Bob Boilen's 40 Favorite Songs Of 2020
From left, Bob Dylan, Shamir and Sylvan Esso. Getty Images / Girlie Action / Shore Fire Media hide caption
From left, Bob Dylan, Shamir and Sylvan Esso.
Getty Images / Girlie Action / Shore Fire MediaQuietude. More than half of the music I connected with and loved in 2020 fit that description. In past years, many of my nights were spent at clubs, seeing live music — loud, brash, fun, uplifting, and thrilling. That all stopped in mid-March, right about the time I'd usually be in the midst of thousands of fans seeing hundreds of musicians at SXSW. Being alone, away from friends, colleagues, and clubs, I connected deeply with music that drew me in with subtly, yearning, and atmosphere. Thank you to all those musicians who poured their hearts into their instruments in 2020.