“Here and Now” by Kenny Chesney

This year has left us with plenty of time to reflect, even if most of our quarantine was spent watching Netflix and catching up on sleep. As we reflected on all that we were missing due to the pandemic, we also missed what was happening in the present. Country singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney released his chart-topping hit, “Here and Now” in February, and the themes presented in the song of living in the moment and appreciating all that you have remained important all year. 

Chesney begins the up-beat song by taking a look back at his life: “Seen the skyline in New York City/ Fireflies in Tennessee,” but even above all of the places that he’s been, Chesney’s favorite place remains the titular phrase of his hit, “Here and Now”. Throughout the chorus, Chesney motivates his audience to stop waiting and start living. Chesney asks “Everybody’s waiting, but they’re waiting on what?” This simple question pointed out the myriad of excuses that people make to put off true “living.” We wait until the pandemic is over, until we get another year older, until the crazy, disaster of a year 2020 ends, when what we really should be doing is enjoying each day that we have. Chesney encourages us to “get to living/ ‘cause all we’ve got is/ Here and now.”With one final reminder, the song wraps up with a call to action: to enjoy the “Here and Now”. The perfect windows-down, music blasting, summer song: Chesney’s hit reminds us of the importance of living in the present. “Here and Now” encourages us to take advantage of each day we wake up, even if a global pandemic makes us feel like every day is Groundhog day, because “[there] ain’t no better time than/ Here and now”.