Pandemic Playlist: Our Top 5 songs to make you a 'Believer' in your own strength and help you defeat a malady
In a time when the global challenge of coronavirus pandemic stares at us, it is undeniable that a unified attitude and strength may just be the very thing to get us through this era. In a world filled with an endless list of inspirational songs, there are some artistes who have recorded their struggles with health issues or wrote for sick loved ones.
Whether the intention was a message of hope or just to pen the painful events they experienced, just the notion that someone out there has been through something is a tangible comfort to those who feel alone in their hardships. Our Pandemic Playlist today is about uplifting songs that were born out of struggles with health.
Imagine Dragons — 'Believer'
"First things first. I'mma say all the words inside my head. I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been," sings Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds pointing listeners to a newly adopted attitude before declaring, "I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea."
The idea that we don't let anyone or anything dictate the direction of our lives and rather take hold of self has always been a powerful one, and together with the song's chest-thumping beat and strengthening lyrics, 'Believers' is the perfect addition to this list.
Fans may not know that Reynolds lives with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, as well as depression and anxiety. He spoke with People about the song's inspirations, saying, "The song is about how pain made me a believer. It’s made me a believer in myself, it’s made me a believer in my art and work. I wouldn’t have my art if it wasn’t for pain.”
Avril Lavigne — 'Head Above Water'
Whether we turn to religion or rely on our own understanding of life's issues, we can all agree that there is a certain turning point we have to search within ourselves a path to being away from hardship and onto our warrior's spirit.
In the powerfully vocalized ballad 'Head Above Water', Avril Lavigne spoke about an experience with God during her struggles with Lyme disease which she said got so severe at one point, she had actually accepted her impending death, according to Billboard. She said she prayed to God to save her which can be found in the lyrics “God, please help me to keep my head above water.”
Silverchair — 'Ana's Song (Open Fire)'
Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns wrote this song about his fight with the eating disorder anorexia. Note "Ana" in the song's title is short for Anorexia. The song references Lady Diana, who also suffered from an eating disorder.
Johns explained, "It pretty much focuses on the story where the actor is a person with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. She's compulsively washing her hands and hiding behind a psychological disorder. And it's basically lots of visual stuff going on. It's got a story but it's very visual. We wanted to make a visual video but not a generic band rock performance video," according to Song Facts.
Seal — 'Prayer For The Dying'
One of the deeper songs on this playlist, there has been much speculation about its meanings. Although there are no confirmed reports, some have said that the song is about a friend of Seal who was dying from AIDS around the time of the song's release. Seal seems to take a third person's stance on the bridge between life and death, singing, "Crossing that bridge with lessons I've learned. Playing with fire and not getting burned. I may not know what you're going through. But time is the space between me and you. There is a light through that window. Hold on say yes while people say no. Life carries on."
Lenny Kravitz — 'Stand'
Although the music video takes on a psychedelic comical form, 'Stand' was actually written for a close friend of Kravitz who was paralyzed from the waist down because of an accident. In a 2011 interview with Reading Eagle newspaper, Kravitz explained, "I wasn't in the country at the time with the person, and I wanted to give this person some positive words and something to just continue to listen to help motivate them. It was like, what could I do? And what I could do is just give some positive words.
He added, "And now, happily, a year and something later, that person is on their feet again, which is a real blessing."