So You’re Working from Home Now...These Songs Will Make the Time Fly
Lately, the words playing on a loop in my head have been Time goes by so slowly. It’s not entirely because I’ve been practicing social distancing while working from home for almost a month, but because Madonna repeats that line over and over in “Hung Up,” her 2005 dance-floor opus. This song and so many others have been blasted from my speakers and headphones, keeping me happy and sane as I continue to write and edit stories about staying happy and sane.
Here, the editors of ELLE Decor share the soundtrack of our lives while we’re working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Whether you’re someone who needs to hear the sound of leaves rustling to concentrate or who can write the Great American Novel with two Marshall half stacks trepanning tritones into your skull, there’s something for everyone here.
Kate McGregor, Market Editorial Assistant
Childish Gambino’s newest album, 3.15.20, has been on a constant loop for me since it was recently leaked. “35.31” in particular was seemingly made for a midday dance break. Old comforts that remind me of simpler times, like MUNA’s “I Know a Place” and Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s “Moody Orange,” have also been a security blanket lately, with their subdued but still upbeat energies. All three tracks offer a welcome mood booster and subsequent distraction from the world outside.
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Charles Curkin, Articles Editor
You’d be surprised which songs help me concentrate while working from home. In the morning, with a bowl of Cheerios and NY1 on mute with subtitles on, I like to get the blood flowing with a healthy dose of 1980s New York hardcore. (My wife works in the bedroom with two sets of doors closed between us, so it’s open season.) There are so many great bands from that era that bring the intensity I need for maximum pulsation, from Killing Time to Leeway, but I always start with “Dead and Gone” by Absolution. After lunch, I like to slow it down with jarringly dissonant, artsier fare like latter-day Swans; I get my best writing done to the song “Avatar.” Then, as the sun begins to set, I reach for a classical or ’90s hip-hop palate cleanser. Depending on the day, I vacillate between the frenetic romance of Rachmaninoff and the hypnotic flow of Lost Boyz.
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Jeffrey Bauman, Executive Managing Editor
When I’m working from home, I definitely need something mellow on in the background…but not too mellow, lest the WFH becomes NOFH (Nodding Off From Home). So these songs need to be upbeat as well—let’s call them “up-mellow.” I’ll let my proud Gen X flag fly here, with tracks from a couple of classic ’90s and aughts singer-songwriters—Elliott Smith’s jaunty Beatles homage “Baby Britain” and Aimee Mann’s smooth-as-silk “I Can’t Get My Head Around It”—plus “Keep the Car Running,” a can’t-miss number from the top indie band of the past 20 years, Arcade Fire.
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Ingrid Abramovitch, Executive Editor
From wistful to anxious to defiant, the songs on my current playlist reflect my roller-coaster moods as I stay home with my husband and children. Last week on Facebook, I watched family and friends in my native Montreal sing Leonard Cohen’s “So Long, Marianne” from their balconies and wished I could have been there with them. My husband’s lockdown playlist includes an old favorite, “Protection” by Graham Parker, as dark as it is clever and catchy. I love Haim, and their new single “The Steps” is an angsty anthem you can’t help but dance to. The song’s video—directed by Paul Thomas Anderson—of the three sisters making a mess at home will speak to anyone suffering from cabin fever.
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David Murphy, Visual Director
My taste in music has always covered a wide range, bouncing between classical, jazz, disco, film scores, and contemporary pop and R&B. Each of these genres hit different chords for me, all of which call out for attention during this strange time of uncertainty. These songs in particular are like a reliable friend who’s always there for you whenever you need them. That’s the best kind of friend to have, especially now.
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Jennifer Milne, Copy Chief
I can’t normally listen to music while I work because it disrupts my focus. I’m jealous of people who can! So I usually have my noise-cancelling headphones on, and I play white noise or rainshowers. But if I have to pick a favorite song, “6 Underground” helps me chill out and get into the working groove.
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Vanessa Lawrence, Senior Editor
I love the slow-build energy of all three of these tracks. They ease you in with their lyrics and instrumentals. Staying home for so many hours and days at a time, it can be hard to feel motivated. In different ways, all three of these songs make me feel a sense of motion—even adrenaline—that helps counteract the eerie passivity of these scary times.
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Nelida Mortensen, Visual Editor
I love the rhythm, the energy, and the simplicity of Paul McCartney’s “Another Day.” I’m playing it every day now, and it never loses its effect on me. I smile. I get a little sad. It’s a roller coaster of emotions. I’ve also found myself listening to Frédéric Chopin, whose nocturnes and waltzes are so soothing and familiar. They remind me of my home in Bucharest—my parents always played Chopin while I was growing up there.
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Lillian Dondero, Assistant Managing Editor
I’ve been playing Sinatra/Jobim: The Complete Reprise Recordings of Frank Sinatra and Antônio Carlos Jobim, because it’s very quiet and the lyrics are bit introspective. Just a voice and a guitar, and it feels very intimate. I just love this opening line of “Wave,” which feels somehow appropriate now:
So close your eyes
For that’s a lovely way to be
Aware of things your heart alone was meant to see
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream
Together
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Sarah Choi, Editorial Assistant
“Hallucinate,” “Don’t Start Now,” and “Boys Will Be Boys” from Dua Lipa’s new album Future Nostalgia are so upbeat and never fail to keep my head boppin’. They keep me energized to work by myself in a room at home. I’m usually the type who is motivated by people working around me, but now that we’re not all in an office, I’m relying on pop music.
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Parker Bowie Larson, Style Director
My family likes listening to “Work” by Rihanna before we start our day. The catchy tune is one my two-year-old daughter loves dancing to over and over, which allows my husband and I to start our day with a smile. And as the title suggests, it happens to be a great song for getting you in the mood to focus while working from home.
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Bebe Howorth, Contributing Special Projects Editor
My father gave my boyfriend and me a crash course in all things Jackie Wilson and the Silhouettes on a road trip last Christmas. I have such happy memories now when I listen to songs like “Lonely Teardrops,” “Reet Petite,” and “Miss Thing” while social distancing at home. Every time I hear them, I smile—which I know we all need a reason for right now.
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Allie Adams, Deputy Design Director
I have a friend who is an absolute all-star when it comes to playlists. He doles the lists out to our group of friends throughout the year. Now it’s our way of staying connected during this time of isolation. These are the three I skip right to to get my day started.
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Dian-Aziza Ooka, Contributing Design Director
Music is useful for ambience, but in my space, I usually have to play it to equalize the barrage of sirens, helicopters, and jackhammers outside my windows. But the past few weeks have been eerily quiet in my neighborhood. I can hear birds! I can hear myself think! As a result, I have not been listening to much music, preferring to luxuriate in the sounds of silence. Now I’m ready to make some noise again, and I’m looking to Fela Kuti to help me out.
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