Noam wrote an end-of-year song with Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram, so we thought to drop it here as a little end-of-year surprise.

Lyrics:

2021, it was gonna be fun
Get a couple shots and then you’re done
Then the second the year’d begun
We had an insurrection

2021, it was gonna be fun
Get a couple shots and then you’re done
Then the second the year’d begun
We had an insurrection

Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see
We might have started too optimistically
So if we keep our expectations low
Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible

Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see
We might have started too optimistically
So if we keep our expectations low
Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible

Dial back to when the year had begun
We were looking forward to the end of hibernation 
But it didn’t even last a week
No it didn’t even last a week, mm-hmm

On the sixth day of 2021
Vanilla Isis tried to flip the election
But looking back we can’t agree 
On the facts, no, we can’t agree, mm-mm

Pretty soon we were signing up for shots (shots!)
Talking about shots (shots!)
Shots shots shots (shots!)
Everyone was a pharma fan
With the Pfizer fam, the Moderna clan (J&J)

But we should have known Delta would happen 
Most of humanity not getting vaxxed and
Fourth wave — fifth wave, in rhythm
That’s one more wave than feminism!

2021, it was gonna be fun
Get a couple shots and then you’re done
But according to Joe Ro-gun
You should take Ivermectin

Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see
We might have started too optimistically
But if we keep our expectations low
Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible

A booster, I’m not sure I need it. 
Dune on the IMAX, I seen it.
Back to the good life, I dreamed it. (Arrakis)
Wake up, reality, don’t fit.

Hope you don’t need a house or a condo (a condo)
Hope you don’t need a trip to Toronto (Toronto)
Hope you don’t need some gas for your Durango (Durango) 
Hope you don’t need a can of dried mangos (dried mangos)

Everyone is feeling frustration
Quitting jobs — the Great Resignation
Blaming Biden for rising inflation
While billionaires shoot off to space, racing

Did we fix the grid in Texas? (yes)
Figure out how wide the Suez is? (yes)
Don’t ask me
All I see on TV 
It's just fights on Critical Race Theory

2021, it was gonna be fun
Get a couple shots and then you’re done
Moving onto issue number one:
Whether to allow abortions!

Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see
We might have started too optimistically
But if we keep our expectations low
Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible

I just want to be free
Of thinking about Covid-19
I just want to see
Something done about global warming

And I still don’t get NFT’s
Can’t understand crypto currency and
And we can’t agree on anything
But at least we got together to free Britney
(Oh baby baby)

2021, it was gonna be fun
Get a couple shots and then you’re done
Then the second as the year’d begun
We had an insurrection

And people lied about the last election
And made it harder to vote in elections
At least we don’t have another election
Wait, I think there’s another election...

2021, it was gonna be fun
Get a couple shots and then you’re done
Then the second we thought we’d won
We’re learning how to say "Omicron"

Guess you never know what’s gonna come through
Making plans for things you’ll never do 
But take it from a brown guy (and a Jew)
There’s always 2022.

This song was written and performed by Sean Rameswaram and Noam Hassenfeld, produced by Noam, engineered by Efim Shapiro, and features additional vocals from Christina Animashaun.

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