Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert are co-hosting an unusual all-star concert on April 18 to lift the world's mood as it self-quarantines to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. But each of the hosts is already experimenting with presenting sheltered-in-place musical acts on their own shows, filmed from home. The result is an interesting, frequently delightful, way to experience songs you have never heard by artists you know, songs from artists you may not know about, and songs you know by artists who didn't make them famous, performed alone at home. There has been a distinct quarantine theme to the music on this week's late night shows.
On Monday's Tonight Show, Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong did a cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells hit "I Think We're Alone Now," accompanied by his digital audio workstation. "How apropos," Fallon said of the song choice.
On Monday's Late Show, Jim James of My Morning Jacket paid homage to Bill Withers, who died over the weekend, with "Lean On Me," a song about how we can all be in this together.
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REM's Michael Stipe debuted a song on Tuesday's Late Show that he wrote with Aaron Dessner of The National. The song, "No Time For Love Like Now," may not have been inspired by the isolation of quarantine, but there are clear echoes. "Where did this all begin to change, the lockdown memories can't sustain, this glistening, hanging free fall?" Stipe sings. "Whatever waiting means in this new place, I am waiting for you."
Fallon and Justin Timberlake created a short song explicitly about home quarantine for Tuesday's Tonight Show, mixed together from a phone conversation and household objects.
The Marsh family in Britain, whose coronavirus-themed homage to Les Misérables went viral, debuted another coronavirus-themed homage to Les Mis on Monday's Jimmy Kimmel Live, and this one's a bit more earnest.
And the Avett Bothers sang one of their new songs, "C Sections and Railway Trestles," from their back porch for Tuesday's Tonight Show. It doesn't really have anything to do with the coronavirus or isolation, but it's still a good song and you can watch it below. Peter Weber
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