Inspire Great Music for Spring 2020

We need music now. Music is healing, and it has a long-lasting impact on your mental health and happiness. For many of us, we're staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We're working from home, and we have a little more time on our hands for our hobbies--whether that's writing, art, reading, etc.

We're probably listening to music while we work on these tasks. I seem to always have music playing in my office. I believe there's a song for every mood--even now. Every lyric tells a story. Rhythms and beats send chills down my spine. When I listen to music, I feel more engaged in my work--more energized and I seem to work better. Many of us are experiencing that right now as we work from home.

There is a song for everyone right now. We connect to different music genres, and we fall in love with songs because of how they make us feel. In this post, I'm here to offer you five songs I'm currently listening to on repeat this spring season. These songs speak to me in a way I need them most. I connect with them. I love them and I will happily hit the "repeat button" over and over again.

Here's what I'm currently listening to, so get ready to listen and be inspired.

1. "Blinding Lights" - The Weeknd 

The Weeknd (photo/SF Chronicle Datebook)

If we need anything right now, it's definitely a song that feels like it's from the 1980s. The '80s brought us some of the best music ever created, so it's no wonder that contemporary artists try to mimic this genre in today's music.

R&B artist The Weeknd took a turn into '80's synth-pop with his popular single, "Blinding Lights." The single is as '80s as it gets in the best way possible. It's upbeat and it has a catchy melody of synthesizers layered over one another. The stylistic choice works for this song--simple and catchy, while still musing over loneliness. If you want to go back to the '80s, this is the best song to listen to in order to do that.

2. "Fifteen" - Mandy Moore 

Mandy Moore (photo/Variety)

Now that you've gone back to the '80s, let's go back in time to when you were 15 years old with Mandy Moore's latest single, "Fifteen." In 2019, Moore returned with new music. It's been a decade since the singer-actress released her last album, and she has experienced many life changes along the way. She claims her ex-husband, Ryan Adams, derailed her career. For the longest time, she perhaps realized her reality (in her eyes): that she was a "washed-up" former teen star and that she would soon disappear from the spotlight altogether.

But she made a comeback. In 2016, Moore surprised audiences by starring in the hit NBC family drama, This is Us. Since then, it's hard to imagine the entertainment business without her. We witnessed the return of her acting career, and now we're witnessing the return of her catchy, heartfelt music.

In 2019, Moore surprised her fans with the release of her single, "When I Wasn't Watching." It reintroduced her appealing voice, but it also previewed her new album, Silver Landings (now available). Her newest single off the album, "Fifteen," reflects on Moore's early music career as a teenager.

Moore details the pride she feels towards her younger self--that she's "still a part of me," but she's fully coming into her own as a mature artist. Moore wrote, "It's been a full circle journey to embrace who I was as a teenager starting off in this industry and forgive my past self for judging her so harshly. For years, I apologized for the creative input of that time but in the making of this new collection of music, I was able to process so much and have come to have great affection for that young girl, that part of me, because she's the reason I'm here today."

I think we can all agree that we're glad Moore is still here in show business, and I look forward to any new music from her.

3. "Bluebird" - Miranda Lambert 

Miranda Lambert (photo/Country Music Nation)

I'll be honest: I haven't been a huge fan of Miranda Lambert's music in recent years. I mostly skip her songs because I'm just not interested in them, but when I heard her newest single, "Bluebird," for the first time, I didn't skip it. I paused, listened, and I reflected on the music.

The song takes a reflective, beautiful, peaceful attitude towards life's tumultuous times--something we can relate to right now. Lambert's newest music demonstrates a bit of experimentation, from psychedelic pop-rock tendencies to a hard-rocking edge. However, "Bluebird" is one of the closest songs off her forthcoming album, Wildcard, that is reminiscent of her traditional musical style.

Lambert sings, "And if the whole world stops singin' / And all the stars go dark / I turn a light on in my soul and keep a bluebird in my heart." The country singer wants us to know that we are seen and heard. While so many crazy things are going on in the world, we're not alone. We can turn a light on for ourselves and get through this.

4. "Done" - Chris Janson 

Chris Janson (photo/Billboard)

Chris Janson describes his newest single, "Done," as a song that is his attempt at a mid-Nineties down-the-middle-of-the-road hit. It's a song to revamp his career, and it reinforces Janson's image as a family man in Nashville. The song focuses on his wife, Kelly, and it captures their unique love story.

Janson knew he was "done" the first time he saw his wife. He said, "Done and done, marrying that girl." This found its way into the song's opening line: "Done / the first time I saw you / done."

The tempo love song describes how Janson isn't done. He won't stop doing whatever it takes to make his wife and their family happy. He won't be done until the good Lord says it's time for him to leave. He is committed to his wife and their lives together. Isn't that the kind of song we need to listen to right now?

5. "Walking on Sunshine" - Katrina and the Waves 

Katrina and the Waves (photo/NPR)

Sometimes, you just need to hear a good classic song every now and then to make your day so much better. Katrina and the Waves' hit '80's single, "Walking on Sunshine," is the season of spring if it was a song. We want to walk in the sunshine. We want to soak up the sunlight and be happy.

Spring is the season for that. It's a season of rebirth. This song makes us happy. So, it is a joy whenever I listen to the song, no matter how many times I have heard it. It never gets old. We need more songs like this--songs that make us dance, smile, and cheer. Let's walk on sunshine!

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I love discovering new songs, or even listening to songs I already love again. Music is one of the most powerful creative tools in existence. Music is always inspiring me. It motivates me to work harder, to finish a work assignment, and more. There is a song for everyone, and these songs are currently the ones that are speaking to me. Find your own songs and slap the "repeat" button as you stay home this spring season. Dance and sing along to the songs. You're home. No one is around to judge you!

-KJL-