Artists in Isolation

Illustration courtesy of Natasha Arnowitz // @natasha__art

When it comes to music, inspiration is around every corner. Whether it strikes while walking through the abandoned allies of Brooklyn, New York at 3 a.m., or taking in the artwork at The Louvre in Paris, any atmosphere can evoke a song idea in an artist's mind. The world is full of beauty and ugliness, and if you take in what's around you, you will be inspired to turn those thoughts that flood your mind into music. For many talented musical artists, they often escape from reality and isolate themselves into a dream where solitude equals freedom. Often, temporarily taking yourself out of society means more time to let your mind run free.

In the age of COVID-19, artists are now forced to self-quarantine, either enhancing or prohibiting their artistic abilities. 

These five lyrical masterminds, however, discovered choosing isolation was their golden ticket to creating something magical.

Artists In Isolation:

It started in 1968 when iconic baritone country star Johnny Cash performed the hit song “Greystone Chapel” at Folsom Prison. The song was written by Glen Sherley while serving time in Folsom for a series of crimes, including armed robbery and jailbreak. The idea of the song was inspired by the greystone chapel within the prison that acted as a sanctuary to humanize prisoners who felt trapped like caged birds and isolated from the world around them. 

The night before his performance, Cash got a hold of the song from the minister at the chapel and was inspired by its message. It followed the notion that God could unchain the lowest souls - the convicted felons - if they fell to the chapel floor and prayed for mercy. 
Sherley let his seclusion in prison transform him into a sacrificial being. After suffering a lifetime of punishment, the Lord was the angel on his shoulder assuring him that everything was going to be okay, which is heard in the line “It's a flower of light in a field of darkness, and it's givin' me the strength to carry on.”The idea that a prisoner was able to express his thoughts through music shocked the world, and Sherley found that isolation, in fact, allowed him to be more vulnerable regarding mental conveyance. Seclusion taught him that, through music, he cannot only attempt to save his own soul but also “save the souls of many lost men” as the song states.

In the 1970s, a whole album emerged from shutting out the world. Legendary English rock band, The Rolling Stones, released their album “Exile on Mainstreet” in 1972, written from a secluded basement in a villa in Nellcôte in southern France. That is where underground artistry was reborn. 

Part of what makes the album so unique and personal is that without insanely strict recording times and studio rules, there remains a delightfully avant-garde, laissez-faire feel to it. It is true that The Stones’ escape to France was not only to write in secrecy but to flee from the large amount of money they owed in England. Being tax exiles, this game of hide and seek inspired the title of the album. The band managed to turn an illegal activity into art by escaping reality and secluding themselves in their dream world full of exuberance and joy.

Ten years later, Bruce Springsteen released a stripped-down folk album titled “Nebraska.” This solemn album—the majority of it recorded on the night of Jan. 3, 1982 in his modest home in Colts Neck, New Jersey, follows blue-collar individuals who are down to the last moments of their bleak lives, looking to the future and seeing little to no hope for revival. 
Unlike Bruce Springsteen's previous albums which are sprinkled with touches of youth and optimism in songs like “Rosalita”on “The Wild, the Innocent & The E Street Shuffle” or “Tenth-Avenue Freeze-out” on “Born to Run,” the tracks on “Nebraska” are dark and filled with somber nuances in Springsteen’s deep vocals and haunting instrumentations. The creation of this record during a one-night isolation period added to its raw beauty. Individuals were so touched not only by Springsteen’s ability to empathize with criminals who have ruined their chances of a better life but also his ability to pour his emotions out in solitude with nobody around to direct him. “Nebraska” perfectly exemplifies how artists can create untouchable gems when they have no other voices in their heads but their own.

In 1997, English rock band Radiohead released “Ok Computer” which depicts a world full of consumerism, social isolation, and various commentaries on society. 

The band knew they wanted to escape the city of London and entrap themselves in a private space where they could fully immerse themselves in experimental art in order to write and record the album. While renting a mansion near Bath, England, the band members were given the freedom to do whatever they wanted at their leisure, which resulted in writing in grand ballrooms at 3 a.m. and recording vocals for the moving ballad “Exit Music (For a Film)”—my personal favorite song—while sitting on a desolate staircase. 
This distance from civilization helped them develop a stress-free mentality when constructing “Ok Computer,”which is why the social commentary about being a slave to technology was beautifully brought to light. Thom Yorke and his crew stepped back from their normal lifestyle and, from there, we’re able to see the world crumbling at their fingertips.

Isolation art continued into the 2000s. In the case of  Bon Iver and his 2008 album “For Emma, Forever Ago,” the further away from hustle and bustle, the better. Luckily, his father owned a hunting cabin on an 80-acre plot of land in snowy Wisconsin. Three months later, he journeyed out of the Wisconsin cold and into the hearts of many with his opening track “Flume.”

The album highlights the loneliness Justin Vernon, Bon Iver’s legal name, felt as he was struggling to make it as a musician. Additionally, he endured a series of issues such as pneumonia and mono. He was at the lowest point of his life when he decided to hone in on that loneliness by completely isolating himself from everything. The vulnerability and weakness in his music allowed listeners to understand the metaphor of seclusion in relation to his personal desperation for connection.

Although separation from civilization has the power to cause an individual to lose touch with reality, it is also inspiring to see how much good has come from musicians who have made music in isolation. As I look back at some of the greatest records in history, I know that every individual note has come from a place of authenticity and care and am grateful that these artists were able to share such powerful stories with the world thanks to some peace and quiet.