Pop out of the quarantine blues
You should probably read this article along with this spotify playlist
Pop music exists as a living archive of each decade’s defining trends, and on a personal level, a dreamy utopia where the president is Beyoncé, the currency is escapism and the language is love (and as of 2020 Britney Spears is a socialist icon).
The reality of the COVID-19 pandemic is that most people around the world are currently stuck at home facing social isolation, economic uncertainty, and existential dread about what exactly is going to happen next. Trying times like these call for actionable, easy things we can do for our mental health while we wait it out at home. Enter the humble pop song.
The pop music we hear most often around is primed and engineered for enjoyment with pleasant voices, fun lyrics and catchy hooks that are specifically designed to induce a high. In our pre-social distancing days, we couldn’t help but get exposed to at least a dozen pop songs while just going on with our days. We would half-hear them, tapping a foot to one song, but ignoring another. Due to their sheer volume and ubiquitous presence, their full potential to affect our moods would go unnoticed.
Now that we are responsibly staying at home, pop music can serve as an unexpected source of comfort. It can function as a tool to balance out our constant alertness through emotional release and expression. As we have the time to consider the music in earnest, mindfully listening to bangers can actually help us get through this time.
There’s no music more up for the task of getting us through a dark period than Carly Jepsen’s effervescent 2015 album Emotion. With curiosity, giddy excitement and squirmy insecurity, the music captures how we fall in love and connect with others while tricking your face into a big smile. There’s a song on it for every ahem emotion. “Run Away With Me” evokes the exhilaration of a warp-speed road trip. “All That” is a compassionate yet demanding love jam that makes me think of Lady Gaga’s equally touching “The Cure”, and “When I Needed You” is a haunting breakup track disguised as a jolly fever dream.
If we dare to peek behind the simple lyrics and stories of Emotion, we can find complexity though the relatability of our own experiences. The elation of pop music comes precisely from its ability to show us that big emotions are good and healthy for us. The vulnerability of a pop artist who dares to write and perform something extremely personal can charge us to live out our own emotions boldly when nuance or a fear of offending can hold us back from feeling fully. The intricacy of our difficult day-to-day life can thus be balanced with this charged emotional availability. The beats and captivating voices give us the gift to create a world in our head, to redefine how we feel and to champion our inner diva.
Dua Lipa’s stellar new album also offers some comic relief in the news cycle, sparking a series of memes about the quarantine. On “Don’t Stop Now,” she commands with gusto: “Don’t show up, don’t come out / don’t start caring about me now / walk away, you know how /don’t start caring about me now”. On her third single “Break My Heart” she playfully regrets “I would have stayed at home / cause I was doin’ better alone”. Big emotions can also reward the act of staying put and following the rules.
Previously I’ve suggested that perhaps pop music’s escapism exists in a bubble of unlimited resources where “we are not used to talking about pain and hurting (in a way that is not self-serving or empowering), class issues (because nobody wants to jam with a poor pop star) or uncertainty (because confidence and killer dance moves have been deemed attractive).” And while there is power in escaping to pop world, it would be nice to also stay vigilant and keep assessing how we can help others with time, affection and resources. Just know that next time when it gets too heavy, this playlist and your headphones are right at your fingertips. But take a moment and really listen to it, and let the punchy words ricochet around your head while the sweet, sweet synth melodies whisk you away somewhere else for the next hour or so. And only then go on.
Kosta Karakashyan is a Bulgarian-American choreographer and director. For more information on his work click here.