11 Songs That Stick to the Plan | Playlist 🎧

11 Songs That Stick to the Plan features music from Britney Spears, Drake, Hozier, Megan Thee Stallion & Travis Scott.

“H

e’s the man with a plan / Got a counterfeit dollar in his hand…” Well, at least he has a PLAN, 🎙 Stevie Wonder, even if 🎵 “He’s Misstra Know-It-All”! Unfortunately, with a clear PLAN in mind, as much as I love that soulful Stevie tune, there’s no place for it, save for the intro on 🎧 11 Songs That Stick to the Plan. Had I paid more attention to this 💿 Innervisions standard, I wouldn’t be sticking to my PLAN.  If you couldn’t tell, everything about this 59^th compendium of 2022 is about the word, PLAN.

Worth noting, that this isn’t the first time PLANS have been unveiled on The Musical Hype.  Back in 2020, Plan: 5ive Songs No. 28 (2020) was released.  That miniature list, of course, only covered five songs, and there are many, many more PLAN songs.  So, I took those five originals and added six more. The result, hence, is 🎧 11 Songs That Stick to the Plan, which features songs courtesy of 🎙 Britney Spears, 🎙 Drake, 🎙 Hozier, 🎙 Megan Thee Stallion, and 🎙 Travis Scott (twice) among others.  So, if you are plan-less, why don’t you make a plan and commit to checking out 🎧 11 Songs That Stick to the Plan!

---

1-2. Travis Scott, “The Plan” / “Escape Plan”

🎵 “The Plan” • 🏷 Warner Bros. Entertainment • 📅 2020 // 🎵 “Escape Plan” • 🏷 Epic • 🗓 2021

🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Travis Scott shines on 🎵 “The Plan”, which appears on the 2020 Christopher Nolan film (and soundtrack), Tenet. Production work by 🎛 WondaGurl and 🎛 Ludwig Göransson help to construct this genius bop! “The Plan” features an enigmatic intro. It’s intense, rhythmic, and unsettling, set in a minor key.  Post tone-setting intro, the listener is even further off-put, with those wild, pitched vocals by Scott.  Without listening closely, or cheating by checking out the lyrics, initially, he sounds unintelligible. Of course, said lyrics are actually the chorus: “You don’t know where we stand / It’s true / Know the plan.” After things settle in, the magic of “The Plan” is, revealed in all its glory. Scott starts dropping some bars that are easy to discern and certainly entertaining. Not deep, there are definitely noteworthy moments:

“Close the opera

Hear the red and blue outside, I think our option’s up

I recrossed it ‘round the map, I had to line it up…”

“Twelve-figure estate plan, that was the escape plan.” 🎙 Travis Scott dropped that ether on his second plan-driven song, 🎵 “Escape Plan”! The rapper’s music, of course, became secondary to immense tragedy. “Prolly soaking up her panties, nasty when she off the – / Bust a move, I’m Marco Angie, I just went and bought a planet.” Scott keeps things short as “Escape Plan” runs just two-and-a-half-minutes long but that’s sufficient.  Starting with the production (🎛 OZ and 🎛 Nik D), “Escape Plan” features a slick trap beat, moody synths, and is set in a minor key. The sound is a menacing vibe, playing to Scott’s strengths.  He delivers his typical, agile, confident, and relatively easy-going flow (“That WAP need draining, just have it if you singing, okay”).  Expectedly, we hear the “it’s lit!” ad-lib.  The crowning achievement is the melodic, rhythmic chorus:

“Twelve-figure estate plan, that was the escape plan

But hate investigatin’, that shit was a waste, man

But wait, I stopped the facin’ ‘cause shit just started erasin’

But wait, it opened gates and this shit just started paradin’, olé (let’s go).”

He doesn’t change the world with “Escape Plan,” but musters up a solid banger.

 

Appears in 🔻:

• Plan: 5ive Songs No. 28 (2020)
• Awesome Songs: November 2021

---

3. Britney Spears, “Get Naked (I Got a Plan)”

💿 Blackout • 🏷 Zomba Recording Inc. • 📅 2007

“I got a plan / We can do it just where you want it baby, baby, baby.” Three words: “It’s Britney, bitch!” Those three words from 🎙 Britney Spears appears on 🎵 “Gimme More” the opener from her 2007 studio album, Blackout.  The song at hand where the aforementioned chorus lyrics are excerpted, appear is the sensual sixth track, 🎵 “Get Naked (I Got a Plan).”  Interestingly, it’s 🎙 Corte Ellis that performs the core part of the chorus.

As expected, Britney Spears is sexed-up to the nth degree on “Get Naked (I Got a Plan).” Over the sleek, synth- and drum-programming-laden production of 🎛 Danja, she incites sheer pleasure. “Maybe I’m a freak and I don’t really give a damn,” she asserts on the first verse.  On the pre-chorus, she asks, “What I gotta do to get you to want my body?” before stating, “Quarter past three, I’m ready to leave the party.” Of course, the plan, is suggested on the chorus, while clarified on the post-chorus, which is performed by Spears: “Get naked, get naked…” There’s a second verse by Spears, as well as a sexy response by Ellis, but the script is straightforward and literally screams S-E-X.

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Eye Popping, Ear Catching Naked Songs

---

4. Megan Thee Stallion, “Plan B”

🎵 “Plan B” • 🏷 1501 Certified Entertainment / 300 Entertainment • 🗓 2022 

“Dear fuck nigga, still can’t believe I used to fuck with ya (Fuck with ya) / Poppin’ Plan Bs ‘cause I ain’t planned to be stuck with ya.” Woo🎙 Megan Thee Stallion! On 🎵 “Plan B”, the men don’t stand a chance! “I never put my faith in a nigga, bitch, I’ma die independent.” Day-um!

While it’s rough around the edges, like other Megan joints, the big takeaway is female empowerment.  Sure, there’s ample profanity and references to sex (“You know I suck it good, real hood, when you wake up”), but ultimately, this is about NOT letting these men treat you wrong.  “I’d rather be in jail before a broke nigga cuff me.” Day-um! The chorus says it all, with memorable lines like “Ladies, love yourself, ‘cause this shit could get ugly / That’s why it’s, ‘Fuck niggas, get money’’ and the more risqué, “You better get on your knees and eat this pussy right / … Dick don’t run me, I run dick / Nigga, yeah, you’s a bitch.”  All of this over an old-school backdrop, which samples the 1995 🎙 Jodeci hit, 🎵 “Freek ‘N’ You”. Megan Thee Stallion comes through again.  It’s tailor-made for the ladies but men can enjoy this one too.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: April 2022

---

5. Ro James, “Plan B” (Ft. Brandy)

💿 MANTIC • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2020

“You know I gotta have that sexin’ from you / Every then and now…” Ooh-wee! Examining the track list of 💿 MANTIC, the sophomore album by 🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B artist 🎙 Ro James, two collaborations catch the eye.  The first is 🎵 “Too Much” featuring 🏆 Grammy-winner, 🎙 Miguel. The second is 🎵 “Plan B,” featuring a different 🏆 Grammy winner, 🎙 Brandy.  The plan, of course, is to examine the plan song, “Plan B!”

“So, if you can’t find someone like me

I’ll be right here, baby, I’ll be right here, baby

Don’t stress it, we can always go to plan B.”

“Plan B” runs just over three minutes, and features some of the most distinct production of MANTIC (🎛 DJ Camper).  The tempo is slow – lethargic – continuing to tout the hyper-romantic, hypersexual vibes of the album.  Where some of the records place more weight on the lyrics and song itself, “Plan B” seems to place more emphasis on the ambiance and vibe.  The record sort of floats, which is a cool, likely PLANNED effect.

Appears in 🔻:

• Plan: 5ive Songs No. 28 (2020)

---

6. Why Don’t We, “Big Plans”

🎵 “Big Plans” • 🏷 Signature / Atlantic • 📅 2018

“Baby, give me one year, yeah / Take my hand, take a leap / Girl, you gotta wait and see / Where I take it from here.” 🎙 Why Don’t Me confirms the fact that the boy band is still alive. In 2018, 🎙 Corbyn Besson, 🎙 Daniel Seavey, 🎙 Zach Herron, 🎙 Jonah Marais, and 🎙 Jack Avery released their debut album, 💿 8 Letters. Post-8 Letters, they arrive with 🎵 “Big Plans”. Those big plans include an R&B-infused pop sound, which plays to the band’s strengths.

At merely three minutes, the record is an optimal duration.  Adding to the soundness of the record is a relatively straightforward form. Vocal duties are split reasonably between the boys, with the first verse performed by Daniel, followed by a pre-chorus by Corbyn, and the chorus/post-chorus courtesy of Zach and Jack.Beyond the standout lyrics excerpted from Jonah in the second verse, the pre-chorus is certainly chivalrous: “That’s the beautiful thing about us / ‘Fore all the diamonds and rings, we got trust / Roll with me, get it right, faded on a summer night / Let’s see where it takes us.” The following chorus is the catchiest, most memorable section:

“I got real big plans, baby, for you and me

So, love me for who I am and for who I’m gonna be

Ain’t got everything you want, but got everything you need

So, take a chance, take a chance on me.”

The wheel isn’t reinvented with “Big Plans,” but Why Don’t We have sound PLANS, all in all.

---

7. Hozier, “No Plan”

💿 Wasteland, Baby! • 🏷 Rubyworks / Columbia • 📅 2019

“There’s no plan, there’s no race to be run / The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.” Okay, Hozier, I see you… hear you… please, continue! “There’s no plan, there’s no kingdom to come / I’ll be your man if you got love to get done.” So, if I understand the 🏆 Grammy-nominated, Irish singer/songwriter correctly, there’s 🎵 “No Plan.” Got it! On Instagram, he elaborated on this tune:

It is a reference to space and stars and astrophysics… First time Booker T ever heard that he described it as a ‘cosmic tune’ which I thought was super cool.

“No Plan,” the ‘cosmic’ five-and-a-half-minute record, continues the excellence of 💿 Wasteland, Baby!,  the sophomore album by Hozier.   Throwback production work is a major selling point, with a soulful drum groove, robust bass line, rhythmic guitar, and piano. In addition to the sound palette, the vocals and songwriting also shine, particularly the chorus (excerpted above).

“Honey, enjoy, it’s gettin’ late

There’s no plan, there’s no hand on the rein

As Mack explained, there will be darkness again.”

Who is Mack, you ask? Astrophysicist Dr. Katie Mack, apparently. This is, indeed, a “cosmic tune.”  That’s the plan – or lack thereof!

Appears in 🔻:

• Plan: 5ive Songs No. 28 (2020)

---

8. Angie Stone, “Backup Plan”

💿 Rich Girl • 🏷 Saguaro Road Rhythm • 📅 2012 

“Every woman’s got a backup plan / If you ever start acting crazy you know.” Hmm, sounds like 🎙 Angie Stone has the perfect joint for the ladies. Men beware of this 🎵 “Backup Plan” if you don’t have your stuff together (“You need to know / She’s in control”)! Sadly, by the time “Backup Plan” and its parent album, 💿 Rich Girl, arrived in 2012, Stone’s popularity had cooled off immensely.  Of course, so had the popularity of the neo-soul of which Stone was a huge proponent.  Nonetheless, “Backup Plan” is one of the bright spots of Rich Girl.

The third track on Rich Girl, “Backup Plan” clings to old-school sensibility. It sounds like it’s native to the 1970s. The production (🎛 Mike City) creates this sensibility: dusty drum programming, soul-funk guitars, and keyboards. Stone delivers strong vocals – never getting too high nor too low – with solid supporting vocals. Of course, the big takeaway is encouraging the women NOT to let these men get one-up on them!

“Pay close attention intuition that never would steer

You can’t go wrong right turn keep out the imperfection

Chained up go again don’t get caught outside in the rain

You can’t keep doing the same expecting it to change

Act like a woman think like a man.”

---

9. G-Eazy, “The Plan”

💿 The Beautiful & Damned • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2017

“Liquor and women, two things I don’t chase.” Yep, those lyrics exemplify 🎙 G-Eazy – he’s cocky, confident, and hard-nosed. Furthermore, I don’t think it would be far-fetched to label him a fuckboy, at least, that’s his rap persona for better or worse. Eazy had a successful run as the IT ‘white rapper,’ scoring platinum and multiplatinum albums and gold, platinum, and multiplatinum singles.  The single at hand, 🎵  “The Plan”, earned gold certification.

“I might go fuck up these bands (Ayy)

I do this shit ‘cause I can (Yeah)

I just took care of my fam (Ayy)

Thought this was always the plan (Yeah).”

“The Plan” appears on the rapper’s third studio album, The Beautiful & Damned (2017). Honestly, at times, it’s hard not to smirk, or crack a smile – you’re reading/hearing the same lyrical excerpts I am, right? Prime examples where smirking is warranted: “Popeye just opened the can / I don’t fuck with no fufu that’s not on my band,” or, “Tell me, why is your girlfriend my number one fan.” What a plan, Gerald, what a plan!

Appears in 🔻:

• Plan: 5ive Songs No. 28 (2020)

---

10. AJ Mitchell, “No Plans” (Ft. Marteen)

🎵 “No Plans” • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2018

“No plans, grab some girls and bring ‘em down to San Fran / We just wanna party and bullshit.” 🎙 AJ Mitchell isn’t too worried about the more meaningful things in life. 17 when he recorded 🎵 “No Plans”, it’s understandable why there’s time for some of the “bullshit” he references in the chorus. “No Plans” is filled with swagger, amplified by slick talk and some profanity. No f-bombs can be found, but there are s-bombs.

 

In the first verse, it’s Friday, and the boy is bored… bummer. SO, in the pre-chorus, he decides he should “Switch it up a bit / Go spend all my money for the hell of it / Call up all my homies say, ‘let’s roll with it’… / Do a deep dive in the DMs.” The partying and bullshit follows in the chorus.  Perhaps the same could be said of the ridiculous second verse, where Mitchell references skinny dipping, stolen clothes, and being carefree. 🎙 Marteen joins the mix in the third verse, which has the same effect as Mitchell’s first two. Party and bullshit ruin any sense of transcendence but “No Plans” is fun. Mitchell sounds fantastic and the production (🎛 Digital Farm Animals) is sleek, embracing the blurred lines of pop and R&B.

---

11. Drake, “God’s Plan”

💿 Scorpion • 🏷 Young Money / Cash Money • 📅 2018 

On the melodic, 🏆 Grammy-winning, number one hit single, 🎵 “God’s Plan”, 🎙 Drake acknowledges God (“I can’t do this on my own”), but, he also references secular ideas.  Such secularism is a damnable offense, per the Ten Commandments – #FALSE IDOLATRY (“Might go down as G.O.D.”). Nonetheless, “God’s Plan” feels pseudo-celestial, kicking off with an enigmatic, major-key, driving rhythmic synth. Drake mumbles in the intro (“Yeah they wishin’ and wishin’ and wishin’…”), the eventual post-chorus.

 

The beat doesn’t enter until the second half of an incredibly melodic first verse. The centerpiece of the record is the chorus:

“God’s plan, God’s plan

I can’t do this on my own…

Someone watchin’ this shit close, yep, close…

Might go down as G.O.D., yeah, wait

I go hard on Southside G

I make sure that north-side eat.”

The second verse goes a bit harder than the first, with the production and Drake digging in more aggressively. “God’s Plan” was one of the biggest hits of 2018, as well as one of the best songs 2018. In the accompanying music video, Drake gives back.

Appears in 🔻:

• God is in the Midst of These 11 Secular Songs
• Plan: 5ive Songs No. 28 (2020)
• 101 Best Songs of 2018

---

11 Songs That Stick to the Plan [📷: 300 Entertainment, 1501 Certified Entertainment, Atlantic Brent Faulkner, Cash Money, Columbia, Epic, The Musical Hype, Pexels, RCA, Rubyworks, Saguaro Road Rhythm, Signature, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Young Money, Zomba, Andrea Piacquadio, Anna Shvets, fauxels, Ketut Subiyanto, Michael Burrows, Startup Stock Photos]

---