Following the results of the 2024 election, I was an absolute wreck. I felt so much in a short span of time, and that was incredibly difficult to sort through. Millions of people felt the weight of Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump, and many continue to search for a way to manage those feelings.
I’ve sought comfort in this dark time in several ways. I’ve opened up to my friends and family, worked out, and taken plenty of long, hot showers. One especially helpful coping mechanism is listening to music. Shortly after I saw the results of the election, I created a playlist of songs to cover the vast range of emotions I was feeling.
Here is a list of songs to match your post-election emotions. I’m going to list them in the general chronological order of how I felt them, although I did often feel multiple at once.
#1 – SHOCK
“Abbey” by Mitski
When I saw that Trump won Georgia, I was disappointed but still tried to hold onto hope. I took a hot shower, then I sat in my bed and stared at the polls. Everyone I knew was asleep. Once he won Pennsylvania, I was in disbelief, my mind went blank, and a wave of despair began to wash over me. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“I am hungry. I have been hungry. I was born hungry. What do I need? I am something. I have been something. I was born something. What could I be?”
“There is a dream, and it sleeps in me. Keeps me awake in the night, crying, ‘set me free.’”
#2 – FEAR/PANIC
“Ptolemaea” by Ethel Cain
Pretty soon after the shock faded and I came to terms with what happened, I left my dorm crying and called my mom. I walked down the stairs to the first floor where no dorms were located and panicked, sobbing over the phone, trying to keep my voice down. I couldn’t breathe and felt terrified of what was to come. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“Suffering is nigh, drawing to me. Calling me the one, I’m the white light. Beautiful, finite.”
“There’s nothing you can do. It’s already been done. What fear a man like you brings upon a woman like me, please don’t look at me. I can see it in your eyes, he keeps looking at me, tell me, what have you done?”
“Stop, stop, stop, make it stop, stop, make it stop, make it stop, I’ve had enough.”
#3 – SADNESS
“T.V.” by Billie Eilish
Once I was able to think clearly the next morning, I mourned not only what was the come, but also what could’ve been. I isolated myself, slept, and stayed in my room, contemplating what this could mean for vulnerable minority groups, some of which I am a part of. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“I don’t want to talk right now. I just want to watch TV. I’ll stay in the pool and drown so I don’t have to watch you leave.”
“Sinking in the sofa while they all betray each other, what’s the point of anything?”
“I’ll be in denial for at least a little while. What about the plans we made? The internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial while they’re overturning Roe. V. Wade.”
#4 – CONFUSION
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” by Taylor Swift
My next thought was one main question: “Why?” How could this happen? How could a man with over 27 sexual assault allegations, found guilty in 34 felony counts become the president of the United States? I felt distraught and questioned how a man so cruel could have so much power, and how someone found guilty of rape could rule a country. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“You didn’t measure up in any measure of a man.”
“Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?”
“In 50 years will this all be declassified? And you’ll confess why you did it. And I’ll say good riddance. Cause it wasn’t sexy once it wasn’t forbidden.”
“You deserve prison, but you won’t get time. You’ll slide into inboxes and slip through the bars.”
“The End of the World” by Skeeter Davis
This is another song about confusion but in a different sense. As I walked through campus after finally dragging myself out of bed, I saw people laughing and smiling. Classes continued, homework was assigned, and tests were given. It all felt somewhat wrong, and I wondered how the world could appear to be just the same when so much would soon be changing. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore? Don’t they know it’s the end of the world?”
“I wake up in the morning and I wonder why everything’s the same as it was. I can’t understand, no, I can’t understand how life goes on the way it does.”
#5 – ANGER
“Labour” by Paris Paloma
My confusion quickly turned to anger as I saw post after post of men rejoicing at the loss of women’s rights to their bodies. There was one particular quote I saw over and over again; “your body, my choice.” It infuriates and disgusts that men can hate women so much and still expect women to bend over backward to please them. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“All day, every day, therapist, mother, made, nymph then a virgin, nurse then a servant, just an appendage, live to attend him, so that he never lifts a finger.”
“24/7, baby machine so he can live out his picket fence dreams, it’s not an act of love if you make her, you make me do too much labour.”
#6 – REPULSION
“Us and Pigs” by SOFIA ISELLA
Speaking of social media, the first of many revolting posts I saw after Trump won the election was from a man named Nick Fuentes. Some of his quotes included, “There will never be a woman president,” “Guess what, men win again?” and of course, “I’m your republican congressman and it’s your body, my choice.” This disgusting behavior made me extremely uncomfortable and appalled at the lack of male empathy towards women. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“Our women are cattle, there’s blood on our kids, are you being paid not to pay attention? Does it have to happen to your mother, to your sister or your daughter, for you to take it personal?”
“In nine months, we’ll have a kid you won’t care about. And if the kid’s not straight, white, and male we guarantee a living hell, murder in the name of a loving God.”
#8 – EXHAUSTION
“Overcome” by Skott
After dealing with such heavy emotions, I began to feel numb, exhausted by the weight of them on my shoulders and by the negative impacts I’d seen the election results have on so many people. I felt powerless and drained but tried to find hope once again after listening to Harris’ concession speech. That’s what this song feels like.
Applicable lyrics
“Come as you are, ignited. Some lights are a different kind. Never burning out.”
“I’m trying to make sense of it all, trying to understand. Do you ever wonder what it’s like losing what you cannot be without?”
“I’ll try to overcome. Fading stars echo, reminding us they know we’ve come too far to let go. Don’t let go.”
This last lyric reminds me of one of Harris’ closing lines of her concession speech; “I often say when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing: sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.” We cannot forget the progress that has been made in the protection of human rights. Harris’ campaign certainly was not for nothing. It touched the hearts of and inspired millions, including myself, to speak up for what’s right.
The lyrics’ connection to light and stars reminds me of another line from her speech; “only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.” If you haven’t listened to Harris’ concession speech, I certainly recommend it. It’s brilliant and made me remember that we have power. In our voices, in our souls, in our hearts. No one can take that away.
#9 – Uncertainty
“What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish
At this point in my emotional journey, I was ready to turn to the future. As a human rights and journalism double major, I’ve always wanted to make others feel heard and seen. I began considering my role and purpose in the world and how to work through my feelings and use them for good. That’s what this song feels like. (Also, you should watch the movie Barbie that this song is from. Its message is very relevant right now, and it’s a great film.)
Applicable lyrics
“I used to float, now I just fall down. I used to know, but I’m not sure now what I was made for. What was I made for?”
“I don’t know how to feel, but I want to try. I don’t know how to feel. But someday I might. Someday I might.”
“Think I forgot how to be happy, something I’m not, but something I can be. Something I wait for. Something I’m made for.”
#10 – Hope
The final emotion I felt and continue to feel is hope. Once I processed my other feelings, I had to focus on what was and what was not in my control. In dark times such as these we need to stand up and fight for what’s right. As Harris said, “This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, mobilize, and stay engaged for the sake of freedom, justice, and the future we all know we can build together.”
So, here’s to freedom.
“Freedom” by Beyonce (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Applicable lyrics
“I break chains all by myself, won’t let my freedom rot in hell, hey! Imma keep running cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”
“Stole from me, lied to me, nation hypocrisy, code on me, drive on me, wicked, my spirit inspired me.”
“Open our mind as we cast away oppression. Yeah, open the streets and watch our beliefs and when they carve my name inside the concrete, I pray it forever reads ‘freedom.’”
Here’s to justice.
“Defying Gravity” from Wicked (You should watch this movie too. So good and so relevant!)
Applicable lyrics
“I’m through accepting limits cause’ someone says they’re so. Some things I cannot change, but ‘til I try, I’ll never know.”
“As someone told me lately, ‘everyone deserves the chance to fly.’”
“Nobody in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was, is ever gonna bring me down.”
And here’s to the future. In this time of need, we must remember never to give up. Reach out to your friends. Advocate for others. Attend protests. And, overall, use your power for good. I hope listening to these songs will help you to work through such difficult emotions that are completely valid to be feeling right now. Take care of yourself, and remember you are never alone.