Reading Time: 13 min read

11 More Songs That Totally Have It Made (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Christian Moreno from Pexels]11 More Songs That Totally Have It Made features songs by Billie Eilish, Gerald Levert, Meghan Trainor, Muni Long, and Ruel. 

If you’re reading this at the tail-end of 2024, you’ve almost MADE it through 2024 to 2025. If you’re reading this in 2025, then, congratulations, you M-A-D-E it! If you couldn’t already tell, the keyword for this musical compendium is – drum roll, please – MADE! This isn’t the first time that made is the keyword, either.  11 More Songs That Totally Have It Made is a sequel. It follows up 13 Songs That Totally Have It Made, which was published in June 2021. 11 More Songs That Totally Have It Made features songs by Billie Eilish, Gerald Levert, Meghan Trainor, Muni Long, and Ruel.  So, take a victory lap and celebrate the fact that you MADE it through this introduction 😏 🤣! Now it’s time to make it through these 11 songs!


~ Table of Contents ~

1. Future, “MADE MY HOE FAINT” 

2. Muni Long, “Made For Me”

3. Ruel, “Made It Awkward”

4. Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”

5. Rod Wave, “The Mess They Made”

6. Meghan Trainor, “Made You Look”

7. Morgan Wallen, “Man Made a Bar” (Ft. Eric Church)

8. Anthony Hamilton, “You Made A Fool Of Me”

9. Candy Candido & The Jud Conlon Chorus, “What Made Red Man Red”

10. Gerald Levert, “Made To Love Ya”

11. The Williams Brothers, “Prayer Made the Difference”


1. Future, “MADE MY HOE FAINT”

MIXTAPE PLUTO // Wilburn Holding Co. / Epic // 2024

Future, MIXTAPE PLUTO [📷: Wilburn Holding Co. / Epic]“I just made this ho faint / She ain’t even believe it was me / Shawty gon’ tie my shoe like a lil’ kid, so conceited lately…” At least Future admits to being conceited. “MADE MY HOE FAINT” is the 13th track from his 2024 mixtape, MIXTAPE PLUTO. He spits over a knocking beat and malicious musical backdrop produced by Southside, Wheezy, and Sean Momberger produced it. Besides “Just keepin’ in P,” Future keeps “MADE MY HOE FAINT” brief, clocking in under two minutes. He delivers a familiar cadence and flow. Does the Grammy-nominated rapper say much? No, not really.  As always, he’s assertive and unapologetic.  That said, you could gather his unapologetic-ness from the title – “MADE MY HOE FAINT.” “Bitch fuck around and faint, and whеn she see me, had that shit on,” he raps, adding, “Flickin’ up my wrist, I’m cookin’ dope, smelled like I peed on / Anything I get on, put a fit on, then I shit on.”  Simply put, there’s no need for extensive analysis on “MADE MY HOE FAINT.”  It is what it is!

~ Table of Contents ~

2. Muni Long, “Made For Me”

Revenge // Supergiant / MPR Global / Def Jam // 2023

Muni Long, Revenge [📷: Supergiant / Def Jam]“The smell of your perfume / I thought I was immune / Lookin’ around this room / Can’t help but see the traces of you…” “Made For Me” was a hit for Grammy-winning R&B singer, Muni Long (Priscilla Renae). It peaked respectably at no. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2024 after being released in September 2023. Long, Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, and Jordan XL wrote this beautiful, emotional ballad that appears on her sophomore album, Revenge. Furthermore, it was produced by Dupri, Cox, and Jordan XL.  The instrumental thrives thanks to warm, gorgeous piano lines, slick, rhythmic drum programming, and ‘classic,’ classy contemporary R&B cues.

Muni Long, of course, slays in the vocal department. She sounds authentic, refined, and soulful.  Like in the first verse (excerpted above), she’s deeply affected by love.  “It ain’t every day / That I get in my feelings this way,” she sings, adding, “Don’t know what I would do / If I had to go on without you.” The section to beat, unsurprisingly, is the chorus, with passionate vocals and sublime use of vocal layering.

“Nobody knows me like you do

Nobody gon’ love me quite like you

Can’t even deny it, every time I try it

One look in my eyes, you know I’m lyin’, lyin’

…You were made for me…”

All told, “Made For Me” is an awesome R&B song.  It’s well-performed, well-produced, and well-written. Muni Long did that!

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~

3. Ruel, “Made It Awkward”

“Made it Awkward” // Recess / Giant Music // 2024 

Ruel, Made It Awkward [📷: Recess / Giant Music]According to the handsome and talented Ruel (Ruel van Dijk), “Nothing good ever comes after midnight / When you’re drunk, and you pick up the phone.” He sings these memorable, prudent lyrics on “Made it Awkward”. Van Dijk, M-Phazes, and Nick Long penned “Made It Awkward.” M-Phazes, Elias Danielson and Theodore Lee produced. Although awkwardness rears its ugly head,  there is nothing awkward regarding the enjoyability of this three-minute pop song.

“Made It Awkward” features colorful musical accompaniment with its signature ‘pop/rock’ drums, synths, and guitar.  Ruel serves up warm, nuanced vocals. His ad-libs are fabulous, yielding soulfulness.  Both his middle and upper register (falsetto) are impressive. Likewise, the vocal production is warm.  The awkward lyrics are presented via tuneful melodies during the verse and chorus. Thematically, it encompasses matters of the heart, with van Dijk embarrassing himself: “Keep my head down when I see her at Old Mates / And I sit at the bar alone / Just pretending I don’t even notice she’s there / But she’s the only reason I go.” There is a great contrast in the second verse, where the drum groove drops out, yet the rhythmic identity of the song is retained as he imparts his lonely, longing bar experience.  The centerpiece, however, is the chorus:

“Why did I call her, why did I bother?

I guess she didn’t wanna hear that I want her

I painted a picture of us at the altar

Thought I could have made her mine

But I just made it awkward.”

Sadly, it works out that way sometimes, Ruel. “Made It Awkward” is another welcome addition to the Gen-Z Australian singer/songwriter’s music catalog.

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~

4. Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”

Barbie The Album // Atlantic / Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. // 2023

Barbie The Album [📷: Atlantic / Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.]“I used to float, now I just fall down / I used to know, but I’m not sure now / What I was made for / What was I made for?” When Academy/Grammy-winning musicians Billie Eilish and FINNEAS release music, it ‘hits different.’ Most of the songs from Barbie The Album are brief, energetic, groovy, and upbeat.  In the case of Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” tempo slackens, the duration increases and the tone is much more reflective.  As always, Eilish and FINNEAS concoct magic in the studio, penning this ballad. Producing alongside FINNEAS is Andrew Wyatt and Mark Ronson. “What Was I Made For?” is beautiful.  It commences as a piano ballad. As the record progresses, there’s additional instrumentation that fills things out (the beauty of the synthesizer).  The melody is stunning, amplified more by radiant vocals by Billie Eilish.  Eilish sounds particularly strong in her upper register showcasing her versatility.  Besides her superb vocal performance, the vocal production is also a selling point. From a songwriting perspective, “What Was I Made For?” is well-penned. It’s sad, mind you, but highly successful (“When did it end? All the enjoyment/ I’m sad again, don’t tell my boyfriend / It’s not what he’s made for / What was I made for?”).

Appears in 🔻: 

~ Table of Contents ~

5. Rod Wave, “The Mess They Made”

Last Lap // Alamo / Sony Music Entertainment // 2024

Rod Wave, Last Lap [📷: Alamo / Sony Music Entertainment]“I keep my chest poked out, my head held high, dyin’ on the inside / And all through the day, I’ll be okay,” Rod Wave sings in the chorus of “The Mess They Made.” “The Mess They Made” is the 14th track from Last Lap, the sixth studio album by the rapper/singer. He continues singing in the chorus of the sub-three-minute song, “Check on me through the night / You know life’s a party, ‘til everyone goes home, everyone fades / And now you’re stuck cleaning up / The mess they made.” Word. “The Mess They Made” features a major key production, anchored by mean, banging drum programming.  TnTXD, FOREVEROLLING, Berge.af, and Uncle Cameron produced it.  Rod Wave excels in the tuneful chorus even though he’s NOT happy.  He ‘packs a mean punch’ in the verse with quick, rhythmic, and un-pitched rhymes. “I don’t wanna hear about the shit you say, shut your mouth,” he bites, continuing, “You know you can’t run no game, bitch, I came out the south.” Woo! He’s pissed! Rod brings more heat, spitting, “Ho, you ain’t gon’ play no games in this house, I kick her out / I’m the one who lit your flame, bitch, go tell me what this ‘bout.” Damn! It doesn’t end there: “Go home and block my number / Play his heart, then play my heart, bitch, fuck you.” Rod Wave keeps it a buck on “The Mess They Made,” PERIOD!

~ Table of Contents ~

6. Meghan Trainor, “Made You Look”

Takin’ It Back // Epic // 2022

Meghan Trainor, Takin' It Back Deluxe [📷: Epic]“I could have my Gucci on / I could wear my Louis Vuitton / But even without nothin’ on / Bet I made you look (I made you look).” Woo! “Made You Look” is the second track from Takin’ It Back, the fifth studio album by Grammy-winning pop singer/songwriter Meghan Trainor. “Made You Look” continues to embrace the retro-pop stylings that Trainor has been known for. Trainor, Sean Douglas, and producer Federico Vindver penned it. The production is crisp and clean. The dynamic instrumental sounds include biting, articulated horns, warm strings, and a rhythm section. Another hit for Trainor, “Made You Look” just missed the top 10 on the pop charts, peaking at no. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Made You Look” benefits from rhythmic and tuneful melodies. Trainor infuses ample personality into her vocals.  She sings beautifully.  Her tone is distinct, and her ad-libs are non troppo and refined. Besides fabulous lead vocals, the vocal harmonies are super sweet.  Still, the big takeaway is empowerment – body positivity, confidence, and self-love.  “‘Cause I’m ‘bout to make a scene, double up that sunscreen,” she sings in the first verse, continuing, “I’m ‘bout to turn the heat up, gonna make your glasses steam / Ooh, tell me what you, what you, what you  gon’ do, ooh.” One of the lyrical gems occurs in the second verse, where Trainor asserts, “This ain’t that ordinary, this that 14 karat cake.” Noted! While some have accused Trainor of being narcissistic in the past (“Me Too” comes to mind), that doesn’t seem to be her intent.  This one is for the ladies to feel good about themselves.  “Made You Look”, hence, is a body-positive, uplifting pop bop. I bet it made you listen!

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~

7. Morgan Wallen, “Man Made a Bar” (Ft. Eric Church)

One Thing At A Time // Big Loud // 2023 

Morgan Wallen, One Thing At A Time [📷: Big Loud]“I sat down on a barstool, like a dern fool / ‘Cause she walked out again.” Drowning those sorrows, Morgan Wallen! The Grammy-nominated country singer loves a bar. How do we know? He’s sung many bar-related songs like “This Bar” or “Your Bartender”.  Both songs hailed from Dangerous: The Double Album.  On his 2023 album, One Thing At A Time, Wallen informed us that “Man Made a Bar”.  Word. Helping him to articulate this point he tapped fellow country artist Eric Church for the assist.  The fourth track from One Thing At Time was written by Rocky Block, Jordan Dozzi, Larry Fleet, and Brett Tyler. Joey Moi produced it.

 

The bartender relates to Wallen’s situation.  In the first verse, he tells him, the bar “‘Got me over my first wife’,” insinuating this situation is “a story old as time.” From there, “Man Made a Bar” gets Biblical think Genesis, in the chorus. The scripture ‘takes some liberties’:

“… God made a man, and man got lonely

He said, ‘Please, Lord, if I could only

Have an angel to hold in my arms’

So, God made a girl, His best work of art

Oh, but He didn’t make no place to go when she breaks your hеart

So, man made a bar.” 

Eric Church enters the picture in the second verse, asserting at the end, “Damn, the devil do some damage.” After singing the second chorus, with some Wallen contributions, Wallen performs the bridge, which involves a fallen angel.  Both Wallen and Church sing marvelously, with ample twang. Besides the vocals, the melodies are tuneful, and the music accompaniment is ‘tried-and-true’ country.  In case you didn’t know, “Man Made a Bar” for men to cope, or so Wallen and Church say.

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~

8. Anthony Hamilton, “You Made A Fool Of Me”

Love Is The New Black // My Music Box / BMG Rights Management // 2021

Anthony Hamilton, Love is the New Black [📷: My Music Box / BMG Rights Management]On “You Made a Fool of Me”, the seventh track from Love Is The New Black, Grammy-winning R&B standout Anthony Hamilton oozes soul and heartbreak. “You Made a Fool Me” is lushly produced, sounding idiomatic of the neo-soul and adult contemporary vein of R&B. It possesses the kind of production (Jermaine Dupree and Ramon Montgomery) that perfectly fuels the fire of Hamilton. Anthony gives an authentic, expressive, heartfelt, and nuanced performance. One thing I’ve always ‘hearted’ about Mr. Hamilton is his ability to ‘gives his all’ in every performance. The circumstances constructed in the songwriting of “Fool” (Hamilton, Dupree, Montgomery, and Manuel Seal) make it easy for Hamilton to bear his soul.  As the title suggests, [She] “made a fool of” [Him] and doesn’t care about him the way he cared about her.  It’s a classic case of unrequited love and C-H-E-A-T-I-N-G since she slept with another man.  Anthony perfectly captures the pain of his heartbreak in this three-and-a-half-minute contemporary soul gem. He masterfully preserves the sanctity of soul music.  Everything feels right about this cut: the vocals, lyrics, theme, and the production.

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~

9. Candy Candido & The Jud Conlon Chorus, “What Made Red Man Red”

Peter Pan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) // Disney // 1953 

Peter Pan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [📷: Disney]“Hana Mana Ganda.” Say what!? Many classic animated features arrived during Disney’s Silver Age (1950 – 67), including Peter Pan in 1953.  Peter Pan was a movie I watched many times as a child – a true classic by the studio.  That said, when you’re a child, you often miss the controversies and suspect decisions made, particularly in a film originating from a different time.  The controversies are present, notably in select songs, which has prompted Disney to issue content warnings. One of the most troublesome songs from Peter Pan is “What Made Red Man Red”, which insensitively portrays Native Americans.  Sadly, it is one of many instances where Disney has exhibited racism.

 

The cringe of “What Made Red Man Red” begins with the chanting by the Native Americans in the film.  It does not feel like an authentic representation, promoting stereotypes. Constantly referring to Native Americans as injuns is a total miss (“Once the Injun didn’t know all the / Things that we know now / But the Injun sure learned a lot”). Mercy! The Indian chorus translates the lyrics, which sound like utter nonsense – at least in the hands of Disney.  Worse than the chanting (with drum) and use of Injun (dated and offensive) is the titular lyric – “What made the red man red?” The explanation, you ask? “Let’s go back a million years / To the very first Injun prince / He kissed a maid and start to blush / And we all’ve been blushing since.” That is another controversy in itself: redskin.  Ultimately, “What Made Red Man Red” is not one of Disney’s finer musical moments.

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~

10. Gerald Levert, “Made To Love Ya”

Gerald’s World // Elektra Entertainment // 2001

Gerald Levert, Gerald's World [📷: Elektra Entertainment]“I remember saying to my friends / There is my future wife / I took the step to need / Someone who would change my life / It had to be my destiny.” Oh, how sweet 🥰! Gerald Levert (1966 – 2006) possessed a commanding, expressive, and nuanced voice.  His instrument was dynamic – powerful! Despite his shocking, untimely death at 40 years old in 2006, Levert left a rich catalog of music.  One of his best songs is the slow jam “Made To Love Ya”, the 12th track from his 2001 album Gerald’s World.  “Made To Love Ya” was written by Eddie Berkley and Harold Lilly Jr.Warryn “Baby Dubb” Campbell produced the lush, sensual, grown-folks R&B cut.  It didn’t impact the pop charts, but it did reach no. 37 on the R&B charts.

The dedication is lit on “Made To Love Ya” – easily perceptible. Gerald has found that special woman and has ‘forever’ and matrimony on his mind.  “I remember our first date / Our first argument / Our very first breakup / And makeup that got us to this moment,” he sings in the second verse.  He adds, “Every heartbreak and every heartache led me to you.” Oh, the feels! The centerpiece is the chorus, where he proclaims, chest out, “Made to love you / My hands, to touch ya / My arms, to hold ya / My legs, to stand / My time, to spend with ya forever / I was made, made to love ya.” Woo! As the song progresses, Levert grows more overt and soulful as he professes mad love for her. “Made To Love Ya” is a smooth joint perfect for action in the bedroom and the wedding.  The late, great singer put his foot and heart into this one!

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~

11. The Williams Brothers, “Prayer Made the Difference”

This is Your Night // Blackberry // 1987

The Williams Brothers, This is Your Night [📷: Blackberry]“If it comes through by prayer, I declare / Prayer changes things.” According to legendary gospel group The Williams Brothers, “Prayer Made the Difference” (This is Your Night). How so, you might ask? Well, by petitioning to and believing faithfully in ‘The Most High’ aka God, the brothers have been delivered through hardship and adversity.  “Many times, in my life, I’ve come through the storms and rain,” the Brothers sing on the first verse, adding, “I always kept faith in God, cause I knew somehow he’d make a way.” Life, of course, is not without its issues whether you’re the most devout or an agnostic or atheist.  “Prayer Made the Difference” doesn’t suggest there won’t be any storms or hiccups, but it does suggest faith is powerful. It makes it clear, that through praying, praising, and believing, God’s got your back – he’ll keep you even when things seem their darkest and most meek.  “Prayer Made the Difference” testifies to the goodness and mercy that is God.  For those who need someone to lean on, The Williams Brothers say look no further than G-O-D.  It’s a hopeful, uplifting, and thoughtful message.

Appears in 🔻:

~ Table of Contents ~ // ~ intro ~

11 More Songs That Totally Have It Made (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Alamo, Atlantic, Big Loud, Blackberry, BMG Rights Management, Def Jam, Disney, Elektra Entertainment, Epic, Giant Music, MPR Global, My Music Box, Recess, Sony Music Entertainment, Supergiant, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., Wilburn Holding Co.; Christian Moreno from Pexels]

 

Categories: EvergreenLGBTQMusicPlaylistsPop Culture

the musical hype

the musical hype (Brent Faulkner) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.