooftops in Rome and classical duets played from balconies in Brazil. The UK’s expression of gratitude and encouragement for front line workers saw us applauding and banging pots and pans on our doorsteps on Thursday evenings.
The emotional response to these musical expressions highlights the need for unity. The stress we feel during this time has increased our need to feel that connection with others and music has been our global attempt to do so. Creating sound with others increases the release of the love hormone, oxytocin, in our brains, encouraging social bonding at a time when we need it the most. A look at past pandemics suggest that this is not unique.
A part of all of us will inevitably be shaped by the events of this last year and that story will undoubtedly be told in the music and songs that narrate the experience of the pandemic.
