Your Corona-virus Song of the Day. Nineteen.

The purpose of this pandemic song-of-the-day series is to help provide, through music, a way to channel frustrations, seek solace, or simply distance oneself from reality as we live through this. Looking back at the last few posts, I seem to have focused on the first two and not so much on the last one.

In an effort to remedy that, I scoured the internet for songs that help the listener take his mind off of his troubles. You know – fun songs. Songs that lift your mood whether you want them to or not. Songs so full of joyful spirit that…well, if you don’t want your outlook brightened, then you better push “next.”

I read through quite a few lists, and there is no shortage of good songs that fit the criteria. But this is a song-of-the-day series, so at the end of the day, I have to select just one.

That’s a tall order.

At the bottom of one of those lists was the catch-all phrase “or anything by the Beatles.”

Hmm…Is that true?

Having just watched the movie Yesterday a couple of days ago (catching up on those movies, right everyone?), Beatles songs were still pretty fresh on my brain. So I mentally rambled through a handful.

Indeed, many do fit the requirements. A lot of their early stuff is especially light & breezy and not overly introspective or philosophical. On the other hand, a lot of their songs does not wear the ‘fun’ label well. “The Long and Winding Road” for example, or “Across the Universe” or even “Hey Jude” – all good songs – great songs even. But not fun, get-your-mind-off-your-troubles songs.

If you’ve seen the movie Yesterday, you know the premise is far-fetched and the plot full of holes. But if you’re a Beatles fan, you just don’t care, because it centers on and revolves around the music of the Beatles. It is a fun movie – I’d go so far as to say a joyous movie. And despite multiple loose ends and unresolved “but what about…” questions, the movie makers end the movie with the brightest happily-ever-after picture they can paint, using the most joyous Beatles song they can find.

Here’s Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da from The White Album (1968).