11 Songs That Are Golden to the Core | Playlist 🎧

11 Songs That Are Golden to the Core features golden songs courtesy of Arin Ray, Billie Eilish, Freda Payne, JVKE, and Lil Durk.

Don’t miss this GOLDEN opportunity to highlight GOLD songs! WOO! 🎧 11 Songs That Are Golden to the Core is aiming for the musical gold medal folks! No bronze, no silver – it’s all about that Au, baby! What more can be said?

🎧 11 Songs That Are Golden to the Core features golden songs courtesy of R&B artist 🎙 Arin Ray, alternative pop standout 🎙 Billie Eilish, the ever versatile 🎙 Freda Payne, the gifted 🎙 JVKE, and Chi-town superstar, 🎙 Lil Durk.  Of course, there are more golden musical selections beyond the highlights served up by these talented individuals. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into 🎧 11 Songs That Are Golden to the Core!

1. Osvaldo Supino, “Gold”

🎵 “Gold” • 🏷 Osvaldo Supino • 📅 2022

“Every time it makes me stronger / I’m made of gold.” Italian pop musician 🎙 Osvaldo Supino sure knows how to lift the spirit on his single, 🎵 “Gold”. In addition to lifting spirits and showing incredible resolve, the LGBTQ+ artist also knows how to make us dance.  With an exuberant and energetic backdrop supporting him (Supino and 🎛 Riley Smith), Supino delivers a surefire bop everybody can get behind.  He wrote “Gold” alongside 🎼 ✍ Emily Ili.

It’s not all happiness from Osvaldo, at least early on.  “Feel the collapse of the world, got it falling down / On me, on me,” he sings in the first verse.  Similarly, in the second, Supino is ‘on the struggle bus,’ asserting, “It’s overwhelming to convince myself that I’m / Worthy, worthy.” Low self-esteem and feeling like you’re less than others is a horrible yet relatable feeling.  Despite the hell that he’s experiencing, Osvaldo knows that he’s got to turn it around – he’s the best candidate! Despite the bad and blue days, he asserts, with strength, “Yeah, I know I got me, myself, and I / Always find the light / Every time it makes me stronger / I’m made of gold.”  The chorus is the biggest and brightest section of this uplifting dance-pop gem, particularly when Supino shows off his flawless upper register. “Gold” truly is golden by my estimations!

Appears in 🔻: 

• Awesome Songs: June 2022
• Incredible LGBTQ Songs, Young & Old, Vol.3 

2. Billie Eilish, “GOLDWING”

💿 Happier Than Ever • 🏷 Darkroom / Interscope • 📅 2021

“You better keep your head down-down / Da-da-down-down, da-da-down-down.” Um, okay… 🎵 “GOLDWING” keeps 💿 Happier Than Ever, the sophomore album by 🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Billie Eilish, on the up-and-up. It marks one of the best songs, NO CAP.  As always, Eilish’s gifted brother, 🎛 FINNEAS, deserves ample credit for his work behind the boards.  Safe to say, Billie and Finneas make a formidable team.

On “GOLDWING,” Eilish advises a nameless young woman who is ‘angelic’ in the sense they have NOT been traumatized (yet). “Gold-winged angel / Go home, don’t tell / Anyone what you are,” Eilish sings, adding, “You’re sacred and they’re starved / And their art is getting’ dark / And there you are to tear apart.” It’s a thoughtful, wise message. Furthermore, she delivers the two-and-a-half-minute gem gorgeously. Among many selling points is the celestial sound of the intro vocals.

Appears in 🔻:

• Gold: 5ive Songs No. 4 (2022)

3. Arin Ray, “Gold”

💿 Hello Poison • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2022

“Has it returned at last, my light, my fire? / Let’s enjoy ourselves, inspired…” Um, okay, 🎙 Arin Ray! The R&B singer shines on 🎵 “Gold”, a highlight from his 2022 studio album, 💿 Hello Poison. “Gold” features lush 🎛 production work courtesy of Ray, DJ Camper, Carter Lang, Los Hendrix, Scum, and ​​johan lenox. The sound has some neo-soul cues, which helps give “Gold” a more soulful vibe. As awesome as the backdrop is, it is the gorgeous, silky smooth vocals by Arin Ray that steals the show.

“Gold” is a prime example of how Ray is one of those underrated talents. I love the falsetto he serves up during the pre-chorus/chorus sections.  The pre-chorus, excerpted earlier, continues as follows: “Gave me something I had to earn / Gotta save that, save that gold.”  The chorus, which follows, emphasizes – you guessed it –  gold.  While gold is the titular lyric, the big theme throughout “Gold” is love and SEX, which Ray is adept at singing about.  On the sex front, Ray asserts in the second verse, “They say I got the Midas touch / Tonight I’ll be providing such / On that golden body, oh yeah / You look good to me.” Woo – steamy! “Gold” is a golden record, led by Ray’s steamy vocals, sound production, and tuneful melodies.

4. Taylor Swift, “gold rush”

💿 Evermore • 🏷 Taylor Swift • 📅 2020 

According to 🏆 Grammy-winning musician extraordinaire 🎙 Taylor Swift, “I don’t like a gold rush, gold rush / I don’t like anticipatin’ my face in a red flush.” Well now! Those lyrics hail from the chorus of 🎵 “gold rush,” a fine record from 💿 evermore, Swift’s second surprise album from 2020 (she was prolific during the pandemic).  In the chorus, she continues singing, “I don’t like that anyone would die to feel your touch / Everybody wants you / Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you / … But I don’t like a gold rush.” Essentially, she is seeking to eschew liking this person whom everyone wants to be with. 

In the context of evermore, “gold rush” continues the glorious vibes established early on.  I love the rhythmic nature of the verses and the refrain sections.  “What it must be like to grow up that beautiful?” Swift sings in the first verse.  In the refrain, she gets saltier, adding, “At dinner parties, I call you out on your contrarian shit / And the coastal town we wandered ‘round had never seen a love as pure as it.” As always, the songwriting is top-notch, particularly the catchy chorus previously explored. Adding to the radiance of this ‘golden’ cut is the outro, featuring delightful, lush vocals (“Gleaming, twinkling / Eyes like sinking ships on waters”).

Appears in 🔻:

• Gold: 5ive Songs No. 4 (2022)

5. Lil Durk, “Golden Child”

💿 7220 • 🏷 Alamo / Sony • 📅 2022

🎙 Lil Durk keeps things brief but potent on 🎵 “Golden Child.”  “Golden Child” was released as a single in advance of the rapper’s no. 1 album, 💿 7220. Over dramatic 🎛 CuBeatz, 🎛 RealRed, 🎛 YC, and 🎛 Hitmaka production, Durk keeps it real: “Know a pit who was born a poodle.” Hmm, is that even biologically possible, Durk?

As you see with the pit turning into a poodle line, Lil Durk talks a lot of shit in “Golden Child.” I don’t mean that disrespectfully either.  The song doesn’t even end up being two minutes long, but Durk gives us a tough flow and some compelling one-liners.  For example, “If you got Power with that Tommy, you can ghost a nigga.” Woo! There’s also the likes of “That shit foo-foo, feds cracked the case with that shit on YouTube” and ‘I’m akh, but I love the Christians.”  So, anti-feds + good to know Muslims and Christians can coexist!  In the second verse, there’s more including a closing ‘high’ point: “Got gas, don’t fuck with mild.” “Golden Child” indeed!

Appears in 🔻:

• 15 Songs Characterized by Their Colors, Vol. II

6. JVKE, “golden hour”

💿 this is what ____  feels like • 🏷 JVKE MUSIC LLC / AWAL Recordings America, Inc. • 📅 2022 

“It was just two lovers / Sittin’ in the car, listening to 💿 Blonde, fallin’ for each other.” One assumes that 🎙 JVKE and his lover were listening to the critically acclaimed album by 🎙 Frank Ocean.  It makes sense, right? On 🎵 “golden hour” from 💿 this is what ____  feels like, JVKE goes on to reference Childish Gambino in the first verse – “Pink and orange skies, feelin’ super childish, no Donald Glover.” Clever, right?

The point is, JVKE feels some type of way! He’s in love and she’s the sugar honey iced tea! In the pre-chorus, he asserts, “She’s got glitter for skin /… I don’t need no light to see you.” In the chorus, he sings, “Shine / It’s your golden hour / You slow down time / In your golden hour.” It’s easy to buy what JVKE is selling because the feeling is, well, feel good.  To be in love, to have it reciprocated as opposed to unrequited, that’s a beautiful thing.  It’s awesome to hear JVKE living his best life with the love of his life – “Radio on blast, make the moment last, she got solar power / Minutes feel like hours / She knew she was the baddest.” You get the picture, and the picture is golden and amorous! JVKE produced “golden hour” alongside 🎛 Zac Lawson.

7. Rick Ross, “Gold Roses” (Ft. Drake)

💿 Port of Miami 2 • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2018

Back  in 2018, it looked like 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Rick Ross was in serious trouble – the fight for his life.  Thankfully, Ross pulled through and returned in 2019 with his tenth studio album, 💿 Port of Miami 2.  The song that fits the criteria for this gold-driven list is 🎵 “Gold Roses” featuring 🎙 Drake.

“Before I’m gone outta this place, yeah / Put some flowers in my face, won’t you / Let me know that I did okay, yeah / Don’t wait ‘til some other day, no, no.” Those lyrics, sung by Drake, based upon the saying “Give me my flowers while I’m can still smell them,” serve as the centerpiece of the album closer.  Drizzy gets the honors of the most important, pivotal lyrics of the record, but he’s made for the role. No worries, though.  With no shortage of song, there’s still plenty of Rick Ross. Ross asserts his ‘boss status,’ commencing the second verse with the memorable lyrics, “I was nominated, never won a Grammy / But I understand, they’ll never understand me.”  That’s key because it complements the ‘flower’ sentiment.  Throughout much of the rest of the verse, he raps about drip but also about that special lady in his life – “Money come and go, I’ma keep you forever / Slip-on glass slippers and tickle with feathers…” WOO!

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Marvelous Songs About Roses 🌹
• Gold: 5ive Songs No. 4 (2022)

8. Arctic Monkeys, “Golden Trunks”

💿 Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino • 🏷 Domino • 📅 2018

“Last night when my psyche’s / Subcommittee sang to me in its scary voice,” 🎙 Alex Turner sings on the 🎙 Arctic Monkeys record, 🎵 “Golden Trunks.” “Golden Trunks” graces arguably the 🏆 Grammy-nominated band’s most surprising album, 💿 Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, released in 2018.  Turner continues singing in the first verse, “You slowly dropped your eyelids / When true love takes a grip, it leaves you without a choice.” Well, that final line does make sense… I think…

So, what in the world is Alex Turner getting at? Turner tells RadioX that The whole song there is about a conversation between myself and someone that I’m falling for.  Well, the chorus sort of falls in line with that, when Turning sings, “I must admit, sometimes I fantasize about you too.” That said, the second verse incorporates politics and wrestling of all things: “The leader of the free world / Reminds you of a wrestler wearing tight golden trunks.” Of course, the leader of the free world at the time was none other than 45… Do with that info what you’d like.

9. Harry Styles, “Golden”

💿 Fine Line • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2019 

“Golden, golden, golden as I open my eyes / Hold it, focus, hoping, take me back to the light.” Woo! 🎵 “Golden” commences 💿 Fine Line, the sophomore album by 🎙 Harry Styles, in a bright and spirited fashion.  In the first verse, Styles makes it clear that he’s less than his former lover, who was, well, “golden,” of course: “I know you were way too bright for me / I’m hopeless, broken, so you wait or me in the sky.”  The love or lack thereof is complex in the second verse too: “I don’t wanna be alone / But I can feel it take a hold / I can feel you take control / Of who I am, and all I’ve ever known / Lovin’ you’s the antidote / Golden.”

Incredibly sunny, set in a major key, the record puts a smile on your face as listen – a perfect album opener.  The 🏆 Grammy-winning pop sensation delivers a respectable, balanced vocal performance, never over-singing nor underwhelming.  The chorus is simple but ultimately effective and quite memorable.

“You’re so golden

I’m out of my head, and I know that you’re scared

Because hearts get broken.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Gold: 5ive Songs No. 4 (2022)

10. The Clark Sisters, “Pure Gold”

💿 Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2018

“The rock of salvation / A sure foundation / steadfast unmovable / Strong as Mt. Zion / fit for the Master’s plan / We know all things work together.” Amen, hallelujah 👏 🙌! 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Snoop Dogg released a compilation of religious songs in 2018 – 💿 Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love.  Notably, Bible of Love features a classic by iconic gospel collective 🎙 The Clark Sisters, 🎵 “Pure Gold”. The Clark Sisters are known for their high-flying vocal harmonies and anointed pipes.  The Clark Sisters was founded by their mother, the legendary 🎙 Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, an innovator in harmony in gospel choirs.

“Though we’re tried in the fire, we come / Out as pure gold / Lord make us whole.” “Pure Gold” originally appeared on The Clark Sisters’ 1985 album, 💿 Is My Living in Vain? “Pure Gold” certainly represents the innovative spirit the iconic group and Dr. Clark brought to contemporary gospel music (gotta love the songwriting, harmonic scheme, and form).  That said, what most stands out is how the record affects you while listening – how it touches the spirit! The sisters, led by 🎙 Karen Clark Sheard, speak of being molded into pure gold.  The Christian walk is one that isn’t rosy but has its fair share of hills and bumps in the road.  After going through ‘the ringer’ in some cases, if we are faithful believe, and stay the course, we’ll come out better, stronger, and like pure gold thanks to God.

“We’re casted then melted

Like brass, tin, and iron

We become like a stone

We’re carved, scraped, and shaven

Like rock, wood, and metal

We become like a stone.”

This 80s gospel classic still hits hard in 2022.  The spiritual refresh is real!

Appears in 🔻:

• The Clark Sisters, “Pure Gold”: Sunday Refresh 🙏 4 (2022)
• Gold: 5ive Songs No. 4 (2022)

11. Freda Payne, “Band of Gold”

💿 Band of Gold • 🏷 HDH / Invictus • 📅 1970

“Now that you’re gone / All that’s left is a band of gold / All that’s left of the dreams I hold / Is a band of gold / And the memories of what love could be / If you were still here with me.” Woo! Versatile singer and actress 🎙 Freda Payne earned the biggest hit of her career with her 1970 single, 🎵 “Band of Gold”.  “Band of Gold” appeared on Payne’s album of the same title. “Band of Gold” also graced Payne’s 💿 Greatest Hits compilation, released in 1991.  “Band of Gold” was written by 🎼 ✍ Ron Dunbar and 🎼 ✍  Edyth Wayne, with Edyth Wayne being a pseudonym for the legendary songwriting/production collective comprised of 🎼 ✍ Brian Holland, 🎼 ✍ Eddie Holland, and 🎼 ✍ Lamont Dozier.  “Band of Gold” was a pop hit, peaking at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being certified gold by the RIAA.

“Band of Gold” is incredibly catchy, as exemplified by the excerpted chorus.  Furthermore, the music is groovy as albeit – it’s a soul classic through and through.  Vocally, Payne shows off her versatility without a hitch.  That said, what often draws the most interest with this song beyond its elite musicianship is the theme.  In the most general sense, literally right after becoming husband and wife, the marriage is effectively over, like, oh snap! “We kissed after taking vows,” she sings in the first verse, continuing, ‘but that night of the honeymoon / We stayed in separate rooms.” That’s exactly why Payne is singing “All that’s left is a band of gold!” Similarly, the second verse testifies to this sus union: “I’d wait in the darkness of my lonely room / Filled with sadness, filled with gloom / Hoping soon / That you’d walk back through that door.”  What’s interesting is, this record is subject to multiple interpretations with two popular takes including the sexual inabilities of the man in the relationship, as well as the fact she may have married a gay man.  Regardless, it’s a fabulous, fabulous record.

Appears in 🔻:

• Freda Payne, “Band of Gold”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 101 (2022)

11 Songs That Are Golden to the Core [📷: Alamo, AWAL Recordings America, Inc., Brent Faulkner, Darkroom, Domino, Epic, HDH, Interscope, Invictus, JVKE MUSIC LLC, The Musical Hype, Osvaldo Supino, Peggychoucair via Pixabay, RCA, Sony, Taylor Swift]