? ?
Music. It's like podcasts, but with beats.
And in the year 2020--
when the world was ravaged by a deadly virus,
music was a place of comfort.
But that doesn't mean music wasn't affected.
Tours were cancelled.
Bass players were forced to wash their hands for the first time.
Even music's biggest awards shows
were forced to have virtual performances.
Band members had to play six feet apart.
Lady Gaga was forced to perform as the character Dot
from A Bug's Life.
We stand Dot. Gay icon.
But coronavirus wasn't the only thing
tearing America apart in 2020.
America had a real racial reckoning,
and music artists used their platform
to call for change
and post little black squares on Instagram.
But one band in particular got ultra woke.
NEWSWOMAN: Recently, country band Lady Antebellum
changing its name to Lady A
but now in a legal dispute
with a Black soul artist, Anita White.
WHITE: I have built this name
for decades before they were born.
And I've been building it, and I'm an independent artist.
We grind every day to do what we do.
And Black folks,
indigenous people of color, of this land,
we grind even harder.
Wow. Okay, that is so messed up.
First of all, Black people didn't hear about you
until you tried stealing that Black lady's name.
Second of all, if you're going to actually change your name,
change your name.
Don't just abbreviate the problematic part.
Like, for example, my name used to be Tim Plantation,
but I changed the bad word,
and now it's Jaboukie Plantation.
But many musicians did properly honor
the struggle against police brutality.
Artists marched in the streets with Black Lives Matter
or hosted benefit concerts to raise money.
But if you ask me,
the thing that was the greatest support
for Black lives this year was this.
This record
is in honor
of George Floyd,
and I really hope we can see more unity
and more peace.
So, shout-out to his family.
(echoing): ? I have a dream. ?
? ?
Of course, you can't talk about 2020
without referencing the smash hit "WAP"
by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion.
Now, I can't get the rights to play that song
because of basic cable,
but I was able to get into a studio
and record a version of my own that gets the vibe across.
? There's a crow in this blouse ?
? You're messing with a wet-ass pussy. ?
Mm! I love that song.
I never...
I mean, never have I ever been so excited
to see how Kidz Bop covers this song.
So much has happened. Wait, okay, what else?
What else, what else, what else?
Beyoncé. (chuckles)
Beyoncé released a visual album.
There was also a music star baby boom,
which means that we're, like, 20 years out
from some really good music.
And Taylor Swift went folk.
Taylor Swift's breaking records
with her surprise new album, Folklore,
the pop star selling over 1.3 million albums
in just 24 hours.
Yes, Taylor Swift went folk,
which is not as crazy as people are making it out to be.
She started out as a country singer.
Folk singers are just country singers
that wear vintage clothing.
Now, what would have been crazy is if Taylor ran
as Kanye's VP.
Either way, Folklore was one of the biggest albums of 2020,
and its lead single, "Cardigan,"
was streamed over seven million times
on its day of release. Let's take a listen.
? Baby ?
? I've got a wet-ass pussy ?
? Get me a cardigan for this wet-ass pussy. ?
(pops lips)
Also couldn't afford the rights to that,
but it is a classic.
But musicians this year
didn't just give us comfort in times of need.
Some of them literally helped save lives.
People on social media noticed
that Dolly Parton was listed as one of the sponsors
of Moderna's new coronavirus vaccine
in a preliminary report.
Parton announced in April, you may remember,
that she was giving a million dollars
to Vanderbilt University in Nashville for COVID research.
Well, some of that money went to an early-stage trial
of the Moderna vaccine.
Yes, Dolly Parton invented the coronavirus vaccine,
which is a crazy plot twist.
That would be like if Dr. Fauci dropped an album and it slapped.
You know what? To be honest, though,
I would trust the Dolly Parton vaccine
over a Dr. Fauci vaccine
because Dolly Parton has been a gay icon for decades.
Fauci's kind of new on the scene.
Until he's someone's inspo
for their RuPaul's Drag Race outfit,
he has a lot of work to do, okay?
So, even though 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year,
I was so entertained by music,
and I am very excited to see what 2021 has in store.
Will Britney finally be free?
Will Rihanna release an album or just give us
another line of things that we don't really need?
Fenty falafel.
And will The Weeknd admit
that he's actually just my boss, Trevor?
I'm excited to find out.
Now, to play us out,
the woman who helped cure coronavirus,
Dolly Parton,
playing her 1974 hit "Jolene."
? Jolene, Jo, I got a wet-ass pussy ?
? Wet-ass pussy ?
? I got a wet-ass pussy ?
? Jolene. ?