Vaccine recipients delight in uplifting soundtrack
Story behind amazing Moscone Center playlist
As if there weren’t already enough good vibes at the largest vaccination hub in San Francisco, word has come out of Moscone Center that the site has a vaccine playlist. And it’s outstanding.
Getting “vaxxed at moscone and they’re literally playing Here Comes the Sun on the PA and I’m shaking,” Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho tweeted on March 17. “I’m gonna f—ing cry.”
We’re all going to cry, Soleil. To songs we thought we had outgrown or exclusively heard at weddings, only to discover we loved them the whole time.
We went in search of the story behind the Moscone Center vaccine soundtrack, to give the world an official postjab playlist. Through the mayor’s office and Kaiser Permanente, I got in touch with Scott Keech, a registered nurse at Kaiser and assistant medical group administrator who directs operations for the Moscone site. He confirmed the clinic playlist started the day the vaccination hub opened — Feb. 4, 2021 — and that it was initially creat
ed for staffers arriving early for their first day of work.
“It was super early in the morning, and there were maybe 100 (vaccination staff ) a day coming in and trying to wake up,” Keech said. “And we thought, ÌWe need some music. We need to liven this group up and get them pumped up.’ u So we just turned on some music on someone’s iPod. And when the patients came in, we turned it off. The next day, it was like, Well, we should leave it on for the patients too.’ ”
In the beginning, Keech said, there was a limited cycle of songs on a loop, which was bringing joy to the vaccinated masses, but wearing on staff.
“Our staff who are here every day said, We can’t take it anymore,’ ” Keech remembered. “So we started to change it up, and we play different stuff every day now. But the goal is the sameb happy, upbeat music.”
Keech provided a playlist of some favorites that have been heavily played at the Moscone site, including many from that original soundtrack
1. “Here Comes the Sun,” The Beatles
2. “Happy,” Pharrell Williams
3. “ovely Day,” Bill Withers
4. “Higher ove,” Steve Winwood
5. “ean on Me,” Sandro Cavazzo
6. “Best Day of My ife,” American Authors
7. “ABC,” Jackson 5
8. “Walking on Sunshine,” Katrina and the Waves
9. “Can’t Stop the Feelingz” Justin Timberlake
10. “I Will Survive,” Gloria Gaynor
11. “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” Bobby McFerrin
Now, Keech says, the event management company that keeps Moscone running has taken charge of the playlist, which rotates more heavily with deeper cuts.
Keech remembers the club DJ favorite “Sidewalk Talk” by Madonna and John “Jellybean” Benitez coming on. (His first thought “Oh, I love this songz” Second thought “So random, how did we get this one on here”)
I threw the “What song played when you were vaccinated” question out to Chronicle readers on Twitter, and many remembered both the moment and the track — from “=our Body is a Wonderland” by John Mayer to “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police.
More clubready tracks showed up on the readersubmitted list, including “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit. “Ooh Child,” a pretty good choice for an official pandemic national anthem, came up twice.
Based on reader input, we’re adding these seven bonus tracks to Keech’s list
12. “Sidewalk Talk,” Madonna
13. “Sleepyhead,” Passion Pit
14. “Alright,” Supergrass
15. “State of Grace,” Taylor Swift
16. “Jump in the ine,” Harry Belafonte
17. “Sir Duke,” Stevie Wonder
18. “Ooh Child,” The Five Stairsteps
And with that, you have a pretty good playlist for your Bidensuggested July 4 postvaccination barbecue with friends.
Maybe these songs aren’t the first choice for musicsnobby generations like mine that were explicitly instructed to burn out, not fade away.
Before this year, the relentless positivity of “Walking on Sunshine” and Pharrell’s “Happy” was for gettingold people on the dance floor at weddings and for narcs.
But everyone’s pretty sentimental right now, waiting for their turn to get the shot or basking in the sweet afterglow. And the Moscone Center’s reported playlist of positive songs is a gift. The Pfizer vaccine is not the only thing I want injected directly into my arm.
Even with physically tiring days that last 1214 hours, Keech said working at the Moscone vaccination center has been “good for the soul.”
“I don’t think anybody is not happy, but some people are just u when they start heading up the escalators to leave, they’re dancing and screaming and clapping and cheering,” Keech said. “It’s really fun to see.”