Pandemic Playlist: Our Top 5 Ben Platt songs will help you celebrate Pride Month with passion and openness
Hello there, music-loving friends. As the world continues to tilt and spiral out of control at a dizzying rate, we've been constantly reminded in the last few weeks that sometimes we take our freedoms for granted. Freedoms that include being able to go outside and mingle with our friends, while speaking our minds freely and not being harassed by bigoted people. In light of recent events like the coronavirus outbreak and the Black Lives Matter protests, the world has now entered a brave new dawn of sociopolitical activism. It's great to see that people are now making an active effort in ensuring that the voices of the outnumbered minorities are not being silenced anymore and that small-minded oppressors will be held accountable for their actions. One group in particular that has borne the brunt of ridicule and insensitivity for a long time now is the LGBTQIA++ community.
Although members of this wide-ranging spectrum are now a welcome and active part of our society and culture, things weren't always this positive for them in the past. In fact, even today, members of the LGBTQIA++ community continue to be marginalized, targeted, and oppressed for choosing to be their authentic selves, and that shouldn't be happening in a progressive world. So as part of the ongoing Pride Month celebrations, we've decided to pick a super-talented gay singer-songwriter, Ben Platt, for our daily pandemix. This Broadway star and actor is an incredibly talented performer who has won Emmy, Tony, and Grammy awards already, and he's just 26 years old! He's also unabashedly and gloriously uninhibited when it comes to his showcasing his loud and proud sexual orientation in his songs, so let's take a listen to some of his popular hits today.
'Bad Habit'
The debut single from his 2019 album, 'Sing To Me Instead', this heartfelt song perfectly showcases Platt's vulnerabilities as well as his impressive voice. According to the singer, Platt says the song is “sung from the perspective of someone looking retrospectively at a relationship that they have gotten out of and realizing that it’s someone they can’t seem to escape.” He also added, "There’s an attraction and comfort to someone that might not be the right person for us, but there’s a connection where you can’t help but go back again and again." We can't help revisiting this candid number either, it's a beautiful track.
'Ease My Mind'
The second single off his popular debut album, 'Ease My Mind' is another intimate and refreshingly honest take on Ben's inner monologue, as he grapples with various insecurities and anxieties. However, he also celebrates the fact that he has a special someone to pull him out of the dark waters - "Darling, only you can ease my mind / Help me leave these lonely thoughts behind." The cozy music video is also a tribute to his previous relationships and the men he's loved. As Platt explained, "We’re going to represent what this was inspired by, which was this man that I was in love with. So it was really a no-brainer.”
'Rain'
This is a lovely feel-good dance-pop number, where Platt first openly acknowledges being hurt by male lovers in the past. "You’ve been through this before / You gave away all your secrets / To someone who up and left you in pieces / I know the feeling, believe me.” Yet Ben doesn't allow the past to color his present mood, instead joyfully declaring that it's worth giving the power of love another chance. "I know we’ve both been afraid / But we can’t run from the wind and the thunder / When we’re dancing under the rain, the rain, the rain." As the singer revealed about the song, "I hope it brings you dance & catharsis."
'Older'
This is another gorgeous, wise, and sincere song, which Platt says serves as a reminder “for us to be present in the moment and not pine too much for other parts of your life, because then the ones that you’re in pass too quickly.” It's a gentle nudge to live your life in the here and now, and not get too caught up with worrying or daydreaming your life away. This sentiment is underlined by lyrics like "If I wait 'til my tomorrow comes / Is the waiting all I've ever done? / And will I get to know myself in the place I am / Get to fall in love with another man and understand." The music video is heartwarming as well, featuring among other things, two elderly gay men who finally find the courage to be together, in spite of what society might think of their relationship. It's both inspiring and uplifting.
'Grow As We Go'
One of Ben Platt's most sublime and enduring hits, 'Grow As We Go' is a gentle and heartfelt plea to his male lover. He revealed, "I wrote 'Grow As We Go' about how desperately I wanted a very special relationship to work, despite knowing how much personal growth we both still needed." As the lyrics then demonstrate, Ben realized that the best way to overcome their respective struggles and burdens was to grow as a couple, together. "You can change right next to me / When you're high, I'll take the lows / You can ebb and I can flow / And we'll take it slow / And grow as we go." Ahh, that's lovely, isn't it? Hits you right in the feels.
Pandemic Playlist is a daily list of songs that will keep you entertained instead of feeling drained while you're isolated at home. Look out for a fresh selection of great tunes from MEAWW to refresh your mood every day!