A thank you poem by Josh Robinson to music and his favourite artists who helped him get through lockdown.
Photo credit:
Instagram: @chris.wanders
When we couldn’t hug
When our hearts were breaking
Filling our glass, overusing our mug
Into Groundhog Day we were always awaking
But you were there, the entire time
The soundwaves we could blare, forget Netflix & Amazon Prime
If I’m running or walking, I’ll have you in my ear as an accompanying gift
Whether it’s the weather or my mood, you can always lift
And you help me work in the gym, and soothe my struggles within
Enter Yungblud, declaring a “weird time of life”
Through a lockdown video forced to be homemade
Creativity and resentment were starting to be rife
It’s now twice during this, that I looked forward to Slade
Buzzcuts, mopheads, hair dye
No choice but to watch time fly
Made my childhood bed and laid in it
A chance to be near my dearest, but we could only sit
We threw ourselves into our screens
By June we all had “Televised Minds”
Cancelled gigs, what could have beens
Buying facemasks, closing our blinds
The attention seekers wanted us to Imagine
Or binge those Thrones and Dragons Finite though are Money Heist & Tiger King
Captivation when you hear your favourites sing
As Music you see, it maintains its taste
When songs are streaming, it is never a waste
Some musicians were patient, although some did rush
Charli XCX used this to show she’s a cut above
Many proved to be worth the wait
The odd release showed a few stagnate
Finding ourselves in this collective standstill
We thought to start a cool project, learn a new skill
But that initial drive wore off fast, left us with guilt
And bemoaning communities we should have built
Protect, reject, infect
It is your choice, but think outside your bubble
We shaved our heads, men grew more than stubble
Boredom really, it settled in quick
These sonic vibrations thankfully made time tick
Loss, love & redemption
Follow the rules you have no exemption
MPs breaking them, the fire this fuels
I’ll escape with my headphones, one of the greatest tools
Cold or warm, I’ll play Notes On A Conditional Form
Options to join Tim’s Listening Party, to fully immerse
Or instead seek out instrumentals, ambience, find that treasured verse
Several were laid off, others furloughed
A word invented, an updated dictionary follows
Here we descend into lazy mode
I’ll grab another “Remote”, this time for Wallows
Right that’s it, I’ll ignore the News
Relating to Ed The Dog wanting a shorter fuse
I took it all on my shoulders, soaked it in like a sponge
Whilst The Magic Gang jauntily ask: “What Have You Got To Lose?”
Days revolving around what time something will be on my plate
Yet the “Black Dog” hung over many
‘Cos they didn’t have a penny Made me realise I should be lucky, and not irate
Brexit’s impact on tours
Wondering if I’d ever see a live band again
Extra leniency for those closest to Big Ben
Everyone asking are these rules or laws?
Are we allowed any fun?
I want some time in the sun
But at least we could settle with melody
Naive one was present in Foals: “Wake Me Up” they pronounced Checking feeds to see if festival line-ups have been announced
A welcome comeback from Abba
Lorde shone a light on solar power
Olivia Rodrigo broke through as sweet but “SOUR”
From clapping in the streets
To crying in the sheets
Then uploading Twitter’s now-deceased fleets
It was only meant to be three weeks
All these different strands, hold my beer
Heads gone, solace in bands, perennial fear
Tears and tiers, Olly Alexander is now all of Years & Years
Sometimes life’s a bitch
Others “life’s a beach”
Either way you are there to soundtrack
A look forward, a present emotion, a look back
No Music On A Dead Planet, you see
Oh, “How Beautiful Life Can Be”
If we save the world, we save one another
It’s a stranger now, but it could be your mother
With you I can revert back to;
That one moment, odd feeling, old memory
Tap into that chilling déjà vu
Through recommendations, word of mouth, NME
Music, to you I raise my drink
You allow absence of thought, or provoke me to think
Like a friend or a cup of tea
You relax, excite and comfort me
Back then, right now, and always until death
The King of the Arts, you’ve never leave us bereft.