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“11 Songs Fueled by Fantasy” features music courtesy of Arcade Fire, Black Atlass, Bazzi, Drake, and Travis Scott among others.

According to Merriam-Webster, fantasy is defined as “a creation of the imaginative faculty whether expressed or merely conceived.” Hmm, a bit wordy Webster, but it’s clear that fantasies are derived from the imagination, and sometimes certain parts of the anatomy… Moving on, 11 Songs Fueled by Fantasy explores the word and concept, most often in a sexual context.  While the word is featured in the majority of the song titles on this list, sometimes it’s not featured at all.  In those exceptions, the songs are fueled by fantasy and/or associated with the word.  Artist featured on this imaginative playlist include Arcade Fire, Black Atlass, Bazzi, Drake, and Travis Scott among others.

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1. Black Atlass, “Fantasy”

Pain & Pleasure • Republic • 2018

“And I’m a fool to let you in / Yeah, I think I’m gonna fall again, yeah.” On the dramatic, string-filled “Fantasy,” Canadian R&B singer Black Atlass questions the legitimacy of love after falling so hard, so quickly.  “Are you really in love with me? / And do you want my company,” he asks on the chorus, continuing, “Are you just tryna pull this fantasy, your fantasy, your fantasy?”  His falsetto is stellar – understatement.

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2. Jorja Smith, “Teenage Fantasy”

Lost and Found • FAMM • 2018

“You weren’t the boy I thought I knew…You were the topic of my lunch times… [I’d] get upset when you didn’t text back.”  The first verse of the soulful “Teenage Fantasy” accurately covers the plight of teenage love, sigh. Rising British R&B artist Jorja Smith wrote “Teenage Fantasy” when was 16. She sums up the fantasy on the chorus:

“We all want a teenage fantasy / Want it when we can’t have it / When we got it we don’t seem to want it.”

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3. Drake, “Final Fantasy”

Scorpion • Cash Money • 2018

“Final Fantasy” plays right into Drake’s fantasies from the opening line.  The horny rapper proclaims, “Yeah, I never really talk about dick that I wanna give you.” Self-indulgent – what do expect from a fantasy, which is characterized by self-indulgence? On the second verse, he goes on to spit, “Cashed out, my neck is frozen / Careful when we’re mixin’ potion / Slashin’ like Guns N’ Roses / You got options, but I been chosen.”

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4. Bazzi, “Fantasy”

COSMIC • Atlantic • 2018

20-year old rising pop artist Bazzi showcases ample potential on his debut album, COSMIC.  He focuses on love, sex, and achieving his dreams in Cali. On “Fantasy,” Bazzi concentrates on making his dreams a reality, while also dabbling in the perks of the lifestyle – “Going through these bottles / Fucking with these models.” Notably, he encourages a nameless, special girl she can live out her dreams.

“I can take you there / Wildest dreams, put some faith in me / Take my hand to your fantasy.”

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5. Superfruit, “Fantasy”

Ft. Amber Liu

Future Friends • RCA • 2017

“Paradise, every night / When we turn off all the lights / Evergreen, chemistry / It feels like it’s all a dream.” Pentatonix went on a hiatus in 2017, ultimately returning in 2018. Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying, they stayed united, as Superfruit,  releasing an impressive, debut album comprised of slick, modern pop, Future Friends. One of the selections from Future Friends, “Fantasy,” is enjoyable, bringing along K-Pop artist Amber Liu for the ride. Like much of Future Friends, it checks off the boxes in regards to production, vocal performance, and pleasantness.

“Cause I need you now / Cause we’re living in a fantasy / Just for now / When I close my eyes / It’s you and me / I need you now / ‘Cause you’re giving me what I need / Just for now / We’re living in a fantasy.”

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6. Kid Cudi, “Distant Fantasies”

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ • Republic • 2016

“Uh, I know you still think about me / I could tell he knows, he probably saudy / No more dodging this shit, the cat and mouse / Finding love in the shadows, ready to pounce.” In the context of Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, “Distant Fantasies” sounds enigmatic and sketchy. The production work is perfectly-suited for the always left-field Kid Cudi.  “Distant Fantasies” is intriguing record thanks to its vibe and distinctive sound from everything else gracing the LP.

“Lying, lying entirely to everyone / Distant yearnings and fantasies / Keep lying, you keep lying entirely to everyone / There isn’t another soul who knows your soul / Like, quite like I…”

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7. Travis Scott, “Pornography”

Rodeo • Epic • 2015

“No monogamy, ménage with me / Pornography surrounding me / You get high with me, you come down with me / That’s all I need in my fantasy / All these flashing lights blinding me / Give you some of me, you want all of me / And get high with me and come down with me / That’s all I need in my fantasy.” Starting off your debut album with a song entitled “Pornography” is certainly a bold statement.  Regardless, this Travis Scott adult entertainment anthem is a standout, led by the hook.  He also mentions porn again on the second verse in an eyebrow-raising lyric: “I got porno pics, wish I can post them.”

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8. Robin Thicke, “You’re My Fantasy”

Paula • Interscope • 2014

In 2013, R&B singer/songwriter Robin Thicke experienced the best and biggest year of the career.  His song “Blurred Lines” was ubiquitous, fueling his album of the same title to a no. 1 debut on the Billboard 200.  The following year, however, everything would fall apart.  His 2014 album, Paula, was a mega-flop both commercially and critically.  Honestly, Paula is sketchy from the start, with the lengthy, six-minute-long “You’re My Fantasy” initiating things.  Thicke sounds as silky smooth as usual on this Latin-tinged R&B joint, but it doesn’t take too long for the fantasy to grow a bit boring.  Honestly, fantasies should be cutting-edge… we’ll leave it there.

“Touch me you’re my fantasy / My body’s yours, my heart is yours / Touch me you’re my fantasy / My night is yours, my love is yours…”

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9. Damien Rice, “My Favourite Faded Fantasy”

My Favourite Faded Fantasy • Damien Rice / Warner Bros. • 2014

“You could be my favourite taste / To touch my tongue / I know someone who could serve me love / But it wouldn’t fill me up.” Honestly, 44-year old Irish folk singer/songwriter Damien Rice keeps it pretty straightforward and self-explanatory on “My Favorite Faded Fantasy,” the opener and title track for his 2014 studio album.  Poetically, throughout the lengthy record, Rice tenderly fantasizes about all the things that she could be – how infatuated he is with her and how special she is to him.  Of course, as the title makes clear, it’s all fantasy and ultimately, fades.

“You could be my poison, my cross / My razor blade / I could love you more than life / If I wasn’t so afraid.”

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10. J. Cole, “Wet Dreamz”

2014 Forest Hills Drive • Roc Nation • 2014

“Man, it wasn’t nothin’ like the first time / She was in my math class / Long hair, brown skin, with a fat ass.” On “Wet Dreamz,” J. Cole depicts his sexual awakening, which includes wet dreams (fueled by fantasies of course) and losing his virginity.

“Wet dreamin’, thinkin’ that I’m smashin’, but I’m sleepin’ / I want it bad, and I ain’t never been obsessed before / She wrote a note that said, ‘you ever had sex before?’ / Damn… / And I ain’t never did this before, no…”

Fittingly, “Wet Dreamz” appeared previously on the playlist Songs Where Musicians Were Sexually Awakened.  “I’m thinkin’ how she rides on it / If she sits on it, if she licks on it / Make it hard for me to stand up.” Keeping it 100, he doesn’t spare us the details. The rapper, who reminisces back to the past, pretends he’s “experienced,” but is ultimately a clueless virgin:

“And I ain’t never did this before, no.” Hence, he gets his education on sex via pornography, which is fueled by sexual fantasies. The song fits and ranks among the best of his 2014 studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

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11. Arcade Fire, “Porno”

Reflektor • Capitol • 2013 

“You can cry, I won’t go / You can scream, I won’t go / Every man that you know / Would have run at the word go / Little boys with their porno / Oh, I know they hurt you so / They don’t know what I know / It’s so little that we know.” Long before the sexual abuse revelations that dominated 2017, Win Butler and Arcade Fire spoke of the danger and shamefulness of porn regarding young men.  Essentially, the band suggests the culture has been wrongfully ingrained into boys, and they don’t know how to properly treat women and properly view sex. According to Butler, boys “…Learn / some selfish shit / Until the girl / Won’t put up with it.”

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Photo Credits: Atlantic, Capitol, Cash Money, FAMM, Interscope, Pixabay, RCA, Republic, Roc Nation, Warner Bros.

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