A group of Worcester teenagers have made an anthem for the coronavirus era, and it is frankly way catchier than it has any right to be.
The song “We Want Our Summer Back” and its accompanying music video, filmed over Zoom, were made as a community service project by Teen Circle at Worcester Youth Center, a program that engages youth in conversations on self identity, social justice, and community leadership.
Beyond its infectious hooks (Wear your mask / Wear your gloves / Sanitize! Sanitize!), the lyrics also wrangle with sociopolitical problems that families are dealing with amid the pandemic, like the education gap for students without access to technology, and the financial struggle of laid-off workers without a robust safety net.
The song features 10 middle- and high-school girls and was directed by Nydia Colón, who leads the program at the youth center. Colón said the group started brainstorming lyrics for the song soon after the center closed in March, forcing the program to move online. She explained that it was a collaborative process inspired by conversations the group had on the struggles and concerns of quarantine.
“Who are you? How do you find yourself reacting to the pandemic? What can we do as a community to contribute to what the government and the state are doing to stop this pandemic? From those conversations, we started taking notes,” Colón said.
The group worked with a counselor at the youth center who specializes in music production to craft the background beat for the tune. Colón said the girls wanted something upbeat like “Uptown Funk,” the 2014 jam by Mark Ronson and featuring Bruno Mars. Each teen used a specialized mobile app to record vocals. The video was published on YouTube earlier this month and was featured in WCVB’s morning news broadcast Tuesday.
“One of the most satisfying things of my work is to really hear young people use their voices in a positive way in a way that occupies space,” Colón said. “[They’re saying] ‘I know what’s going on and I need you to listen to me. My voice matters.’”
