In case you’re a little burned out on livestreams and virtual concerts, perhaps consider a quarantine playlist curated by rock royalty. For a special feature for The Atlantic, Dave Grohl has put together a 10-song mix for your every mood while hunkered down in self-isolation. Selections include The Beatles, The Cars, LCD Soundsystem, and The Smashing Pumpkins, and each is accompanied by a colorful blurb written by the short storyteller himself.
While preparing for the lockdown (aka “stockpil[ing] enough pasta to feed an entire Olive Garden for a month”), the Foo Fighters frontman suggests turning up “Let’s Go” by The Cars. Meanwhile, the art of nesting and caring for your home should entail releasing “your inner Marie Kondo” and blasting “Our House” by Madness.
Other highlights include LCD Soundsystem favorite “Drunk Girls”, which the rock icon says should soundtrack your attempts at virtual connection. “You’ve now been reduced to having online cocktails every night with your friends, like a special episode of The Brady Bunch, if The Brady Bunch were set in hell,” writes Grohl. “Not exactly a major rager at the corner dive bar, but you gotta do what you gotta do!”
For those engaged in online learning, Grohl tosses out the apt Alice Cooper cut “School’s Out”. Periods of intimacy, however, should get a spin of “Moments in Love” from The Art of Noise. And “face masks recommended, because WWFD? (What Would Fauci Do?)”
As claustrophobia begins to set in, Grohl points to The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” as a solid bit of musical support. Panic, though, brings on a completely different mindset — one best absorbed while playing a Charlie Brown classic. “Shit’s getting weird. You haven’t looked in a mirror in days, you’re wearing holes in your Lululemons, and you’re starting to believe in UFOs from clocking too many hours on YouTube,” explained the rock star. “You might as well put on “Linus and Lucy,” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, make gingerbread cookies, and wait for the aliens. Merry Christmas!”
Total insanity calls for, obviously, Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”. But Grohl doesn’t spend too much time going down this rabbit hole, and instead looks for the light at the end of the tunnel. “Perhaps the most important part of this peculiar process. I hope that someday soon we can all step outside and share some music together. Sing along to ‘Here Comes the Sun’, by the Beatles, and I know you’ll feel a little better.”
As he’s done throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, the Foo leader closes the feature out by imploring listeners to “go wash your f*cking hands.”
Stream the full quarantine playlist below. Read Grohl’s entire breakdown on The Atlantic website.
Dave Grohl’s Quarantine Playlist:
01. The Cars – “Let’s Go”
02. Madness – “Our House”
03. Ahmad Jamal Quintet – “Ahmad’s Waltz”
04. LCD Soundsystem – “Drunk Girls”
05. Alice Cooper – “School’s Out”
06. The Art of Noise – “Moments in Love”
07. The Smashing Pumpkins – “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”
08. Vince Guaraldi Trio – Linus and Lucy
09. Patsy Cline, The Jordanaires – “Crazy”
10. The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”
Dave Grohl Creates Quarantine Playlist for Your Every Mood: Stream
Lake Schatz
