Playlist: I'm Awakening or Whatever

Are you seeing 11:11, keeping a manifestation journal, or stalking your crush’s mom’s Facebook page in hopes of somehow finding their birth time? This playlist might just resonate.

Written by Ellen Daly

Illustrated by Isabel Alvarez

On her new album Solar Power, Lorde rolls her eyes at the current age of “wellness” and social media spirituality. “Mood Ring” likens iPhones and corporate exploitations of the human pursuit  for spirituality to the eponymous jewelry, telling us how we feel and robbing us of the ability to determine that ourselves. “The Path” warns against idolizing pop stars and advises its listeners to look to something greater, like the sun, and “Solar Power” celebrates transcendence through spending time in nature. But what other spiritual commentary can we find in popular music?

The 5th Dimension’s 1969 release of the album The Age of Aquarius, featuring hit single “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” from the musical Hair, introduced the public to the concept of the Aquarian Age, which is now being introduced to Gen Z through platforms like TikTok and Twitter. The Age of Aquarius is believed to be an era characterized by individual liberation and a return to the spiritual. It followed the 2000-year Piscean Age, which was primarily defined by the rise of Christianity and the culture of conformity and concentrated power. It’s disputed when this shift occurred or will occur, but all we know is that it’s sometime right around now.

Whether it’s Iris DeMent’s 1992 refusal to accept a singular religious truth or Justin Timberlake’s 2013 radio anthem about twin flames, spiritual themes both subtly and explicitly pervade post-1969 popular music. Generally characterized by feelings of hope, gratitude, release of limiting beliefs, and acceptance of the unknown, these songs represent what many believe to be a rise in collective consciousness that is occurring as we speak. So sit back, relax, and transcend.