Item

Songs from a Pandemic

Title (Dublin Core)

Songs from a Pandemic

Description (Dublin Core)

Songs from a Pandemic is an attempt to chronicle what SC artists are writing as a response to these strange and difficult times. (More below.) Let me know if you have a song for the playlist(s). Stay safe everyone! And keep making your music! :)

Why am I collecting Songs from a Pandemic?

About the middle of March, 2020, as Americans were moving toward stay-at-home orders, I started to see more songs posted that referenced the pandemic, whether using the term pandemic or terms like coronavirus, COVID-19, quarantine, self-isolation, etc. I thought it would be interesting to take note, so I started the playlist Songs from a Pandemic in early April to catalog songs written and posted during this time. Once I saw some artists posting multiple songs related to the pandemic I created More Songs from a Pandemic. The main playlist features a single song from an artist writing on the theme. When an artist on the main playlist posts another song related to the pandemic I am placing those songs on the More Songs playlist.

I'm interested in the number of artists who are expressing themselves to others by naming their song after our current situation or writing lyrics about life during the pandemic. I don't know how many artists will do so. We're all affected by the pandemic, so if we're producing art right now it is likely to have been influenced by our times in some way or another. But since I can't capture every song in a playlist, I am collecting the works where an artist has a sent a clear message in the form of a song title or tags or description or in lyrics.

Finally, I thought the SC communities would be interested to have a historical document of these times, how musicians expressed themselves. We're mostly create-at-home artists as it is, so I think we're seeing more activity among musicians because of the pandemic. And of course more songs about privation, isolation, anxiety and stir-craziness. And what does all that sound like? We're learning more every day.

What qualifies for these lists and how are the songs picked?

First, there are 2 playlists. Songs from a Pandemic and More Songs from a Pandemic. The criteria for adding a song are almost identical. But the main playlist features only one song per artist. The second playlist includes additional works by those artists and which fit the criteria below. In both cases, these are songs that have been written roughly after February 1, 2020.

The lists are not based on things I personally prefer or genres I most enjoy. I'm trying to be as comprehensive as I can. The songs surface mostly as reposts that appear on the SC Stream. I scroll through the stream about 4 times a day and I try to review every notification every day. I'm looking for evidence that a song reflects the pandemic (e.g., coronavirus or COVID-19) or how our lives have been affected. How do I know this is the case? It's not easy since I'm not sending artists messages asking about their songs. Instead, I'm looking at 5 things. If any one of those things is clear and obvious, I'll add the song to a playlist. Or, if in combination these things suggest a connection, I'll add the song to a playlist.

1. Track title
2. Track description including lyrics
3. Tags
4. Cover art
5. Artist replies to comments

I may look at all of these in an effort to find a connection to the pandemic. I am quite sure I have overlooked many pieces that the writer intended to reflect life in the pandemic but which was not obvious in the five factors I noted. E.g,, a track called Loneliness could very well relate to the pandemic, but with no additional clues besides a track title there's no way to be sure it is relevant. Such a title could just as easily refer to something else.

Your feedback is welcome if you want to send a message. I'll do my best to be fair and consistent in building a record of how the artists on SC lived their lives in the shadow of this pandemic.

Date (Dublin Core)

March 28, 2020

Creator (Dublin Core)

Gary Rees

Contributor (Dublin Core)

Gary Rees
Mark Tebeau

Source (Dublin Core)

Gary Rees on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gary-rees-since-87
Songs from a Pandemic: https://soundcloud.com/gary-rees-since-87/sets/songs-from-a-pandemic

Publisher (Dublin Core)

SoundCloud

Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)

Music
English Biography

Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)

song
SoundCloud
journal

Linked Data (Dublin Core)

Mark Tebeau Biography Sheet

Date Submitted (Dublin Core)

04/29/2020

Date Modified (Dublin Core)

11/21/2020
06/15/2022

Accrual Method (Dublin Core)

2874

Item sets

Covid 19

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Screenshot of CDC.gov.CDC Website Link Interactive Resource

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