The Songs of 2020
If you’re wondering how 2020 went for me, “Ribs” by Lorde was one of my most played songs of the year… that should say enough. Like everyone, 2020 was tough. It was long and weird and challenging, marked by various moments of reckoning.
Throughout the year, I was forced to sit with the thoughts and feelings that constantly circle my mind, and instead of pushing them off, I actually had to work through them… I still am, it’s a work in progress. To be entirely honest, it was more difficult to make sense of these internal dialogues than I could have ever imagined. Between a chapter left unfinished in Chapel Hill, a frantic move to the West Coast, and an arduous process of self-discovery in a place I felt rather constricted by, the world both changed and remained the same more than I would have liked.
In 2020, music was more of an escape than ever before.
In this playlist, I included instrumentals for the first time. These types of songs have always occupied a prominent position in my “Spotify Wrapped” because I tend to listen to them while studying or writing. This year though, I began playing the scores of my favorite films while biking and walking around. It was odd at first, but eventually, they began providing me with brief moments of peace – easing the feelings that would oftentimes come flooding into my mind all at once.
The other songs on this playlist are ones that upon listening to them for the first time, I stopped in my tracks, uttered something to myself about how incredible that was, and proceeded to replay them. It wasn’t too difficult to find good stuff as some of my favorite artists like Dua Lipa, Fleet Foxes, HAIM, Phoebe Bridgers, Sylvan Esso, and my most recent obsession, Taylor Swift, released truly stunning albums that helped the days feel a bit lighter. In addition, I made an effort to share more music with friends and acquaintances alike, and in return, they helped me broaden my horizons to newer sounds.
As always, here are some of my most cherished listening experiences of 2020:
Absolutely thriving in pre-COVID times while dancing to “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat and “Fake ID” by Riton and Kah-Lo in the Bunker basement.
Walking around Chapel Hill in the late Spring and romanticizing the world around me thanks to the scores of films like LION and LADY BIRD.
Badly belting “Halo” by Beyoncé in Rishika’s car after seeing sunrise at Kenan Stadium with our Sunrise biscuits in hand.
Bumping Lady Gaga’s Chromatica on the first leg of my trip back to Miami from Chapel Hill after bawling my eyes out at a gas station for a solid thirty minutes.
Saving nearly every song from Hulu’s NORMAL PEOPLE and deciding to use “Sometimes” by Goldmund for my reel because of the impact that scene left on me.
Going on long drives in the Fall and listening to “Mirrorball” by Taylor Swift and “Chinese Satellite” by Phoebe Bridges on loop.
Heading towards the water’s edge in Santa Barbara while playing “Something Here” by Day Wave and knowing things would get better in due time.
It was an intense year; I think anyone can attest to that. But if I can distill my many learnings into one point, it would be: press on. For a long time, it was hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I fell so deep in a hole that I couldn’t quite figure out how I would get myself out. As corny as it may be, I returned to music time and time again to feel more completely and think more clearly. I was constantly reminded of the joys to come in these moments.
Anyways, I have more to share, so for now, here’s “my 2020” – a collection of songs that helped me get through one of the toughest years yet.