**Post contains sarcasm and humor about all that has transpired in the year 2020. If you are easily offended, please hit the back button or the “X”in the top right/left corner of your screen**

This year has left its mark on each and everyone one of us, that is for sure. As the hours tick away from the last of 2020, I thought it would be nice to review the year in songs that seem to speak to what all has transpired. A way to remember what has happened but not take it too seriously. After all, we stand on the edge of the new year and we should be carrying the hope for what is to come. So let’s take a look at this year and be thankful a lot of it is in the rear view mirror.

It was a year ago December 31st that Covid-19 first hit the headlines and shortly after there wasn’t a single country that did not have a case reported. This virus seemingly came from nowhere and hit the world like a wrecking ball. So, it only seem appropriate to say that this song truly speaks to how Covid-19 affected us.

Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus

As the virus spread across the globe, the CDC listed symptoms that were common to this virus. These were telltale things that seemed to say you possibly had it. But all the while, we couldn’t get tested until we had an elevated fever.

Take My Breath Away – Berlin

That Smell – Lynryd Skynryd

As we worried about the symptoms, we watched as the world and our own country started implementing means of slowing the spread. We saw the onset of shutter at home orders, wearing masks in public, and staying at least six feet apart. As these orders came into effect, some of us were forced to spend time with people in our homes, or us in theirs, people that we may not have known well. It also kept us inside with our loved ones and we were forced to navigate a world we had not known before. Restaurants adapted to this and started delivering to our homes, as well as groceries.

Stuck With You – Ariana Grande & Justin Beiber

Dont Stand So Close To Me – The Police

While all of this was going on, we watched as out government seemed to do nothing, in our own country. We saw racism rise and people’s hidden innerselves come out in ways we had not seen in almost a generation. Anger, hatred and intolerance were everywhere. Men of color were dying at the hand of the police, our own president seemed to be supporting racist views from narrow minded bigots. It truly felt like this country was descended into madness and Hell.

Highway To Hell – AC DC

Killing In The Name Of – Rage Against The Machine

Riots ensued and more men of color were dying. Marches spread across our country like nothing seen since the Civil Rights marches. Our own government tried to claim these protests were acts of terrorism against our country and not people that were tired of being oppressed by a government that was supposed have abolished oppression long before. The people started waking up and realizing they had power. FIghting was the way to speak out, using our anger to make our voices heard. Rebellion that had seemed to have lied dormant for so long returned to the people with a vengeance.

Fuck The Police – NWA

Fight The Power – Public Enemy

Use Your Fist And Not Your Mouth – Marilyn Manson

We watched as the government seemed to spin its own rhetoric about what was going on in our country and the world at large. We were told that the virus was the fault of one specific country. We were told our economy was being affected by illegal immigrants. We were also being fed that opposing sides of government were the ones holding up progress and continuing to hinder us from getting beyond this virus. The people were starting to get fed up. The popularity of our sitting president was falling because the people were starting to realise that the information we were being fed wasn’t always tinged with truth, it was meant for manipulation. The paradise we had thought we were living in was slowly eroding away before our eyes.

Fiction – Not My God

We’re Not Going To Take It – Twisted Sister

Paradise – KMFDM

We watched as the mandates that were imposed were lessened and then put back into place and the second surge of the virus came. The oppression against minorities only grew as the year waxed towards summer and then waned towards winter. We were left shell shocked and with whiplash from all of the contrary things we were hearing. All of us remembering how things used to be and hoping that at some point we could only get back to a little normalcy. Not being able to be with the ones we loved, living our lives how we once did, and frequenting the places that always seemed to give us a respite from our lives were taken from us. It was truly hard to believe that any of us were going to make it through this and we all had gone stir crazy and wanted to be free of our situation.

If I Could Turn Back Time – Cher

Cant Touch This – MC Hammer

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

I Want To Break Free – Queen

Here we are, the final moments of this year. We have survived the year and the countdown has begun. We may not have passed Covid but there is a light in the darkness, with the onset of the vaccine coming there can be some hope of the world getting beyond this. We can beat it and, hopefully, we will learn lessons that can be applied to future pandemics so that we dont have to go through this in quite the same way. Now is the time to take a moment and party with ourselves, be it through Zoom, television, or just you and those you have been cooped up with, Make sure to party like it truly was 1999.

The Final Countdown – Europe

Beat It – Michael Jackson

1999 – Prince

Yes, this post was meant to bring a bit of light to the darkness of the last four years and especially this year. We need some brevity to all thats happened and a way to know that things will get better. Its more about how we view the world that allows us to shape how we can deal with it. Take the trials and lessons of this year and see how we can make it better for the one that is on our doorstep. Remember that it is the people of this country that has the power to force change, not those that sit in office in DC. After all, it was our votes that put them there. This year has also shown us that  it was our votes that can remove them.

If you prefer to have the playlist version to listen to for your New Year’s party, check out the link. Life in 2020.