I suppose I could have included this online activity in my two-part diatribe of all the amazing new things retirees have been trying out online. However, listening to music videos on YouTube probably is old hat for most folks. We were raised on music videos as presented by Much Music and MTV, so it was not much of a transition to start watching them on YouTube after its rise to prominence.
We have to remind ourselves that Much Music began broadcasting 35 years ago in 1984. Those of us who loved our vinyl in the 60s and 70s – and CDs beginning in 1982, took to this musical offering like the proverbial fish to water. We all quickly became fans of music videos. YouTube launched 15 years ago in 2005. It was one of the first tech companies to quickly attract an audience and has been flourishing ever since.
YouTube was never meant to be exclusively a music video platform, but music platforms remain one of its preeminent go-to options. Wikipedia reminds us just how popular music videos can become, “In May 2014 “Gangnam Style” became the first video to exceed two billion views. “Despacito” became the first video to reach three billion views in August 2017, and since has surpassed four billion in October 2017, five billion in April 2018, and six billion in February 2019.” Check out the whole list.
YouTube is very easy to access these days. We can do it from all of our desktop and mobile devices, and we can even access it directly through our smart TVs. I have friends who enjoy searching and listening to artists on their big screen TV as entertainment on any given evening.
During the Covid pandemic there has been a bit of a shift in how videos are being produced, and what purpose they serve. I’ll have to admit that I had not watched any music on YouTube for quite some time before these new lockdown-influenced YouTube productions began to be shared on Facebook. The COVID-19 pandemic was producing its own soundtrack.
Many artists and groups began producing videos while the individual members were self-isolating in their own homes, but were able to come together to collectively record a song. Several of these new productions honoured essential workers or served to remind us that we were all in this together, and even though we were separate we were united through music. Many of the videos identified below are of these varieties.
So here we go! I have provided links to a dozen of my favourite such offerings below. Click on the images to play the video. They will play in a new window or tab. I’ll provide a brief description for each.
Rise Again by The Choir of Women Physicians
First up, is this absolutely brilliant rendition of a tune popularized by the Rankin Family many years ago, “We Rise Again.” It is a recording of a choir of women doctors working in Toronto who clearly want us to remember that the pandemic will pass, and if we stick together, we will all rise again. Powerful stuff. Healthcare professionals taking time out of their intensely busy lives helping pandemic victims to remind us that there are better days ahead.
Remember, in YouTube you can always click on “Skip Ads” to get rid of video ads, and click on the tiny “x” to close banner ads that pop up in front of the video.
Lovers in a Dangerous Time by The Barenaked Ladies
The Barenaked Ladies! This was the first self-isolating video I came across after the lockdown began. I really appreciated the fact that these guys went out of their way to provide us with a little break during our lonely lockdown existences. Many others have followed suit since. I will have to admit that part of the appeal for me was that they were rerecording Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”, the cover that first drew national attention to this little band from Scarborough. I loved the tune to begin with, and I love their version of it. Nice to see them redoing it after all these years.
The Weight by Robbie Robertson | Playing For Change
This next song was passed around on Facebook after the lockdown began, but I can recall seeing it before that all happened. It is an international cover of The Band’s song “The Weight”. It features Robbie Robertson, the author of the tune, and Ringo Starr, but most of the players are street musicians from around the world. These compilation videos are a regular feature of the charitable organization’s “Playing For Change” work.
As stated on their website, “Playing For Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music. The idea for this project came from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people.” They assemble “Songs Around the World” by having multiple musicians and singers record the same song. These many recordings are then reassembled into a compilation video. They regularly use famous musicians in their videos to draw attention to their cause. Their videos are readily available on their website or on YouTube.
I watched the original video when I came across it because The Weight is one of my favourite songs of all time, and I was aware that it was the 50th anniversary of its first release. It may have been recorded pre COVID-19, but it certainly embodies the collective “we are all in this together spirit” apparent in many of the videos assembled specifically to comfort us all during the pandemic.
Lost Together by Blue Rodeo | The Great Canadian Singalong
And then we come to this beauty. One of Blue Rodeo’s most famous songs, “Lost Together”. The CBC website explains how this all came together. In April it was their plan to have CBC Music –
“join Canadians in song by collecting recorded performances of individuals singing the same great Canadian song from home. CBC Music will assemble these performances into one spectacular singalong — proving that few bonds are as strong as those between Canadians and their music.
Last week, we asked you to cast your vote for the song you want to sing. Today, we have the results. The song all of Canada will sing together is Blue Rodeo’s “Lost Together.”
The result is beautiful. Hundreds of Canadians in self isolation got to sing along with Greg Keeler and Jim Cuddy on the tune that they voted as the song they would like to sing along with. Yet again, a fine example of unity in isolation. Oh Canada!
Hallelujah by Hauser – Let It Be by GENTRI
Some of the YouTube offerings had a bit of a spiritual feel to them, almost like hymns. The next two tunes embody that sensibility. The first is Houser’s cello version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” – while sitting on a mountain of snow, how Canadian is that, eh! It was posted on March 23 during the start of lockdown.
The second is a beautiful version of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” by the trio GENTRI. Part of the reason this cover feels like a hymn is that it is sung in three-part harmony, and the three gentlemen perform it while sitting in church pews. Posted on May 12, it has had over 6 million views.
Uptown Fun by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
After a couple of hymn-like offerings it’s probably a good idea to pick up the pace a bit. The next song was recorded long before the pandemic, but it has been getting passed around a lot on Facebook over the last couple of months. Clearly, people were looking for something to uplift their spirits.
And, what is more upbeat and uplifting than some good old funk. From the Ellen DeGeneres show, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars doing “Uptown Funk”. It currently has over 63 million views. I. Have. Got. The. Funk. In. Me!
Appalachian Spring by Musicians of the TSO
Wanting to provide some balance in my musical offerings, it’s time to throw down a little classical music. This is a version of “Appalachian Spring” as recorded by members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, all in magnificent self-isolation at home.
What we’re trying to achieve was best said by one of their members on YouTube,
“Sending love to everyone in Toronto and across the world. No matter what distance keeps us apart, we’ll still find ways to make music together and celebrate the gifts of spring.”
Mercy Now by Long Haul Paul – Spanish is the Loving Tongue by Tom Waits
These next two songs are here just because I love the songs. They are covers done by two artists, one of which I had never heard of before, Long Haul Paul, while the other is by one of my favourite songwriters of all time, Tom Waits.
The first tune is by the artist who is new to me. During his introduction to Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now,” Long Haul Paul dedicates the recording to village priest Guiseppe Berardelli, from the Lombardy region in Italy. It was reported in the media that Father Berardelli had succumbed to the coronavirus after giving up his respirator to a much younger victim. Interestingly, while I was searching the event to confirm the spelling of the priest’s name I discovered an article that reported that, in fact, although he had died, he never did give up his respirator. I wonder where the truth lies?
The second is by the magnificent Tom Waits. Here he covers the classic “Spanish is the Loving Tongue”. The song really has nothing to do with the current situation. I just happened to stumble upon it while looking at another “pandemic related” tune. 🙂 This isn’t even really a video. It is simply the audio recording played over a very old photo of Tom playing the piano. A beautiful tune done in Tom Waits’ inimitable style.
I suppose you could say that these two songs group together nicely because of the similarities between the two artists. They both have delightfully husky, rough voices, are prone to scruffiness, and wear pork pie hats – although Tom has a newsboy hat on in this particular photo. 🙂 Enjoy!
We Rise Again by Anne Murray & Guests
And finally, to end it all, the song that this playlist began with, “We Rise Again”. Someone had posted it on Facebook in the hope that it would provide inspiration and positive thoughts during these troubled times, which that particular week also included the lives lost during the mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
It includes some of Nova Scotia’s greats; Anne, Rita, the Rankins, The Men of the Deeps, and a whole lot of other contributors. It was filmed on Cape Breton Island many years ago, but still powerful and applicable to the current situation.
Okay, it was a bit of a fabrication saying this was the last song, but there was no way I could not provide a copy of the song following it. Dylan’s latest tune will definitely be the last song available for your listening pleasure.
Murder Most Foul by Bob Dylan
In typical Dylan fashion, he threw out a “new” song in the middle of the pandemic. This may have been to comfort us, or to distract us, we may never know. What we do know for sure is that it is a classic. According to Rolling Stone .
“With its message of turning to music for comfort in troubled times, Dylan’s first new song since 2012 arrives right on time.”
I put it dead last because it is a bit of a commitment to listen to it – perhaps I should have said, it is a commitment to listen to the whole thing. It is 17 minutes long.
There were a number of versions available. I decided to put this one with the lyrics so that you could parse the lyrics for yourself as you listened. Lots of other folks have been analyzing the lyrics to death on the web. I will leave that google search up to you. 🙂
