![]() ![]() To escape from the unwelcome noise of the outside world, many people once again turned to music to escape. Insensitive remarks like these paralleled the hate speech around the LGBTQ+ community at the height of the AIDS pandemic, further exacerbating the strain on already marginalized groups. Thanks to disinformation spread by leaders, including former president Donald Trump, who odiously referred to coronavirus as the "Chinese virus," many pinned the blame for the spread of the pandemic on China and the wider Asian community as a whole. The availability - or lack thereof - and divisiveness surrounding how best to handle the pandemic has created a palpable tension between family members, friends, and strangers. Hospitals are filled to capacity and despite a surplus of vaccine doses in some countries, the majority of people left untreated are those in poorer countries with fewer resources. The pandemic has claimed the lives of over 777,000 people across the country and over 5.22 million people worldwide and has forced people to rethink their entire way of being. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic created an atmosphere of despair, taking a deep mental, emotional, and physical toll on the world's collective wellbeing. Like TikTok was for Megan Thee Stallion, so was MTV for artists like Madonna. Songs that weren't intended to blow up did and listeners started to feel a deeper connection to what they were hearing. Decades before TikTok, MTV was the go-to spot for discovering new music and artists that would otherwise have been deemed too rebellious and ones that spoke openly about socio-political topics. The same year that the CDC released its report, MTV launched. For some, it provided a temporary escape that lifted people's spirits and acted as a beacon of hope that good times were still to come. People were filled with heartache and the atmosphere of the decade became somber, but music offered a bright spot that everyone could bond over. More confused and afraid than ever, people became more hesitant about partying and took extra precautions to stay safe. ![]() This led to a painful recession that left many families in difficult financial situations. As the disease spread, so did misinformation about its origins and an even more undeniable stigma arose around gay men: they were targeted on the streets, subjected to overt homophobia, and mentally and physically mistreated.Īt the same time, the country was experiencing a complete economic downturn as unemployment rates and inflation rose to an all-time high. Today, the high death toll is largely attributed to the government's slow response at the start of the epidemic, which many connect to the fact that most of the people being affected were gay men, immigrants, people with substance use disorders, and people experiencing poverty. Up until the late '70s and early '80s, the disease had appeared sporadically around the world, but its appearance in the US coincided with the deaths of over 700,000 people worldwide. In 1981, the CDC released an article detailing five cases of what would later become known as AIDS, a sexually transmitted disease caused by HIV infection that largely affected gay men at the time. All the same, we're transported there together. From "Don't Start Now" to "Love Again" and beyond, the album suspends listeners to a time many look back on fondly and some have never experienced. Her song "Physical," inspired by the 1983 movie Flashdance, marries synth and heavily processed bass into an uptempo track, while "Cold Heart," featuring Elton John, emits the space-age rhythm and dancy drumbeat of a go-to club hit. Cyrus also interpolated Stevie Nicks's 1982 hit "Edge of Seventeen" with her own "Midnight Sky" for a duet that transcends the divide between old and new.Īnd like a love letter to the disco-pop era, Lipa's Future Nostalgia immerses people in the funky, upbeat pop culture atmosphere of the time. Cyrus's Plastic Hearts features stars like Billy Idol, Joan Jett, and Stevie Nicks, and it follows through with unmistakably '80s songs like "Prisoner," featuring Dua Lipa and "Bad Karma," featuring Joan Jett. Gaga's Chromatica revives the urgency of pop, while Jessie Ware's What's Your Pleasure? illuminates what it was like to be alive and in love in a time long behind us. ![]() Meanwhile, other artists like Lipa, Gaga, and Cyrus have unveiled their own pop-rock albums, laced with heavy guitar solos and guest vocals from some of the top '80s music legends. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |