"Together in the chrysalis"

May 19, 2021 2:51 PM

“In the first few weeks of the pandemic, OK Go wrote and recorded a song together, alone in our homes.” It’s called All together now and you can read more about it in this letter from band leader Damian Kulash. But the story doesn’t end there: “A few months later, a high school choir from Long Island asked for the sheet music, so they could collaborate from their homes the same way. We loved the idea, and invited the world to join.

The video you’re about to see is one of the six new pieces made by more than 15,000 musicians, artists, and students from 35 states and 21 countries.”

Art Together Now (Symphony From Home Version)

Art Together Now (Kids Version)

Art Together Now (Bunni Version)

Art Together Now (Space Version)

Art Together Now (Nature Version)

Art Together Now (Praxinoscope Version)

The whole thing is part of OK Go Sandbox’s #ArtTogetherNow initiative (hashtag on YouTube).

OK Go previously on MetaFilter: too many to link, but you can find all (most?) of the links in this post.

posted by amf (6 comments total)

Thank you! I missed this last year and I always love when I come across new (to me) OK Go material.
posted by curious nu at 3:42 PM on May 19, 2021

Anyone have a link to how I (as an individual not part of a school or school type org) could get hold of the sheet music?
posted by Faintdreams at 3:39 AM on May 20, 2021

Okay, I’m not sure exactly why that song hit me so hard...but I’m crying at my kitchen table right now. Hopeful but bittersweet, what we have to look forward to versus what we know we’ve lost, mask mandates dropped in the US but still so much anxiety because so much is unknown....just so much to process right now. I will listen again to the original and the choir versions (I’ll definitely need to do that in private because there will be ugly crying) when I don’t have to be presentable.
posted by victoriab at 5:46 AM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

I, too, just wanted to share how hard this hit me. I generally like Ok Go and how they approach creativity and music, but their version didn't do much for me.

The high school version though. The chairs. The variety of medium and professionalism and occasional dancing and stepping just blew all the anxiety and compassion fatigue in my body out my eyeballs and I sobbed halfway through.

Felt pretty good.
posted by abulafa at 9:04 AM on May 20, 2021 [3 favorites]

Whew... hit me square in the chest as well.
posted by absquatulate at 10:41 AM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

OK Go Sandbox - Behind the Scenes of #ArtTogetherNow was released today. The 17min video shows how the different versions were created and features some of the students that played major roles.

By the way, Faintdreams, the sheet music for choir with piano is featured in this video starting at 5:42min.
posted by amf at 9:43 AM on May 24, 2021