As of April 26, the number of Coronavirus cases in the U.S has stretched up to 954,875 and the death toll has come up to with 53,922. Social distancing is still heavily encouraged amongst the people and many American citizens across the country still remain in quarantine. Non-essential travel is still discouraged.
With many people limited to the perimeter of their homes, good morale has been scarce. Many people are trying to find new ways to stay occupied and take their minds off the growing pandemic. Jill Suttie from “Greater Good Magazines” has provided research on how music can have major affects the brain and influences different emotions and social behaviors. As Coronavirus continues to spread there are many songs that may be able to influence others to stay positive and maintain good morale during this pandemic.
“Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” – Spamalot
Spamalot was a three-time Tony, award-winning Broadway show back in 2005. It was a musical adaptation of Monty Python’s classic “Holy Grail.” One of its major musical numbers is “Always Look on the Bright side of Life” written by Eric Idle.
This is a song that encourages listeners to never give up and to always find a way to smile before getting consumed by sadness.
“You could always make things better even while you’re in quarantine by looking at all the opportunities you have,” Jonas Kolb, a sophomore engineering major, at Messiah University said. “It is a song that presents a sort of choice, are you going to look at the first part of the song and stay optimistic or are you only going to focus on the second part of the song and dwell on all the possible negative outcomes.”
“Happy”- Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams originally wrote this song for the soundtrack of the 3D movie “Despicable Me 2”. The song has a great blend in R&B, funk and soul, it is also very repetitive in lyrics. While some may think the repetition could be moving, the song progresses at an easy pace and was created to provoke positive behavior.
“It’s very catchy and it gets everybody dancing and clapping,” Matt Harty, senior education major, at East Stroudsburg University said. “I think it’s a very positive and soft sounding song that really does do a great job at influencing the masses to find reasons to be happy and positive.”
“Stronger”- Kelly Clarkson
Released in 2011, this hit classic is all about how Kelly Clarkson’s strong empowerment as she tries to encourage listeners not to stay down when they get knocked down by life’s biggest challenges. This song went from number eight to number two on the Hot 100 list in the same week. In this uncertain time, this song can encourage listeners to stay strong and get dragged down by what is currently happening with the pandemic.
Kelly Clarkson in 2002 after being crowned the first American Idol winner. Provided by Loquitur
“We are Family”- Sister Sledge
This song is considered to be a sort of anthem for many different women’s groups and was also one of America’s top-10 hits. It not only made the sisters of the band feel closer but the lyrics also sent a strong message about unity. Not only does it encourage families to come together but it also makes friends feel just as close.
The list of songs goes on and the world has many different artists to search for positive influence. While in quarantine many well known artists continue to perform for others through social media. Many new performances from artists can be viewed through Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. All while staying in the comfort and safety of their homes.
