Every now and then I like to ask people what they would listen to if the world were about to end, and they could listen to just one song.
A few answers I’ve gotten are:
- Tim Hecker – Dungoneering. A very apocalyptic, ambient song that is just relaxing enough to calm your nerves, but eerie enough to remind you that the end is near.
- Tahuna Breaks – Reflections. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. The lyrics are so strong, and the fact the chorus is “the world is ending soon” doesn’t make it tough to add to this list!
- Rush – 2112. Besides being an epic classic rock track, this song is really long, so you at least postpone the end of the world for a little while, I guess.
No matter what someone’s answer is, every song chosen was created by a person or a group of people. That means there are millions artists in the world who created something so powerful that someone else would choose it to be the last thing they hear before the world ends.
In fact, the artists who will create the end of the world songs of the future are out there right now. They might be struggling to make ends meet while playing gigs on the weekends to keep their dreams alive, or maybe they’re starting to make a name for themselves in their hometown and are venturing outwards. Maybe they are world famous and known by millions! Whatever the current status of these artists, they all began the same way: talented but undiscovered.
Just think, out there right now, playing in some small town, could be a band whose music will change someone’s life so much that they will want it to be the last song they listen to before the world ends.
That’s what I want to do with Panoplay. I want to provide a way for artists to inspire people, and I want to inspire artists to inspire people. I want to allow a generation of undiscovered artists to show the world their talents. And maybe, just maybe, there will be someone out there who is so affected by the music they discover that they will choose it to be the last thing they listen to before they’re forcefully evaporated into space. Or maybe they will just really like it. Either way 🙂
So now that I’ve gotten that thought out, I’ll ask you all: What’s your end of the world song?
Hmm, that’s a tough question… One that came to mind quite quickly though was Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. Not sure why, but I’d definitely be happy with hearing that.
I hadn’t heard this song in a long time, but I definitely agree that this is a suitable end of the world song…and not just because of the name!