Getty Rita Wilson performs on May 4, 2012 in West Hollywood, California.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has caused millions of people to be quarantined or in self-isolation. With sports leagues canceled and public places closed down, people are turning to movies, music and podcasts to pass the time at home. This has led to the rise in Spotify playlists curated with a pandemic or coronavirus theme.
These playlists have become even more popular after Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks’ wife, shared her own coronavirus playlist after the two announced they had tested positive and were in isolation. On March 13, Wilson wrote on Twitter: “Hi guys! I want to make a Spotify playlist for people self quarantining. Something that might relate to isolation, perhaps? Can you send some song ideas that I can add? Also, what should we call it? Quarantine Choruses? This is what one does in quarantine. [You] think of stuff like this.”
Shortly after, she revealed the finished product:
And the winner for the quarantine playlist naming is QUARANTUNES! Head to @Spotify to listen
She called her playlist Quarantunes and added songs like “Lonely People” by America, Gloria Gayner’s “I Will Survive” and “Locked Up” by Akon.
There Are Many Playlists With the Quarantine and Coronavirus Theme Available on Spotify
Many people have created their own COVID-19 themed playlists, and most of them have a similar tongue-in-cheek theme. They all include songs about loneliness, illness, the end of the world and avoiding touching other people. Some songs appear on almost every playlist thanks to their appropriate titles, like Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” the jaunty “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by REM and the classic “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer.
One of the most popular playlists is called Coronavirus [COVID-19] Quarantine Party by Chadwick Johnson, with 25,000 followers on Spotify and climbing.
The playlist has a huge range of musical styles. It starts off with “Toxicity” by System Of A Down before transitioning to “Toxic” by Britney Spears. Other notable songs on the playlist are “Unwell” by Matchbox Twenty and the humorous “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by The Police. The playlist ends with “No More Parties in LA” by Kanye West and “Over My Dead Body” by Drake.
Another user took a different approach with this pandemic playlist. Sage Boggs decided to create a playlist that spells out a message for all users through song titles.
Working on my pandemic playlist
When read together, his message says: “Stay inside. Wash hands often, even if you don’t feel sicko mode. Because other people at risk because of you. Anyways, stay safe Forrest Gump, I love you.”
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