Musicians and fans are sending out lyrical tributes to front-line healthcare workers braving the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anyone can dedicate a song through the Gratitunes website to play in the halls of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. The Gratitunes playlist is shared with doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers and streamed at Vandy clinics “to help reduce anxiety and lift spirits,” according to the site.
Nashville musicians have also shared some of their songs through the service, including country music hitmakers like Maddie & Tae and Pat Green.
Around the world, the pandemic is motivating quarantined songwriters and musicians to create new tunes.
In Indonesia, Andre Hehanusa, released a song called “Dirumah Aja (Just Staying At Home),” and told his 3 million YouTube subscribers, “Together, we must seriously prevent the spread of the virus and don’t panic so as not to believe hoaxes, because this concerns our lives.”
In America, indie folkies Bon Iver released “Please Don’t Live in Fear,” with all proceeds going to Direct Relief to help healthcare workers battling COVID-19. And in Dublin, U2’s Bono dedicated “Let Your Love Be Known,” to “the Italians who inspired it, for the Irish … For the doctors, nurses, carers on the frontline, it’s you we’re singing to.”
