When we feel at our weakest, sometimes the best pep talk can come from a song. This coronavirus pandemic is testing our will power, and now with Omicron on the way, we’re not even sure how long we have to endure these circumstances. People are feeling dejected and powerless, and it can be easy to just hang our heads and wallow in sorrow. But we’ve been tested before, and previous generations certainly credit music as a guiding light during their struggles. I mean, just think of the American war on Vietnam and the rebellion and protest songs that arose from those bleak times, they are classics.
If you’re looking for some music with a bit more lived-in wisdom and durability than your average songs of today, look no further than this list. This isn’t a time for the trite theatrics of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, or the overwhelming garishness of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” We need the riches of gospel and soul music and heartfelt, melancholy classic rock — music that’s been bruised and lived to tell the tale. We’ll allow one exception to this rule, and that’s a Johnny Cash cover song, but it’s only because the man in black knows how to rip your chest open and touch your heart, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is genuinely poignant as opposed to those two previously mentioned tracks. So dig into Dave’s classic songs about hope and the resiliency of the human soul. Maybe even raise a glass or two to your brothers and sisters as we walk along in our Covid courts.
As Dave says through these 26 songs. It ain’t over yet!
Listen to the full playlist on Spotify: