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“10 Songs That Acknowledge the Power of Waves” features music courtesy of Beck, Dean Lewis, John Mayer, Miguel, and Normani.

 Cutting straight to the chase, It’s amazing how many songs reference waves. Honestly, the waves seem to rear their head in numerous genres, whether it’s alternative, country, pop, R&B, or rap among others. On this wave-centric playlist, we highlight 10 Songs That Acknowledge the Power of Waves. 

Believe me, there are many more than 10 songs that could’ve been included.  Musicians that acknowledge the power of waves in their respective songs include Beck (“Wave”), Dean Lewis (“Waves”), John Mayer (“Emoji of a Wave”), Miguel (“Waves”), and Normani (“Waves”).

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1. Dean Lewis, “Waves”

A Place We Knew • Universal Music Australia • 2019

“There is a swelling storm / And I’m caught up in the middle of it all / And it takes control of the person that I thought I was / The boy I used to know.” “Waves,” the fifth track from A Place We Knew, ends up being the lengthiest song of the album.  Of course, that length is four minutes, which isn’t bad or excessive in the least. Australian singer/songwriter Dean Lewis checks off all boxes with thoughtful songwriting, marvelous, authentic vocals, and an all-around winning song, period.

Essentially, Lewis reflects on a most relatable topic, applied generally or more specifically – the ups and down of this thing called life.  On the pre-chorus, he asserts, “It comes and goes in waves / It always does, always does / We watch as our young hearts fade / Into the flood, into the flood.” He expounds even more on the chorus, singing, “And the freedom of falling / The feeling I thought was set in stone / It slips through my fingers…”

2. Normani, “Waves”

Ft. 6LACK

Waves [Single] • Keep Cool / RCA • 2018

“First, I blame you, then I want you / Fucking hate you, then I love you / I can’t help myself, no / When I have you, wanna leave you / If you go, that’s when I need you / I can’t help myself, no.” Damn, that some aggressiveness right there on the pre-chorus Normani! The Fifth Harmony standout shines on her 2018 single, “Waves”, which features superb, sleek production work.  The sound can further be described as chill, moody, and absolutely stunning.  She serves up strong vocals throughout, doing a fantastic job performing the rhythmic melodic lines on the verses.

On the chorus, Normani shows off her falsetto, contrasting the fuller, more aggressive vocals on the pre-chorus.  Additionally, some slick vocal harmonization comes in to play, not to mention the playfulness of the melody: “You come in waves, waves, waves / Every hour, every day, day, day / You come in waves, yeah.” Featured guest 6LACK arrives on the third verse, blending pop-rap and sung vocals. While his performance isn’t energetic or thrilling, it’s in line with what we’ve characteristically heard from him throughout his career, including his own 2018 album, East Atlanta Love Letter. 

“I come with ups and downs, yeah, I know

If you tryna ride, ride slow

Deep breath for the tide

Hold tight for the stride, I can see it in your eyes…”

Notably, Normani delivers powerful ad-libs on the final chorus.  Yeah, the girl can just flat out ‘sang.’ 

3. Justin Timberlake, “Wave”

Man of the Woods • RCA • 2018

“‘Cause when it ain’t got no waves / Waves… / And just wave /…Now the other way…” Oh my… All in all, Justin Timberlake is an amazing musician.  His voice is incredibly distinct, sounding fantastic once he lays down tracks in the recording studio.  That said, Mr. Timberlake doesn’t always have the Midas touch.  Case in point, his questionable 2018 album, Man of the Woods.  When describing Man of the Woods, Timberlake asserted, “I think the album has a wide range of sonics to it, but, I guess I would describe it as modern Americana with 808s.” Hmm… yeah, it just didn’t quite work.  Even so, JT gave us a song to feature on this particular playlist, “Wave.”

First, let’s examine the pros of the third song gracing this playlist.  Well, the biggest pro is that “Wave” features sleek production – that counts for something.  Also, depending on your opinion of gimmickry, “Wave” certainly has its share, not to mention being quirky too.  While that gives listeners something to admire, “Waves” is clearly an acquired taste.  Over-repetitiveness, simplistic, non-transcendent lyrics, and length are among the cons.  Still, “Come on, don’t be passive / Some ‘us time’ would be magic / This is fantastic, and we could get some practice / And miles on our passes for love.”

4. Keith Urban, “My Wave”

Ft. Shy Carter

Graffiti U • Capitol Nashville • 2018

“I just ride / On a wave so free, just you and me / Coming alive / It feels so good just watching the world going by / Doing my thing out here, vibing and riding my wave…” Okay – to each his or her own, of course! Ever-eclectic Australian country superstar Keith Urban continued to blur country music lines on his 2018 album, Graffiti U.  A perfect example of Urban pushing the country music envelope occurs on “My Wave,” which appears as the fifth track on Graffiti U.  Interestingly, Urban taps an unlikely collaborator, Shy Carter, who raps on the third verse (“You gotta watch out for the shine blockers / Me, I’m just a time stopper… / We gotta depend on the wave”).

Expectedly, the sound of “My Wave” is NOT straightforward, incorporating the sounds of the island. What comes to mind when you think of the islands musically? Chill music, specifically reggae. That’s what Keith Urban goes for here – tropically-tinged country music that borrows from pop and reggae. It’s fitting mind you, with waves being associated with water, water being associated with the beach (ocean), and again, the beach (island) associated with reggae, and such.  Still, “My Wave” is certainly not your father’s country music. Given Urban’s versatility, he successfully pulls it off.

5. John Mayer, “Emoji 😀 of a Wave”

The Search for Everything • Columbia • 2017

“Your heart is where my head should be / The dissonance is killing me / It breaks my heart / It breaks my heart // Oh honey… / It’s just a wave… / And I know / That when it comes / I just hold on.” As he approached middle age in 2017, John Mayer – known for the likes of “Body is a Wonderland”, “Daughters”, and “Waiting on the World to Change” – released his first new album in four years, The Search for Everything. Despite being an underrated and under-appreciated affair from the Grammy-winner, The Search for Everything featured some fine songs including the song at hand, “Emoji of a Wave.” Amazingly, when reviewing the album, “Emoji of a Wave” wasn’t considered a ‘gem’ in my eyes despite being well-rounded by all means.

“Emoji of a Wave”naturally catches the eye, thanks to featuring the word emoji if nothing else.  The song itself has that cool, beautiful singer/songwriter vibe that John Mayer has become known for.  Matters of his heart drive the concept, with the lyrics being both poetic and potent.

“I rose in you like morning light

And sheltered you asleep at night

It breaks my heart

It takes all the love I have to say

I know we’re gonna be okay

It breaks my heart

It breaks my heart.”

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6. Blake Shelton, “The Wave”

Texoma Shore • Warner Bros. • 2017

“And you kissed me as the sound / Of my favorite band was playing / But I couldn’t hear them ‘cause my heart / Was beating loud and out of rhythm / As you drowned outall the dark.” In 2017, country sensation Blake Shelton returned with a consistent, enjoyable studio album, Texoma Shore. There are a number of noteworthy moments including “I’ll Name the Dogs”, “At the House,” and “Money.” Throughout the course of the album, his voice and personality shine through. Among the crème de la crème of the project that wasn’t previously mentioned is “The Wave.”

“The Wave” is a thoughtful, well-penned, mid-tempo cut that shows off the sheer radiance of Shelton’s voice. The songwriting truly takes “The Wave” to the next level, as aforementioned, as well as further confirmed on the memorable chorus.

“I was a boat trapped in a bottle

Dying for water, you were the ocean

I was a compass that couldn’t find heaven

I didn’t know how bad I was broken

I was a castaway with no land

I drew a broken heart in the sand

And you were the wave, the wave, the wave

That washed it all

That washed it all away.”

 While it is perfect for a traditional country fan, there’s appeal behind the core fan base thanks to stellar execution. 

7. Kanye West, “Waves”

Ft. Chris Brown

The Life of Pablo • Def Jam • 2016

“Step up in this bitch like / I’m the one your bitch like / And I be talkin’ shit like / I ain’t scared to lose a fistfight.” Safe to say Kanye West is totally ‘feeling himself’ on “Waves,” a highlight from his polarizing 2016 album, The Life of Pablo.  As cocky as Mr. West is, he definitely kicks off the 10^thtrack of TLOP with ample energy, amplified by what sounds like an exuberant, hyper rhythmic, pulsating vocal pad.  Additionally, “Waves” is anchored by a relatively simple, but effective hard beat, and surprisingly, set in a major key.

Besides his own melodic rhymes, West is assisted by a much more melodic, and equally polarizing musician, Chris Brown.  Regardless of your opinion of Brown, he sounds terrific on the chorus, bridge, and outro sections.  Also, worth noting, there are some uncredited appearances courtesy of Chance the Rapper and most colorfully, distinctive humming courtesy of left-field rapper Kid Cudi.

“Waves don’t die

Let me crash here for the moment

I don’t need to own it

No lie

Waves don’t die, baby

Let me crash here for a moment

Baby, I don’t, I don’t need to own you.”

8. Miguel, “Waves”

WILDHEART • RCA • 2015

“Don’t stop, I wanna ride that wave / All night, I wanna ride that wave / Look here, I’m gonna surf in it baby / I’m getting turnt in it baby / Putting work in it baby / Keep working it while I ride that wave.” Hmm, something tells me that Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Miguel isn’t referencing a body of water on “Waves,” a highlight from his 2015 album, WILDHEART.  Considering how sexually-charged WILDHEART is throughout its course (“The Valley,” “Coffee” and “FLESH” come to mind), it seems pretty clear that what Miguel is ‘surfing’ in is much more intimate and private… just keeping it 100.

Other than the sex, there’s more to take away from “Waves.”  First and foremost, Miguel remains an incredibly nuanced, soulful vocalist. Here, some distortion adds even more to his passionate, overt pipes.  Furthermore, he’s amplified by backing vocals, not to mention paying ode to the soul of old, at least to a certain extent.  The bridge is among the crème de la crème moments of “Waves.”

“Yeah, get wild baby, so hot, god damn, I need a towel baby

If I could wipe you down right now baby

If I could ride that wave right now, say…”

9. Beck, “Wave”

Morning Phase • Capitol • 2014

“I move away from this place / In the form of a disturbance / And enter into the world / Like some tiny distortion.” Ah, those lyrics hail from “Wave,” the utterly distinct seventh track from Morning Phase, the album that earned alternative darling Beck the coveted Grammy for Album of the Year. “Wave”is easily one of Morning Phase’s more haunting and heavier songs.

Besides the truly chilling vocal performance by Beck, the strings further accentuate the emotional intensity characterizing this particular cut.  Following the first verse (excerpted above), The second verse continues in enigmatic, yet captivating fashion: “If I surrender / and don’t fight this wave / I won’t go under / I’ll only get carried away.”  The intensity is loftiest on the closing repetition of lyrics “Isolation,” in which the lush strings portray a fortedynamic level.

10. Earl Sweatshirt, “20 Wave Caps”

Ft. Domo Genesis

Doris • Columbia • 2013

“While they ripping through the packaging to grab the shit / I’m shaded with the few whom I usually blow cabbage with / New patterns patty-caking with mannequins / Cause I don’t like my fucking homies dip…” Hmm, okay… It should be pretty clear that “20 Wave Caps” has nothing whatsoever to do with the waves we usually associate with water.  Earl Sweatshirt, assisted by Domo Genesis, definitely isn’t referencing the ocean. Instead, the title references wave caps, which “help create a wave pattern in short hair and also protect the hair”.  The thing is, neither Earl Sweatshirt or Dom Genesis rap about their hair or using wave caps.

Within the context of Doris, “20 Wave Caps” doesn’t quite match the brilliance of “Burgundy,” the stellar joint that precedes it.   Nonetheless, there’s still plenty to praise about this brief standout.  Domo Genesis takes the first verse, serving up plenty of lyrical fire, wave caps mentioned or not:

“I know that niggas is finding my progression so uncommon

The pressure I’m still applying until I hear the angels crying

Sad day in Hell for those who doubted, hope your head explode

Cry about it, but don’t deny that Doms got the realest flows.”

Earl Sweatshirt isn’t outdone, evidenced by his lyrical excerpt that appears at the top of this write-up. Furthermore, his unorthodox approach is part of his charm, distinguishing him for other rappers in the game. Yeah, he seems to be on a wave of his own.

[Photo Credits: Capitol, Columbia, Def Jam, Pexels, Pixabay, RCA, Universal Music Australia, Warner Bros.]

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