Switchfoot starts with a cover of Frank Ocean’s song Swim Good. Survival is on our minds in the midst of the pandemic. The metaphor in Swim Good of someone “about to drown in the ocean” powerfully captures this human urge. In the middle of the storm, we rid ourselves of anything weighing us down with one goal in mind. Our mantra becomes the final two words of the song: “Don’t die.” Knowing that Jon Foreman has personally spent many hours swimming and surfing in the ocean lends a special authenticity to his interpretation of this song.
Once the fear of immediate death fades, a flood of emotions including anger and fear appear. Switchfoot explores these emotions in a cover of Harmony Hall by Vampire Weekend. We hear:
Anger wants a voice,
voices wanna sing
Singers harmonize till they can't hear anything
I thought that I was free from all that questionin'
But every time a problem ends, another one begins
A crisis rarely ends abruptly and new challenges arise. We continue to feel vulnerable and our emotions surface. Switchfoot slow down the tempo in their interpretation to allow the words to settle in.
When time allows, a crisis also pushes us to reflect on the past, open us up to deep questions and significant realizations. Switchfoot’s cover of Stupid Deep by Jon Bellion asks pointed questions:
What if all the things I've done
(What if all the things I've done)
Were just attempts at earning love?
Though the hole inside my heart is stupid deep,
oh, stupid deep. Deep
Stupid Deep honestly explores brokenness of humanity and the emptiness so many of us feel. When what has distracted us no longer works, we are forced to face our fragility.
Yet in this fragility, there is freedom. While most of the songs Switchfoot interprets on Covers are from the last decade, Lucky Man by the Verve is from 1997. The reason for choosing this song is clear from the very first words: “Happiness, more or less, it's just a change in me, something in my liberty.” In the most painful moments of life, we change in mysterious ways.
When we see the world in a new way, it is natural to look to share this perspective with others. Switchfoot interpret this desire by covering Lights Up by Harry Styles. Lights Up documents the new life that comes from a new knowledge of self. The chorus exclaims: "Shine, step into the light Shine, so bright sometimes Shine, I'm not ever going back." Even when we may hope that things would just stay the same, change is unavoidable. We can either embrace or resist the changes. Lights Up is purposefully ambiguous, allowing the listener to choose their approach.
Switchfoot ends the Covers EP with a lament. Their version of Sick Boy by The Chainsmokers empathizes with millions who are currently mentally and emotionally drained. They sing:
Make no mistake, I live in a prison
That I built myself, it is my religion
And they say that I am the sick boy
Easy to say, when you don't take the risk, boy
This collective cry leaves the listener in a reflective space. There are no easy answers and the introspective journeys we take have no clear and easy path to follow.
Covers by Switchfoot is an excellently curated playlist for those processing the pandemic. It takes the listener on a pilgrimage from survival to realization ending in lament. Switchfoot listens well. They have absorb the music of popular culture. They observe the emotions many of us feel. And the give us musical tools to help process them. Now, more than ever, the world needs good listeners and Switchfoot shows us how.
