11 Go, Going, Gone, Gonna Songs | Playlist 🎧

1. The Kid LAROI, “Go”

Ft. Juice WRLD

F*CK LOVE • Columbia • 2020

Music is universal, and don’t you ever forget it! That’s why a teen rapper from Australia can be a big deal in the United States – no cap. The Kid LAROI (Charlton Howard) is indeed just a kid, born in 2003! That said, this 17-year-old is no ordinary kid and definitely has bars and an appealing style. His debut commercial mixtape, F*CK LOVE, debuted in the top-10 of the Billboard 200 (no. 8).  Among the biggest attractions from F*CK LOVE is “Go” featuring the late, great Juice WRLD. Considering the premature death of Juice WRLD, “Go” is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration.

“Go” is definitely a rad song. Kid might be attached with his name and age but The Kid LAROI doesn’t depict childish happenings in the least.  The teen focuses on the issues that plague many a man’s brain – girls. “You fuck up my brain, you don’t know no better, yeah / Wish I knew you better, shit, but I don’t know no better,” he raps melodically on the first verse.  LAROI is quite confident – filled with swagger from the start.  His delivery is syrupy, which is quite popular in modern hip-hop.  Prior to dropping the first verse, we get a pretty catchy chorus as well.

Setting up The Kid for success is a sleek production (electric guitar, awesome beat) produced by 24Degrees, Omer Fedi, Nick Mira, and Tito.  This same backdrop also complements Juice WRLD, who ends up being the perfect collaborator with his arrival on the second verse.  Melodic in his own right, Juice actually has a clearer, melodic brand of hip-hop contrasting his mentee.  They join forces on the final chorus of this surefire gem. Truly, “Go” previously appeared on 11 Intriguing Songs by Young Musicians Born in 2000 & Beyond and Go: 5ive Songs No. 39.

2. Doja Cat, “Go to Town”

Amala • Kemosabe / RCA • 2018

“Go to town with it / And she shave it all off, Charlie Brown with it / … He ain’t ever caught a whiff … / This incredible, this shit edible / It’s like cannibal, kiss my genital.” Rapper-singer Doja Cat is unapologetic as albeit on her filthy, hyper-sexual single, “Go to Town”, a highlight from her debut album, Amala. The accompanying music video further highlights the heavy innuendo and explicit vibes. Hey, there isn’t a guy locked in a cage stripped down to his boxers for no reason.  “Go to Town” features sleek, modern production work, in the urban-contemporary, hip-hop style.

“Go down, go down, go down, yeah / Let me see you go to town, yeah / Go down, go down, go down, yeah / Let me see you go to town…” Prior to becoming too filthy, Doja Cat serves up an infectious refrain (or post-chorus, etc.), which is introduced at the top of the record, sung with some international flare. The ‘chorus’ arrives after the intro, but generally precedes it throughout the record.

“If you’re down, boy, really down
Baby let me watch you go to town
It’s your one chance, baby, never or now, yeah
Let me see you go to town, baby...”

Following the chorus sections, the innuendo graduates to full-blown explicitness.  On the first verse (excerpted at the top of the blurb), Dojo Cat raps about shaving her private parts and encouraging her man to enjoy them. Later, on the second verse, she obviously disguises dirty pictures: “He text me an eggplant, I text him a peanut.”  Different sort of town with this song… “Go to Town” previously appeared on Thrilling Songs All About the Town (Part I) and Go: 5ive Songs No. 39.

3. Fleet Foxes, “Going-to-the-Sun Road”

Shore • Nonesuch • 2020

“Going-to-the-Sun Road” arrives as the 12^th track from Shore, the fourth studio album by Seattle, Washington, indie folk collective, Fleet Foxes. In the context of the album, “Going-to-the-Sun Road” slackens the pace. Even so, with compound duple meter (or perhaps compound quadruple meter), Robin Pecknold and company maintain an incredibly potent groove.

The listeners are treated to gorgeous orchestration, including colorful horns that appear consistently throughout Shore.  While Pecknold performs the majority of this four-minute number, Tim Bernardes provides contrast on the outro, performed in Portuguese.  That’ll definitely catch your ears.  The lyrics, in both English and Portuguese, are absolutely marvelous.

4. Billie Eilish, “All the Good Girls Go to Hell”

WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? • Darkroom / Interscope • 2019

“All the good girls go to Hell / ‘Cause even God herself has enemies / And once the water starts to rise / And Heaven’s out of sight / She’ll want the devil on her team.” Wow, Billie Eilish, wow! The teenage alternative artist makes a bold statement with the minor-key “All the Good Girls Go to Hell,” not to mention her full-length debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?.

Eilish’s vocal approach is low key, yet also packs a punch at the same time.  Specifically, what makes “All the Good Girls Go to Hell” intriguing are the religious references, likely an  eyebrow raiser with the religious crowd.  In addition to the ‘God’s enemies’ lyric, Eilish also references Peter (“Peter’s on vacation, an open invitation”) and Lucifer (“My Lucifer is lonely / There’s nothing left to save now / My god is gonna owe me / There’s nothing left to save now”). “All the Good Girls Go to Hell” previously appeared on 15 Really ‘Good’ Songs… It’s That Simple! and Go: 5ive Songs No. 39.

5. Post Malone, “I’m Gonna Be”

Hollywood’s Bleeding • Republic • 2019

“Pop the top, fill my cup up, yeah / Keep ‘em pourin’ ‘til I’m fucked up, oh yeah…” “I’m Gonna Be” marks an enjoyable moment from Hollywood’s Bleeding, the third studio album by Post Malone.  The sleekly produced joint arrives at the 10^th song, which is past the halfway mark on the 17-track affair.

Here, Post Malone asserts, “I’m gonna be what I want, what I want, what I want, yeah.” Later, he goes on the ask an important question: “Can you feel it? Can you feel it?” Well, can you? Don’t call “I’m Gonna Be” the most poetic record you’ve ever heard – it’s pretty basic – but, to reiterate, it’s definitely an enjoyable moment. NO CAP!

6. Andrew Jannakos, “Gone Too Soon”

“Gone Too Soon” • Andrew Jannakos • 2020

Georgia country artist Andrew Jannakos made a name for himself with the song “Gone Too Soon”. Worth noting, long before the release of “Gone Too Soon,” Jannakos was a contestant on the 16^th season of The Voice. “Gone Too Soon” was written by Jannakos alongside Jason Afable and Joshua Clements Bricker.  Per The Country Note, Jannakos states: “‘Gone Too Soon,’ is about a long-distance relationship I had with my girlfriend (now fiancé). It’s about how we just never wanted the time we spent together to end….” Perhaps that’s the reason why “Gone Too Soon” has caught on – relatability.

The record has a nice, contemporary country sound without ‘compromising the style.’ The warm guitars – acoustic and electric – go a long way.  What goes even further are warm vocals and a beautiful tone by Jannakos.  He never over sings or overindulges, maintaining balance.  He clearly sounds country but doesn’t exaggerate twang or force it down our throats.  Adding to the pros is accessibility; the form of the record is quite straightforward and easy to follow. All in all, “Gone Too Soon” is enjoyable and relatable.

7. Lewis Capaldi, “Before You Go”

Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (Deluxe) • Universal Music • 2019

Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent marked the debut album by Scottish musician Lewis Capaldi, who sings like an angel. The deluxe edition of the album adds three additional songs.  The crown jewel is “Before You Go.”  “Before You Go” references a difficult subject: suicide.  The lyrics are poetic and reflective throughout.

The chorus is the crème de la crème:

“So, before you go
Was there something I could’ve said,
To make your heart beat better?
If only I’d have known you had a storm to weather
So, before you go
Was there something I could’ve said,
To make it all stop hurting?
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
So, before you go.”

Capaldi wishes he could’ve prevented the devastating event, a feeling that many people feel when someone they know and loved commits suicide.  “Before You Go” previously appeared on 12 Simply Terrific Before or After Songs and Go: 5ive Songs No. 39.

8. Ben Platt, “Grow as We Go”

Sing to Me Instead • Atlantic • 2019 

“You can ebb and I can flow / And we’ll take it slow / And grow as we go / Grow as we go.” Ben Platt blesses the listeners with his radiant tone on “Grow as We Go” from his debut album, Sing to Me Instead; dude can sing his butt off! On “Grow,” he’s accompanied by a relatively simple backdrop for most of the song – acoustic guitars, panned respectively to the right and the left.  That’s really all he needs, as his voice is the focal point.

In addition to the core production, there are warm, harmonized backing vocals, and occasional moments where the production grows a bit more robust.  Ultimately, the result is a thoughtfully penned, sincere record. “Grow as We Go” previously appeared on Go: 5ive Songs No. 39.

9. Idina Menzel, “Let it Go”

Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) • Walt Disney • 2013

“Let it go, let it go / Can’t hold it back anymore / Let it go, let it go / Turn away and slam the door / I don’t care what they’re going to say / Let the storm rage on / The cold never bothered me anyway.”  Frozen was “kind of a big deal.” Strike that – Frozen was a humongous, gargantuan deal back in 2013, PERIOD. The Disney/Pixar film was elephantine 🐘 by all estimations.  Besides the film itself remaining a hot commodity for years beyond, its biggest song, “Let It Go,” continued on like an Energizer Bunny.  Honestly, little girls everywhere couldn’t seem to let “Let It Go” go!

To the song’s credit, “Let It Go” is a fantastic, contemporary Disney song (written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez). Back in the 1990s, during the Disney renaissance with animated features, some of the best, most classic Disney songs materialized.  Post-90s, well, things just weren’t quite as iconic to be honest. Admittedly, as a 90s kid, the 00s saw me growing out of the Disney phase (I still love Disney though), but the songs just weren’t nearly as memorable. So, I say that to say, Idina Menzel really DID THAT – YAS! Furthermore, Demi Lovato didn’t do too shabby on her own version of this contemporary Disney classic.

10. Mary J. Blige, “I’m Goin’ Down”

My Life • MCA • 1994

“I’m going down / ‘Cause you ain’t around, baby / My whole world’s upside down.”  Those are the most memorable lyrics that R&B collective Rolls Royce sung on “I’m Going Down.” Rolls Royce is best known for their 1976 hit, “Car Wash”.  “Car Wash,” unsurprisingly, appears as the title track on the Car Wash original motion picture soundtrack.

That considered, “I’m Going Down” is a terrific soul classic, arguably one that doesn’t get its just due.  No worries though.  The version of this record that 80s babies and those whose musical identities were shaped in the 90s will remember comes courtesy of Mary J. Blige.  That’s right – MJB would release a fantastic cover, “I’m Goin’ Down,” as the 10^th track on her classic 1994 album, My Life.   

11. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”

What’s Going On • Motown • 1971

“Mother, mother / There’s too many of you crying / Brother, brother, brother / There’s far too many of you dying.” Rolling Stone updated their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020. Who and what album topped the list? That would be soul icon Marvin Gaye and his most important album, the timeless What’s Going On.  The entire album is socially conscious, sounding pitch perfect at the time it was released in 1971.  The thing is, given the turbulence of 2020, Gaye’s album remains quite relevant and timeless, particularly the key record, “What’s Going On.”

“What’s Going On” is perfection realized – period. I dare you find a flaw that inhibits this ‘going’ number from being among the all-time greatest classics.  The production and sound of the record is absolutely gorgeous and stunning in its own right.  Marvin Gaye’s vocals are a superb combination of buttery smooth and gritty – definitely ‘once in a lifetime.’  As great as the sound and the vocal performance are, the lyrics that Gaye sings, steeped in social consciousness, are what cap off the sheer brilliance of this record. 

“Picket lines (Sister) and picket signs (Sister)
Don’t punish me (Sister) with brutality (Sister)
Talk to me (Sister), so you can see (Sister)
Oh, what’s going on (What’s going on)
What’s going on (What’s going on)
Yeah, what’s going on (What’s going on)
Oh, what’s going on.”