Songs Speak

January 7, 2021

Marathons, I am told, are run more with the head than with the legs. I am also told that the hardest part comes after the midway point before the finish line is actually in sight, when you're so tired that it's hard to believe it will ever be over. Many races ban the use of headphones for safety reasons, but for those that permit them, I'm told that the right music at the hardest time of the race can be a runner's saving grace, until the cheering crowds at the finish line spur a final burst of momentum.

The right soundtrack at the right time can encourage endurance even outside of races. I remember playing REM's 1987 song "It's the End of the World as We Know It" on loop while studying for a biology exam in college; even now, words like "mitochondria" and "aerobic respiration" flash into my mind when I hear it. (Fun fact: This song re-entered the iTunes chart in March.) I've used music countless times since then when I have to do something tedious; the right rhythm coupled with great lyrics can remind me of things I already know but that are hard to focus on when times are tough.

Right now, we all need encouragement to endure the safety restrictions of the pandemic a bit longer until we really have it licked. The race to get us all vaccinated is on, and it's important that we not give up at this critical time. So it was in that spirit that on New Year's Eve I asked my Facebook friends to crowdsource a music playlist to help us all get through the last bit of this marathon. I asked for songs that encourage endurance and perseverance, and together we came up with over 200 songs that remind us to hang tough, stick it out, to stay with it.

I needed that reminder, and, most likely, so do you. So I have published the list in an article called (boringly but usefully) Songs of Endurance and Perseverance: A Playlist to Get Us Through COVID. It's organized by genre and song title, and includes links to where each song lives on YouTube. The list keeps growing as more get added, so don't be shy if you have recommendations; you'll see a link at the bottom of the article. If you just want to hit Play and start listening to the entire playlist you can find it here on Spotify.

I can't see the finish line yet, either. But it's up there somewhere. In the meantime, right now, don't let anything break your stride. Hold on. Keep pushin. And never surrender.

—Deb