COVID-19 in Spain: Quarantine Songs

Music is always a way of expressing, sharing, and inspiring. It arises from interior experiences and the musicians’ observation of their surroundings. This need to communicate is a natural phenomenon in human beings.

As expected, a situation as severe as this pandemic inspired professional and amateur musicians to capture their thoughts, emotions, ideas, and general experiences through a few lines. Given my personal interest and dedication to music, as well as my training as a psychologist, I was curious to inquire about what those songs, all by musicians living in Spain, had to say.

I compiled 12 musical works created during the quarantine period in my country this Spring. They were collected either through musical media or they were sent to me through acquaint-

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ances who know of my fondness for music. To delve into this work, I considered repetitions and frequency of the content, as well as the emotional character of the songs, perceived through rhythm, tonality, and instrumental arrangements. I took an entirely inductive approach.

As a first impression, I observed that the lyrics were mostly very direct. Messages were clear and hardly any metaphors were used. Regarding the emotional character of the songs, there seemed to be two well-differentiated groups: those songs that showed an optimism not very adjusted to reality, with superficial lines like in song 12, “en casa ya me aburro” (“I already get bored at home”—hereafter only the English translation is provided), and another smaller group of songs that reflected a greater awareness of the tragedy of our times, like song eight: “from my window I see him alone.”

It is interesting to mention that this division reflects the population’s response. There were a large number of people who did not acknowledge any pain during these months but looked at it from afar, which led them to share messages that seemed overly optimistic and search for distractions with more superficial activities. Perhaps this may be due to emotional immaturity. Or it may also be understood as the expression of the first phase of this collective mourning that we have experienced: denial, the stage where we still cannot believe that it is happening and we cover it with other distractions. There may be another plausible explanation: it might be difficult to know how to face pain and be present before the suffering of others.

Another smaller part of the population, however, became more aware due to the initial stages and reflected on it, as the lyrics also showed. This probably facilitated the emotional processing and acceptance of this reality in their authors as well as in those who heard those lyrics.

Making further distinctions, I divided the specific content into four themes: one, togetherness; two, war; three, physical affection; and four, loneliness, death, and reflection.

Togetherness

Two meanings related to togetherness appeared in the songs. On the one hand, our human condition was the common characteristic for which we feel united, particularly during those days. We are equal and, therefore, we share the vulnerability to this threat.

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As it says in song two, “we are all the same… we share the race with pride.”

On the other hand, the idea of ​​togetherness as cooperation was well represented. Cooperate to get ahead, to survive. Song one says, “the value of people is greater when they add up.” Song two adds, “let us hold hands, we will do it side by side.”

Although we know that staying together for a cause or to face a danger can make us stronger and help us overcome difficulties, it turns out we are not that united. Unquestionably, there were groups of people who united, allied, helped, and cooperated, but there was another large group of the population who emphasized their own problems and interests. It is most striking to observe how historically, when the threat ends, many of those who cooperated look back only at themselves.

This call to togetherness is not new in music and leads me to remember a known precedent, Friedrich Schiller’s poem set to music by Beethoven, which became the anthem of the European Union. The events that occurred precisely among all these countries during the pandemic also reflect this contradiction between our desire to be united and what we ultimately do—separation and individualism. However, I am convinced that music will continue to ask for and seek union and cooperation.

War

The collected songs used expressions and words that reflected a perception of this pandemic phenomenon as a war with two fundamental ideas: some heroes fight, and we must all resist. Thus, the idea of those professionals who, because of their job, were forced to put themselves on the front line, was repeated very frequently. They especially mentioned the health care professionals, who they called: “Warriors who came to save us by holding out their hands” (song two), “Tired angels, but daring bravery” (song four), and “Heroes!” (song 11).

These were also the words that were used in the media and among ordinary people. However, the health care professionals and the security forces themselves reported that they did not feel that way; they were simply doing their job. They added that they felt like victims; many of them would have preferred not to have to face a situation of these characteristics, which does not make them less professional, but more human.

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These attributions to the professionals may have served to develop a strong belief of protection in the population, and a feeling of greater tranquility since others were in charge of solving the problems, so the rest of us could rest and be safe. As if it were a movie of heroes and villains, the population acted as defenseless and hid in their homes, leaving the heroes to risk their lives to defeat “the bad,” as song nine called the virus.

The songs also used various war terms and launched messages of collective resistance in their lyrics, such as: “There is no virus in the world that destroys humanity” (song six) as well as “Private soldiers in the middle of this battle” (song eight). Since language shapes the way we think and therefore the way we feel, these terms may have injected strength and power in the population.

Although we started with the desire and the belief that we were all fighting a battle together against a common enemy, over time we entered new phases and emotional states redirecting that confrontation. The anger that had been growing in us was not directed so much toward the virus anymore, which seemed to have moved to the background, but the war was now being waged between us. There was no lack of reasons, either in Spain or in other countries, and that initial union turned to not only disunity but real conflict.

Physical Affection

Due to the confinement to which we were subjected, many people were separated from their families and friends. Thus, the lyrics also reflected the need for the other, of meeting and embracing again, the need for the physical encounter. Some examples were: “I would like to give you a hug” (song seven), “The kisses that were not given accumulate for later” (song one), and “At last I will be able to embrace you” (song 10).

We know social relationships are an essential factor for people’s emotional well-being. In a survey carried out during the quarantine, which we are still analyzing, I found that one of the measures citizens were using the most to improve their mood was to frequently contact family and friends through the Internet, although this could not replace the benefits of physical interaction.

Science has already proved how physical contact contributes to reducing stress and increasing well-being by producing serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Moreover, Spaniards, who belong to the Latin culture, use physical gestures of affection, such as hugs

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and kisses in our daily interactions. It is part of who we are and our communication style. Quarantine stripped us of that possibility. It is, therefore, an aspect that we missed greatly, which lyrics reflected too.

Loneliness, Death, and Reflection

As indicated at the beginning, there was a group of songs whose emotional content was generally less adjusted to the situation in comparison with another group of songs that did address the issues that spoke to loneliness and death. The lyrics contemplated both loneliness and solitude. On the one hand, they talked about those who were forced to spend the confinement alone, away from their loved ones with the deep sadness that this provoked “Gray days… gray months…” (song 3). Also, these songs mentioned the harsh loneliness suffered by those who fell ill and who, unable to overcome the disease, died without their families being able to stand by them or say goodbye: “Cremated in solitude sad consequence of the pandemic” (song five) or “While I am singing others are leaving, and there are not farewells at this distance” (song eight). All those circumstances would later involve psychological complications for a significant percentage of the Spanish population.

These same songs invited reflection. They appealed to look inward; therefore, they showed an awareness of the situation, like song three, “Now it is time to think and be patient,” and song eight, “Your best trench is in your soul.” Although they were not many, at least some musicians did contemplate the importance of coping with this suffering and reflecting on what had happened. This, as Viktor Frankl explains, is the way to be able to make, in freedom, the decision of our attitude toward the painful event and, if possible, take the actions to respond responsibly to what life has put before us/demanded of us.

This research has allowed me to approach, through these songs composed in such convulsive times, significant themes to individuals, such as the longing for unity and cooperation, the need for physical affection, the inner fight to survive, and the pain caused by loneliness and death. Art is always present, and its transformative power is extraordinary. It is an example of self-transcendence. Undoubtedly, in this case, music has been a fantastic channel to make this encounter with humanity possible.

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