The Soundtrack of Physical Distancing

Music has always been a lifeline.
From hours of listening to 70s music with Kendall under green string lights to the mixed tapes where all musicians of all genres were welcome in the same space to the stack of mixed CDs that accompanied the nearly 100 miles I drove a day during the Busy Years, music had me smiling when I should have been crying.
And I always remember that.

Music is a comfort. And just like I am fascinated with writers who have an ability to give language to the thoughts I cannot express but feel with so much fire, I am in love with musicians who do the same thing. With music! Even if I may not understand a song’s full meaning upon the first few listens, emotions can still feel so real and allow me to spend hours in a daze as I soak it all in.
Which is another thing that has been happening a lot in quarantine, more endless music listening parties than I have had in a while.

Musical Meditation
With music that was on repeat before quarantine and music that has found me since March 12, the soundtrack to my physically distance days included MULTIPLE plays of these songs. Like so many that I feel bad for my neighbors if they can hear my music because sometimes I be blasting it slash you’re welcome for all the beautiful sounds I was gracious enough to share. I am sure there were more but these one stick out.
“Work” by Charlotte Day Wilson
“Stay High” by Brittany Howard
“Still” Seinabo Sey
“Noise” by Zsela
“Two Weeks” by FKA Twigs
“Waiting” by Alice Boman
“Ruin” by Seinabo Sey
“Close to Me” by Frédéric Magnon
“Love Like That” by Snoh Aalegra
“Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand
“Shores” by Seinabo Sey
“Everybody’s Son” by CLOVES
“I Know a Place” by MUNA
“DO YOU LOVE HER” by Jessie Reyez
“This Feeling” by Alabama Shakes
“Remember” by Seinabo Sey and Jacob Banks
“Wait” by M83
“I Like That” by Janelle Monáe
“Manhattan” by Gallant
“Youth” by Daughter”
“Hounds of Love” by Kate Bush
“mirrored heard” by FKA Twigs
“I Owe You Nothing” by Seinabo Sey
“Unmoved (A Black Woman Truth)” by Ayoni
Shout out to the amazing Mindy, who in a collaborative Spotify playlist, introduced me to Seinabo Sey, who is clearly MY PERSON right now. I cannot get enough.

Walking Meditation
Often music will accompany the short or long walks I take. But the sounds of words were instrumental during this time also. Not just words from my many books or articles I devoured but from podcasts as well. Now, I don’t listen to many podcasts regularly. Really, Still Processing was the only one I listened to often. More recently, getting into podcasts by Abolitionist Teaching Network and Best Friends. But, more than anything else, I was FEELING GirlTrek’s Black History Boot Camp episodes, walking meditations made by Black women for Black women (but co-conspirators are welcome). It was special to learn more about Black history, as I took deep breaths just at at time when the world felt like it was attempting to suffocate me more than ever. Attempting.
Some of my favorite episodes (though hard to choose) are:
Octavia Butler
Marsha P. Johnson
Eartha Kitt
Zora Neale Hurston
Shirley Chisholm
Ruby Dee
Rosetta Tharpe
Ida B. Wells
Harriet Tubman + The Raid on the Combahee Ferry
James Baldwin Claps Back
Fannie vs. The President