2020 songs that kept us sane.
It was an incredibly difficult year in so many ways. There’s no other way to sing that tune, really. But it would have been even more difficult if there hadn’t been music to help us get through it all. Music was a constant source of encouragement and escape, in a year when we badly needed both. Sure, the concert industry basically closed up shop back in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were still albums, videos, singles and — the newest star of the show — livestreamed events to enjoy.
Here are eight musical moments that inspired, entertained and helped us stay sane in 2020.
A true ‘Blessing’
“The Blessing” arrived at just the right time, offering up much-needed hope and assurance for millions who were just beginning to deal with the dark reality of the pandemic back in March. It first appeared as the soul-stirring lead single from Elevation Worship’s 12th live album, “Graves into Gardens,” and featured vocal work from Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes.
Then this amazing thing happened: The song was embraced by churches around the globe, with many joining together to record their own versions of the song. The result was a steady, uplifting flow of regional “Blessing” videos, including “The U.K. Blessing,” “The Blessing — Canada,” “The Pittsburgh Blessing” and “The Hawai’i Blessing.”
“The Bay Area Blessing” debuted in late May, featuring participants from more than 50 churches — from Marin to Morgan Hill and from Santa Cruz to San Carlos. An gorgeous Spanish language version, “La Bendición Los Angeles,” drew contributions from 70-plus ministries and was released in August. (Note: The Bay Area Blessing organization is set to release a Christmas video on Friday.)
The versions can all be found on YouTube.
One for the time capsule
Haim’s “I Know Alone” — from the Grammy-nominated “Women in Music Pt. III” album — isn’t just a really fun video to watch in the present. It’s also one that should be packed up in a time capsule for future generations, providing a glimpse at what life was like in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
First off, the video (which you can find on YouTube) promotes proper social distancing: The three Haim sisters — Este, Danielle and Alana — are positioned at least 6 feet apart from each other as they boogie through choreographed dance moves. It also respects shelter-in-place concerns, as the successful SoCal band — which probably could’ve recorded this video anywhere — chose a simple setting of a backyard basketball court. Finally, the video, which was released at the end of April, illustrates how people had to find new and creative ways to continue to work and connect with others during the pandemic.
One final gem
John Prine died in April due to complications from COVID-19, becoming one of the hundreds of thousands of casualties from this deadly virus in the U.S. alone. He left behind a legacy that places him among the greatest songwriters of all time, having penned such amazing offerings as “Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone,” “It’s a Big Old Goofy World,” “All the Best,” “Christmas in Prison,” “Everything Is Cool,” “Sam Stone” and “Angel from Montgomery.”
Oh, but Prine had one more gem left to give his many fans, a heartfelt and sobering look back at a life well lived titled, appropriately enough, “I Remember Everything.” It was the great artist’s final recording, which now serves as an achingly beautiful and bittersweet farewell to his fans. The song (which you can enjoy on YouTube and several streaming platforms) was released in June and debuted atop the digital rock charts, finally giving Prine his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts.
A ‘Remix’ to remember
DaBaby already had a massive hit on his hands with the original “Rockstar,” which was the second single from the hip-hop hero’s third studio effort, “Blame It on Baby.” The tune, featuring fellow superstar rapper Roddy Ricch, was released in April and spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the singles chart on its way to becoming one of the top smashes of 2020.
But then DaBaby took his game to an even higher level as he tapped into the social unrest that was sweeping the world following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and released “Rockstar Black Lives Matter Remix” in June. Both rappers added extra verses to the offering, drawing from their own experiences as they joined with the growing number of voices speaking out about police brutality against people of color. Catch the video on YouTube.
Glorious gospel music
Sometimes one just needs some real-deal gospel music to get in the right groove. And that’s what we’ve been getting from the Bay Area’s own Sons of the Soul Revivers now for over half a century.
“We are in love with — we eat, drink and breathe — traditional gospel quartet (music),” says lead singer James Morgan, who is joined in the Sons by brothers Dwayne and Walter Jr. as well as Ronnie Smith and DaQuantae Johnson. “I cannot think of any other group — no matter what style of music it is — that I would want to be apart of outside of the Sons of the Soul Survivors.”
The Vallejo band celebrated their 50th anniversary by releasing a terrific new studio album back in July, “Songs We’ll Always Sing — A Tribute to the Pilgrim Jubilees,” which is recommended listening for anyone trying to deal with the pandemic blues.
You can hear the group on YouTube and stream “Songs We’ll Always Sing” on Spotify and other streaming sites, and purchase the CD at the Little Village Foundation label site, littlevillagefoundation.com.
Patti has the ‘Power’
“People Have the Power” has stood as one of music’s most empowering political anthems basically since it was released as the first single from Patti Smith’s fifth studio album, 1988’s “Dream of Life.” It never goes out of fashion, yet there are times when its message — calling for people to take responsibility for their lives and the world they live in — rings a bit more loudly than others.
One of those times has been 2020. So, it wasn’t surprising to see Smith join up with a number of friends and musicians to record a new version of “People Have the Power” that was targeted at getting out the vote. The result is an wildly uplifting, socially distanced video featuring such talents as Michael Stipe, Joan Baez, Ben Harper, Lenny Kaye, Cyndi Lauper, Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour and many more. The video was released on Sept. 22 in recognition of the sixth anniversary of Pathway to Paris, the climate action nonprofit that was co-founded by Smith’s daughter, Jesse Paris Smith.
You can catch the video on vimeo.com/459419656.
Mighty Metallica
There’s nothing like experiencing live music in person, but livestreamed shows managed to help ease the pain of fans this year. One of the best of those decidedly 2020 events was mighty Metallica’s benefit concert back in November for its All Within My Hands charity, which works in support of disaster relief, education, providing food to those in need and other worthwhile endeavors.
The first half of this outstanding show was played acoustic, as the biggest Bay Area band of all time revisited “Creeping Death” and other fan favorites in somewhat softer fashion. Metallica then plugged in, as vocalist James Hetfield announced to online viewers it was time to “play heavy,” and the group proceeded to smash its way through such notables as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Enter Sandman.” The show raised about $1.3 million for the charity, the band says.
You can still stream or download an audio recording. More information is at www.allwithinmyhands.org.
Turn up the Christmas music
In the wake of all the gloom and doom associated with 2020, people are wholeheartedly embracing the light and joy of Christmas this season — putting up decorations earlier than usual, shopping online with gusto and turning up the Christmas music.
And listeners have certainly had plenty of options when it comes to the latter, as many artists have released seasonal efforts over the last few months. Our favorites for 2020 include offerings from For King & Country (“A Drummer Boy Christmas”), Leslie Odom Jr. (“The Christmas Album”), Chris Tomlin (“Miracle of Love: Christmas Songs of Worship”), Tori Kelly (“A Tori Kelly Christmas”), Rend Collective (“A Jolly Irish Christmas Vol. 2”), Carrie Underwood (“My Gift”) and Dolly Parton (“A Holly Dolly Christmas”).
You can find the albums at the regular streaming/ purchase sites.