Songs to Listen to When the Free World is Hanging on by a Thread
Activism is important, but so is music.
The beat of the Janet Jackson classic, “Escapade,” immediately transports me back to 1989. Ronald Reagan handed off the presidential torch to George H.W. Bush, and the Republican party stood for something other than Donald Trump, stripping away women’s bodily autonomy, and handing out guns like free samples of bagel bites in front of the frozen foods aisle. I think it’s because of the upbeat tempo or that it’s sung mostly in A major. Either way, this track will have you longing for simpler days when shoulder pads were in and so was liberal and conservative collaboration.
When you’re lying in bed at night, unable to sleep because you’re wondering if Joe Biden will do the best thing for his country and drop out of the presidential race, you may find it hard to rest. You start thinking about how hard it was to take away your grandpa’s car keys, even though he was relatively modest and had only hit a few parked cars, when you realize the likelihood of a politician admitting any weakness at all, like grandpa wouldn’t with his driving, is unlikely. So you become enraged because the media should be calling for Trump to drop out as well; he is just as old and definitely just as bad at driving. (Screams road rage.) So what’s a girl to do? You need a tune that will distract the mind and help you get back to sleep—put on this synth filled Chappell Roan banger. Belt away your sorrows while wishing the candidates Good Luck, Babe. Also, if you are wavering on Gen Z, Chappell will show you the kids are alright.
Anytime you get a notification about another atrocious Supreme Court decision that makes it seem like the judges aren’t what they used to be (by further emboldening felons who want to run for office or not protecting our earth from the effects of climate change) Smokey Robinson singing Cruisin’ never fails to calm the nerves.
Finally, if someone tells you they’re voting for RFK, put in your AirPods, enable the noise cancellation feature (it doesn’t matter if it’s bad for you, the world is going to hell anyway), follow Nicki Minaj’s sage advice and FTCU.
Happy Fourth!
XO,
Nicole
(P.S. The Performance Plan will be back next week after the holiday.)