11 Compelling Songs That Make You Say OH

Reading Time: 12 min read

11 Compelling Songs That Make You Say OH features music courtesy of Adele, Camila Cabello, Ruben, Sub Urban, and XILLAN.

OH yeah, we have a playlist for you! And that, folks, is about the size of it. It’s a playlist 🥴… The keyword fueling 11 Compelling Songs That Make You Say OH is the word OH – a versatile word. Not the second coming of words… Anyways, you’re probably reading this lame introduction and saying to yourself, OH, was this playlist worthy? We can’t blame you. This music compendium is what it is – one heaping dose of OH-ness. 11 Compelling Songs That Make You Say OH features music courtesy of Adele, Camila Cabello, Ruben, Sub Urban, and XILLAN. So, if you’re still remotely interested, let’s jump right into these OH-mazing songs that make you say OH!

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1. Ruben, “Oh Lord”

2. CeCe Winans, “Oh The Blood of Jesus”

3. Coco Jones, “Here We Go (Uh Oh)”

4. ROLE MODEL, “Oh, Gemini”

5. Sub Urban, “UH OH!” (Ft. BENEE)

6. Adele, “Oh My God”

7. The 1975, “Oh Caroline”

8. Camila Cabello, “My Oh My” (Ft. DaBaby)

9. XILLAN, “Oh Happy Day”

10. Tweet, “Oops (Oh My)”

11. The Edwin Hawkins Singers, “Oh Happy Day”

1. Ruben, “Oh Lord”

“Oh Lord” // Markussen Music / Warner Music Norway AS // 2024

“I’ve been running way too long / Don’t wanna run no more.” You can only run away so long, or so Norwegian musician Ruben asserts in “Oh Lord”. He concludes the pre-chorus by singing, “So, what I really, really want / Is just a little hope.” In a storm, a glimmer of hope can go a long way. Ruben has gone as far as he can without explicitly seeking answers and help from God. Admittedly, in the first verse, he speaks of underwhelming praying habits. But, he needs intercession – a divine intervention. “Oh Lord” was written and produced by Ruben and Bjørn Helge Gammelsæter. This thoughtful ballad is relatable to many people. You don’t have to be devout to empathize, sympathize, or relate to the feeling of desperation. He delivers an authentic vocal performance. It is a mix of dynamic, expressive, and tender. The melodies are tuneful melodies in the verses and especially in the centerpiece, the chorus. After the initial chorus, further iterations grow incredibly powerful and bigger, seeking The Lord.

“Oh, Lord

I need you to talk to me now

Are you around?

Oh, Lord

Take me home, yeah

Oh, Lord.”

The lyrics are simple but speak volumes. Sometimes, it takes the most desperate times for us to seek God’s help. Should we wait until our breaking point, or should we maintain and build upon a relationship with God or a higher power? That is your personal decision within your faith journey. In the context of “Oh Lord”, Ruben shines as he seeks Him.

Appears in 🔻:

Ruben, Oh Lord: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 23 (2024)

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2. CeCe Winans, “Oh The Blood of Jesus”

More Than This // Pure Springs Gospel // 2024

“Oh, the blood of Jesus! / Oh, the blood of Jesus! / Oh, the blood of Jesus! / It washes white as snow.” Amen 🙏! Hallelujah 👏 🙌! That is a big OH, CeCe Winans! Winans sings “Oh The Blood of Jesus” sublimely, backed by spiritual, choral voices. “Oh The Blood of Jesus” is the fourth track from Winans’ 2024 album, More Than This. The traditional song is brief, clocking in under a minute and a half. Despite the brevity, a couple of iterations of the simple lyrics are meaningful. The message is transcendent and life changing. Biblically, the power and significance of the blood of Jesus is mentioned in various scriptures.

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3. Coco Jones, “Here We Go (Uh Oh)”

“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” // High Standardz / Def Jam // 2024

“Why it’s gotta be your way? I want it to be mine.” Understood, Coco Jones – I want it my way! She follows up with a bomb: “What, you think this is foreplay? Must be out of your mind.” Oh, snap! The Grammy-winning R&B singer brings heat, attitude, and sexiness to her soulful, dramatic single, “Here We Go (Uh Oh)”. “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” samples the beloved, Lenny Williams classic, “‘Cause I Love You”. Not only is the sound and meter of the Williams joint fuel for the fire but so is the theme. Sure, things are bumpy in the excerpted pre-chorus, but by the chorus, the feels return!

“I know when you said, ‘goodbye,’ you ain’t mean no goodbye

Here we go, uh-oh, ah

I know when you get to likin’ my pictures in time

Here we go, uh-oh.”

Vocally, Coco Jones sounds beastly. She sings expressively. She puts her all, heart, and soul into the performance. “Better man, why don’t you just be the better man? / Why I gotta be the bigger man?” she asks in the dynamic bridge. Throughout, the melodies are tuneful. Her vocal ad-libs are magnificent. She penned “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” alongside Williams and Michael Bennett (the sampled material), Sara Diamond, and producers Cardiak and WU10. The sound is classic yet refreshing in 2024. The excellence of “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” speaks for itself.

Appears in 🔻:

Bops That Pop: May 2024

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4. ROLE MODEL, “Oh, Gemini”

Kansas Anymore // Interscope // 2024

“Ooh, I’m something to regret / But without you, what am I? Oh, Gemini / Please remember my name.” ROLE MODEL (Tucker Pillsbury) doesn’t want his ex to forget him, PERIOD. In the first verse of the fourth track from his sophomore album, Kansas Anymore, she’s firmly on his mind. In the second, he opens up with a bang: “Don’t hesitate to call me up and curse me out.” Whoa! You want her to be verbally abusive, Tucker? Is he taking responsibility for being a bad boyfriend or is he so taken with her that he’s willing to accept less than anyone deserves? The verse continues in a troubling fashion: “Self-medicate ‘til I start hearing voices / And I levitate, then realize they aren’t yours / And now I’m devastated, yeah.” Losing love is difficult, something Pillsbury superbly captures in “Oh, Gemini.” He penned the song alongside producers Ian Fitchuk and Todd Lombardo. Pillsbury sings authentically, beautifully, and expressively. The sound and overall aesthetic of “Oh, Gemini” is sweet too.

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5. Sub Urban, “UH OH!” (Ft. BENEE)

HIVE // Warner // 2022

Sub Urban (Daniel Virgil Maisonneuve) dared to be different on his 2022 debut album, HIVE. HIVE showcased immense potential. The LP had no shortage of effort, talent, and unique songs, all of which Maisonneuve produced or co-produced.

“Uh-oh, uh-oh

Uh-oh, you made a mistake

… Tell me things that can’t be true.”

Among the most fun records from HIVE is “Uh Oh!” featuring New Zealand singer, BENEE. The titular lyric fuels an infectious chorus you won’t possibly get unstuck in your head! Beyond the chorus, the approach is dark and mysterious – that’s how Sub Urban rolls. He performs the first verse, asserting, “Your slacks are on fire, I’m fanning the flames / Like a vampire 🧛, stood out in broad day.” Oh, snap! BENEE supplies the darkness in the second verse: “Your face has turned pale, gon’ faint, you’re not well / While you were distracted, I cast a spell.” Whoa! “Uh Oh!” is no mistake – it’s a bop! Also, Maisonneuve’s Genius Official Lyrics & Meaning video is wild – a ‘can’t miss’!

Appears in 🔻:

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6. Adele, “Oh My God”

30 // Melted Stone / Columbia // 2021

✝ ⁷“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. That, my friends, is the third commandment of the Ten Commandments, from Exodus 20. So, is God cool with the oft-used, desensitized phrase, “Oh my God?” Probably not, Adele (Adele Adkins). Depending upon whom you ask, her song, “Oh My God” is devilish.

“Oh, my God, I can’t believe it

Out of all the people in the world

What is the likelihood of jumping

Out of my life and into your arms?”

Ah, Adele, you’ve been caught red-handed! At least, “Oh My God” is a wonderful song that keeps her 2021 LP, 30, engaging, sinful, and commandment-breaking or not! The sound (produced by Greg Kurstin) embraces modern pop while not compromising Adele’s core sound. “Oh My God” is energetic, rhythmic, and tuneful throughout. That sinful chorus is the centerpiece, exploring the plight that is love. “Teetering on the edge of Heaven and Hell / Is a battle that I cannot fight,” she sings at the end of the chorus. Is she being explicitly Christian with the lyrics? NO! This song is about love and NOT God’s love 😜!

Appears in 🔻:

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7. The 1975, “Oh Caroline”

Being Funny in a Foreign Language // Dirty Hit // 2022

“I’ve been suicidal / You’ve been gone for weeks / If I’m undecided, will you decide for me…” Yikes, that is dark, Matthew Healy. Anytime a song commences with suicidal thoughts, it is serious. “Oh Caroline”, a highlight from the 2022 The 1975 album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, doesn’t sound dark musically. The production (Healy, George Daniel, and Jack Antonoff) is slick – incredibly bright, embracing a major key. Yet love has consumed the character obsessively, so much so he’s considered offing himself. “Getting suicidal? It’s honestly not for me,” he asserts in the second verse. That is a relief. There is more, however, that raises eyebrows. “I’m gettin’ on my nerves by gettin’ on my knees / Getting cucked, I don’t need it.” By cucked, Healy is referencing cuckold, which adds to the extreme of the record. The “gettin’ on my knees” opens another can of worms, one that seems to have little to do with faith (Healy isn’t religious) but rather, sex too (a bisexual experience). Giving this fierce rock record more lightness (sort of) is the bridge, where Healy asserts, “Oh, I’ve tried to find / Another name a thousand times / But the only one that rhymes (Always on my mind) / Is ‘Oh, Caroline!’” That makes sense within the narrative that Healy constructs. The frontman has expressed that the fictional name/character worked perfectly for this song.

Appears in 🔻:

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8. Camila Cabello, “My Oh My” (Ft. DaBaby)

Romance // Epic // 2019

“I swear on my life that I’ve been a good girl / Tonight, I don’t wanna be her…” Hmm, I’ll leave it at that! Camila Cabello gave ample bops on her 2019 sophomore album, Romance. Among those bops was “My Oh My,” a tongue-in-cheek gem where Cabello taps infectious, ubiquitous rapper DaBaby (pre-cancellation) for a guest spot – that’s a winning formula! “Look, I’m the type to make her turn on her daddy / DaBaby make her forget what she learned from her daddy,” he spits, continuing, “I don’t be trippin on lil’ shawty, I let her do whatever she please / I don’t be kissing on lil’ shawty, she don’t be kissing on me either…” Oh DaBaby! The song itself is also infectious, with Cabello coming off as playful and fun, particularly in the chorus:

“They say he likes a good time (My oh my)
He comes alive at midnight (Every night)
My mama doesn’t trust him (My oh my)
He’s only here for one thing, but (So am I).”

Camila Cabello and DaBaby made a formidable, kick-ass duo!

Appears in 🔻:

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9. XILLAN, “Oh Happy Day”

“Oh Happy Day” // XILLAN // 2023

Typically, when you think of “Oh Happy Day”, it is the beloved, gospel classic by The Edwin Hawkins Singers 👏.  In the hands of Surinamese, Netherlands-based musician XILLAN (Xillan Macrooy), his “OH HAPPY DAY” is NOT a gospel record. In XILLAN’s hands, “Oh Happy Day” is sexual – ooh-la-la. The self-described musician, writer, and storyteller proudly asserts, repeatedly, “I fucked my shame away / Oh happy day.” WOO! Some church folks might take offense to this happy day, one that involves the f-bomb, especially in a sexual context 😈. But, if you are open-minded, you see both a bigger message/picture, as well as a marvelous sex song!  

 XILLAN is liberated on “Oh Happy Day,” a fact that should not be neglected.  He has also eliminated his shame.  In an IG post leading up to the release of “OH HAPPY DAY,” he highlights the toxicity of shame.  Shame is huge in the LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 community, with internalized homophobia, as well as homophobia in general.  Sometimes, that shame comes from one’s family and friends.  In this aesthetically pleasing gem that titillates given XILLAN’s declaration, as well as his sexy voice (including a ripe falsetto) and the sweet, ear-catching production (Macrooy and Bastian Benjamin), XILLAN embraces pleasure sans shame.  He’s ridding of stigmas and what anybody else thinks in favor of living – enjoying the pleasures of life and love without constraints.

Appears in 🔻:

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10. Tweet, “Oops (Oh My)”

Southern Hummingbird // Elektra // 2002

“From his body, so buttery brown, and tantalizing / You woulda thought I needed help…” Damn, he sounds like a stud 😍 😮‍💨! So, Tweet, dear, tell us more! “From this feeling that I felt / So shook I had to catch my breath.” Ooh gurrlll, you got us SHOOK cuz you shook! Charlene Keys is feeling ‘some type of way’ on her 2002 breakout hit, “Oops (Oh My)”. The Timbaland-produced “Oops (Oh My)” is one of the best contemporary R&B records of the new millennium. Why, you ask? “Oops” features catchy lyrics, stellar production, and Missy Elliott. The theme and lyrics that make “Oops (Oh My)” simultaneously famous and infamous. “Oops, there goes my shirt up over my head, Oh my / Oops, there goes my skirt droppin’ to my feet, Oh my.” ‘Oh my,’ indeed, Tweet! Those lyrics are sexual – scandalous!!! That said, it’s the rest of the chorus that strikes a chord:

“Ooh, some kinda touch caressing my legs, Oh my
Ooh, I’m turning red
Who could this be?”

The reason why a final couple of lines solidify the sex vibes is thanks to perceived female masturbation. Yes, guys, ‘they’ do that too! Even though most of us label this as a record about private, solo time (hehe), according to Bustle, that’s not what she was getting at. Buzzkill, I say, or more like bullshit! You be the judge, though. What more is there really to say? Once “Oops (Oh My)” by Tweet became associated with the m-word, masturbation, that was it. We’ll never think about this Southern Hummingbird classic any other way.

Appears in 🔻:

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11. The Edwin Hawkins Singers, “Oh Happy Day”

Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord // Sony Music Entertainment // 1968

Do you remember how Netherlands-based musician XILLAN experienced a different, more sexual “OH HAPPY DAY”? If not, revisit the ninth track on 11 Compelling Songs That Make You Say OH… if you’d like. Most of the time, however, when we think of “Oh Happy Day”, we highlight the beloved, often covered gospel classic by The Edwin Hawkins Singers. Edwin Hawkins (1943 – 2018) penned this inspiring, uplifting song first recorded in 1968. It appeared on the album, Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord. Fittingly, it also appears on the 2001 greatest hits compilation, Oh Happy Day: The Best of The Edwin Hawkins Singers. The lyrics are adapted from a much older song, the hymn, “O Happy Day That Fixed My Choice” written by Philip Doddridge and Edward F. Rimbault. Hawkins transforms the hymn into a rousing, crowd-pleasing gospel song that never grows old.

“Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)

Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)

When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)

Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed)

When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)

He Washed my sins away.”

“Oh Happy Day” speaks to the merciful, omniscient, and wonderworking power of Jesus. It is a musical testimony. “He taught me how / To watch / Fight and pray / Fight and pray,” the memorable, soaring chorus goes. In The Edwin Hawkins Singers’ hands, “Oh Happy Day” becomes incredibly rousing during the jubilant bridge. Lead singer Dorothy Combs Morrison goes all-in witnessing 👏 🙌 (“Now when I think of heaven! /… I’m gon’ spread the news! /… I’m gonna walk around! /…In my golden shoes!)”! One of the most famous covers of this gospel standard comes from Sister Act 2, which starred Whoopi Goldberg. Celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the film, Goldberg and the cast performed “Oh Happy Day” on The View. Oh, the nostalgia! Most importantly, however, Hawkins’ classic ministers to the awesomeness of J-E-S-U-S. “Oh Happy Day”, indeed!

Appears in 🔻:

The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Oh Happy Day: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 24 (2024)

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Other Oh-mazing ‘OH’ Songs!

Beyoncé, “OH LOUISIANA”
Ciara, “Oh” (Ft. Ludacris)
Tate McRae, “uh oh”
NF, “Oh Lord”
Kacey Musgraves, “Oh, What a World”
Cam’ron, “Oh Boy” (Ft. Juelz Santana)
The Chi-Lites, “Oh Girl”
Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Women”
The ‘Oh My God’ songs from OMG! 11 Totally Oh My God Songs (2020)

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11 Compelling Songs That Make You Say OH (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Columbia, Def Jam, Dirty Hit, Elektra, Epic, High Standardz, Interscope, Markussen Music, Melted Stone, Pure Springs Gospel, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner, Warner Music Norway AS, XILLAN; Eric, Maksim Goncharenok, Natan, Nicola Vu from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, einsichtsweise, from Pixabay]

11 Compelling Songs That Make You Say OH | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on July 15, 2024July 15, 2024