A song to smile, a song to feel close while apart, a song to mark the historic time we're living in with hope, rather than grief. 

More than 400 songwriters from around the world have responded to the call of music charity Sound UK to create music that will capture the experience of living through the pandemic.

A Song for Us celebrates the power of music and communities coming together at a time when we need as much courage and support as we can to get through the hardships and lows of the pandemic. 

"I wanted to try to capture everything like in a musical time capsule, because this was just, you know, it was so unbelievable, just like nothing any of us have lived through before," explained Sound UK director Polly Eldridge. 

"Music felt to me like something that people were turning to. Obviously not live music, but listening to songs. And what we found is that so many people turned to writing and creating their own music to just try to make sense of what we were all going through."

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Together with budding songsmiths, Sound UK commissioned 15 well-known British musicians to write songs inspired by the people in their counties, in order to create a music map of the country.

"Last year was just this huge ... standstill of the live music industry and we often commissioned artists, but we had no way to make work for them. So I had this idea that actually we could ask artists to give something back to the community and to bring people together," said Eldridge.

The first four songs – dedicated to Cornwall, Devon, Bristol and South Yorkshire – premiered on YouTube on March 23.

During a difficult year for everyone, music has offered a unique kind of solace. One year after the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, the pandemic won't be marked by grief and loneliness only, but also by what brought people together in these dramatic times.

Songwriters have sent songs about nature, friends, family, love... and not wearing smart trousers on Zoom calls while working from home.

"The Bristol song is really funny, it was created by submissions from the public. The name is Trousers Optional because, of course, we've just seen people's top parts for the last year," said Eldridge, laughing. 

"There have been quite a lot of lockdown blues, for a lot of people. Sort of sharing that kind of desperation to get out and see people, only being with people, you know – companionship, friends... missing friends is really a common theme."

There's a chance that for the third release of county songs in July, the lockdown blues will be over in the UK, as the country gradually reopens.

Video editor: David Bamford