11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus…

Reading Time: 13 min read

11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus… features music courtesy of Bring Me The Horizon, Chlöe, Halle, Madonna, and Sam Smith.

Ah, SPIRITUALITY! Intriguing subject matter, right? Right. Perhaps spirituality is even more engaging when it’s a bit more… SUS (i.e., suspect, suspicious, questionable). Cutting straight to the chase, the songs featured on the playlist 🎧 11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus… don’t focus on traditional religious or spiritual views. Sure, there may be spiritual references but none of these songs would be deemed as modern church hymns or CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). These songs are secular with spiritual references, some of which cry foul to religion in general. The musicians gracing 🎧 11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus… include 🎙 Bring Me The Horizon, 🎙 Chlöe, 🎙 Halle, 🎙 Madonna, and 🎙 Sam Smith among others. So, bring your open-mindedness – particularly if you prefer your spirituality more religiously-spiritual – on 🎧 11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus…!

1. Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy”

💿 Gloria • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2023

“Mummy don’t know daddy’s getting hot / At the body shop / Doing something unholy.” Gah-day-um!   🎵 “Unholy” arrived as the second single of 2022 by 🏆 Academy- and Grammy-award-winning, nonbinary singer/songwriter, 🎙 Sam Smith.  From the first note, it is clear that Smith is changing up their sound and evolving.  On the 🏆 Grammy-winning “Unholy,” which appears on Smith’s 2023 album, 💿 Gloria, they are assisted by German pop singer, 🎙 Kim Petras, who fits the unholiness perfectly. “Unholy” commences unexpectedly with big a cappella vocals by Smith (with vocal effects).  Unknowingly, upon first listen the intro is the eventual chorus of the record.  Ultimately, that chorus ends up being a vibe that you can’t get unstuck. Besides the epic intro and alluring chorus, “Unholy” features incredibly sleek production work courtesy of Smith, 🎛 Ilya, Cirkut, Blake Slatkin, Omer Fedi, and Jimmy Napes. Although the chorus does a fabulous job of summing up the sus happenings, the verses by Smith and Petras superbly fill in the blanks.  In the first, Smith sings, “Dirty, dirty boy / you know everyone is talkin’ on the scene / I hear them whisperin’ bout the places that you’ve been / And how you don’t know how to keep your business clean.” As for Petras,  in playful and sassy fashion, she asserts, “You gon’ need to bag it up ‘cause I’m spendin’ on Rodeo (Woo) / You can watch me back it up, I’ll be gone in the A.M.” All told, “Unholy” is short but ultimately sweet.

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2. Bring Me The Horizon, “AmEN!” (Ft. Lil Uzi Vert, Daryl Palumbo & Glassjaw)

🎵 “AmEN!” • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment UK • 🗓 2023

When it comes to 🎙 Bring Me The Horizon, is there any way possible NOT to rock TF out 🤘? Hell naw! 🎙 Oli Sykes and company brings religion into it on their single, 🎵 “AmEN!”. “I hope you have fun rotting in hell / Swim the witch, slay the infidel,” Sykes sings in the first verse, adding, “Suck a dick, heretic / I hate you / And I’d like to see you burn, burn, burn.” WOO! If you were wondering if Oli had grown religious, however, no worries – he’s still very much atheist: “Just let me suffer (suffer in peace).” Assisting Sykes are the colorful 🎙 Lil Uzi Vert, 🎙 Daryl Palumbo, and 🎙 Glassjaw. Safe to say, Sykes, Uzi Vert, and Palumbo kick ass and take names on “AmEN!” – can I get a hallelujah, church 👏 🙌?  With the tone set in the first verse – again, “suck a dick, heretic” 😂 – the chorus puts a cap on it. “Too late to repent / The wicked will reap what they sow,” Sykes sings, assisted by Palumbo, adding, “We will sanctify (Rise, my brethren ) / Purify (Purge out the sin).” Holy Hell – err, I mean, heaven! Palumbo performs the second verse, continuing to highlight heresy and such, with Lil Uzi Vert supporting the second half: “Yeah, you fanatics prey on me, hate on me / Patiently waiting to watch me bleed / Get your head from out of my ass / Got me feeling like a human centipede.” Gah-day-ummm! Basically, Oli and company are telling religious fanatics to leave them TF alone! Message received, in a colorful, rock-tastic way on 🎵 “AmEN!” a surefire BANGER!

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Awesome Songs: June 2023

3. Chlöe, “Pray It Away”

💿 In Pieces • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia • 🗓 2023

“Fuck nigga, fuck nigga, fuck nigga / I just learned to hate from a fuck nigga.” Wow! Safe to say, 🎙 Chlöe is not happy with this man. On 🎵 “Pray It Away” (💿 In Pieces), the R&B singer goes on to assert, “My feelings, my feelings, my feelings / They really got hurt by a fuck nigga.” What a way with words, Chlöe! While eloquence and finesse is not a trait of the songwriting on “Pray It Away,” brutal honesty is, and she truly excels. As always, the vocals are strong, carrying ample emotion in the case of this lame-o that wasted her time. Produced by Chlöe alongside a team including 🎛ThankGod4Cody, Ecassshh, Pitt Tha Kid, Puredandy, “Pray It Away” is slickly executed – idiomatic of the 2020s R&B/hip-hop script. Similarly, the use of street lyricism – the vernacular – is idiomatic of the times as well. In the pre-chorus, Chlöe expresses even more anger, potentially mentioning violence towards him (“And if the option’s violence, don’t make me choose it”). However, in the chorus, she makes a wiser, if less satisfying, choice: “Maybe I should go and take it to church / And wash it away ‘cause I want that nigga to hurt / But I’ma just pray it away before I give him what he deserves first.” The spiritual ties are one of the biggest selling points, with even more explicit references made in the bridge – girlfriend gets down on her knees 🙏!

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4. Halle, “Angel”

🎵 “Angel” • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia • 🗓 2023

🏆 Grammy nominated singer 🎙 Halle (Halle Bailey) unveiled her debut solo single, 🎵 “Angel” in August 2023. Written by Halle, 🎼 ✍ Sebastian Kole and producer,  🎛 Ron “Neff-U” Feemster, the results are quite positive. “Angel” commences angelically, with gorgeous, rhythmic production.  Vocally, Halle’s tone is stunning – celestial.  The control and ease with which she sings with is impressive, never breaking a sweat yet packing a formidable and mighty punch 🥊. Melodically, “Angel” is tuneful, particularly the chorus:    

“Black girl here, black girl with the black girl hair 

Took a little sunkiss just to look like this 

God-sent, you’re an angel (angel) 

Angel (angel) 

Angel (angel)  

Angel (angel).”  

Her high notes are EPIC!  Beyond the sound – piano, organ, and tasteful synths – and the voice, the theme and lyrics are #winning. Black girl empowerment, PERIOD.  “I’m more than a girl,” Halle sings in the second verse, continuing, “Won’t let the troubles of the world / Come weigh me down.” Among the most beautiful lyrics hail from the bridge, where she sings, “Some might hate, and they wait on your fall / They don’t know there’s a grace for it all / My flaws don’t make me.” All told, Halle nails it on 🎵 “Angel”. BRAVO!  

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Awesome Songs: August 2023

5. Ja$on AleXander, “God”

🎵 “God” • 🏷 Mathilda • 🗓 2022

“Got the pedal on the floor going a hundred and thirty / And the titties be bouncing, I love ‘em thick and so curvy.” 130 miles per hour? That’s reckless as F–, WOO! Rapper 🎙 Ja$on AleXander has no shortage of confidence in the surefire banger, 🎵 “God”. Running under three minutes in duration, it’s a sufficient amount of time for Ja$on to promote his future god status. He has ample inspiration thanks to utterly sublime production work. It’s lush, yet, it’s set in a minor key. Perfect fuel for Mr. AleXander’s fire 🔥! “…I’m conceited as fuck, man, I just think that I’m perfect.” That does seem to be the case for Ja$on AleXander, who is cold as ice for a white boy, haha. He may be Caucasian, but he references several rappers – 🎙 2Pac, 🎙 ScHoolboy Q, and 🎙 21 Savage – all of whom are black. When he mentions them, he delivers some clever, absolutely stellar rhymes. My favorite, and perhaps, the most memorable, is his Pac namedrop: “Shit, I’m feelin’ like I’m ‘Pac / Now I’m whiter than fuck / But I’m just talkin’ all my shit / I’m higher than fuck…” Everyone has their influences, right? Another awesome moment Jay has is the chorus, which is hella potent – as potent as those trees he’s smoking!

“Leave it up to me

I’ll do it on my own

Leave it up to me

Bitch, I’ma prove you wrong

Leave it up to me

This shit was set in stone

Look at how far I don’t come

One day I’ma be a god.”

Ja$on AleXander doesn’t reinvent hip-hop on this cocky joint, but what’s undeniable is the fact that 🎵 “God” is a f#¢kin’ banger – WOO! The flow, the clever lines, the production! “God” – it’s lit 🔥!

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6. Lady Gaga, “Teeth”

💿 The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition) • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2009

“Don’t be scared / I’ve done this before / Show me your teeth.” If you say so, 🎙 Lady Gaga – We’ll take your word for it! 💿 The Fame Monster, an expansion of her breakthrough album, 💿 The Fame, had some fine songs. One of the songs that gets slightly less attention is 🎵 “Teeth”. “Teeth” is the eighth and final track of The Fame Monster, and features production by the one and only 🎛 Teddy Riley. The pummeling four on the floor beat is a vibe in its own right. Beyond that, instrumentally, the rhythmic guitar, keys, and programming are sensational, giving Gaga an ill backdrop to sing over. Of course, Lady Gaga doesn’t waste an opportunity to get S-E-X-U-A-L! “Take a bite of my bad girl meat / Show me your teeth…” Whoa, whoa, whoa! In the second verse, at least we understand the naughtiness stems from a lack of salvation 😈 (I thought you were Catholic, Gaga). Besides the focus on oral matters 😏, there is also a twisted, vampirical element. We know “My religion is you,” hence why she “Need a man, now show me your fangs.” Jesus! Looking back, Lady Gaga has grown much more mature and sophisticated than her 🎵 “Teeth” days. Furthermore, she’s won an 🏆 Academy Award and multiple 🏆 Grammys. Still, it is still a fun, naughty pop cut.

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7. AJR, “God Is Really Real”

💿 The Maybe Man • 🏷 AJR Productions LLC / Mercury / Republic • 🗓 2023

“God is really real when you really, really need Him.” The lyrical highlight from 🎵 “God Is Really Real” (💿 The Maybe Man), courtesy of millennial trio 🎙 AJR, is true. When something adverse happens in your life, or to your loved ones, the natural inclination is to pray harder, and find or rediscover faith. 🎙 Jack Met continues singing in the chorus, “Karma just appears when you suddenly believe it / Hear it loud and clear, just as long as it’s convenient (Convenient) / Life’s fuckin’ long ‘til it stops, and God’s fuckin’ fake ‘til He’s not.” Hmm, a mic drop moment for the collective, isn’t it?

single tear Providing a bit more context, AJR were going through a family emergency. The brothers’ father, Gary was becoming sicker and has since passed. Besides the prudent chorus, AJR provide insight into his condition (“And my dad can’t get out of bed”), and how it affected them, including touring. Additionally, the lyrics mentioned how the world continues on, but the pain of a loved one dying weighs incredibly heavy. In the fourth verse, there is escapism, as Jack imagines getting his dad out of the hospital and being “a roadie for the band.” The encouragement for him to get well is touching, even if the result they desired didn’t happen. Another noteworthy moment is the final verse, which finds the band addressing toxic masculinity: “And we can’t face our feelings, so we’re makin’ lots of jokes / And we won’t cry about it, no, we’ll be manly men.” There is so much to unpack about 🎵 “God Is Really Real”, which has some of the characteristics and music cues of many AJR songs but also feels starkly different. This particular song is deeper and definitely special.

8. 347aidan, “SUNDAY”

🎵 “SUNDAY” • 🏷 347RECORDS / Columbia • 🗓 2023

🎙 347aidan is hella chill on 🎵 “SUNDAY” thanks to Mary Jane. The weed is potent on this sky-high, stoner anthem. 347aidan is transparent, first mentioning weed in the second line of the first verse: “Sat up and put some weed in my hand / And grabbed the paper from yesterday’s pants / Then rolled the joint while still sitting in bed.” Jesus! Well, actually, he has little to do with 347aidan’s Sunday, but “having sex to Sex and the City” does. The question is, is the lady literally named Mary Jane, or is it just him and Mary Jane getting it on? Oh, the jokes and puns write themselves, don’t they? The second verse continues the high, with 347aidan making it clear, “I’m getting higher than I’ve ever been. Hmm, as if we couldn’t tell 😏. Of course, there’s a chorus, though not mention of Sunday explicitly. “Work can wait, I’m not fazed / I’m up in my happy place,” he sings, adding, “Mary Jane, in a haze / You can see it in my face.” WOO! Give him credit for “SUNDAY”, which is a vibe, indeed. Truly, the sound of this record, with all its mellowness, is unique – different than most things being played on the radio. Shout out the faded production of 🎛 Benny bellson, Hamish, Jaasu and Stacy Sinclair. #420 E’ERYDAY!

9.Niall Horan, “Heaven”

💿 The Show • 🏷 Capitol • 🗓 2023

“God only knows where this could go / And even if our love starts to grow out of control,” 🎙 Niall Horan sings memorably and thoughtfully in the chorus of 🎵 “Heaven”. He continues, “And you and me go up in flames / Heaven won’t be the same.” The glorious – better yet – celestial “Heaven” served as the Irish pop star’s promo single from his third studio album, 💿 The Show. The vibe is indeed heavenly on “Heaven.” Horan and his co-writers and producers (🎼 ✍ John Ryan, Joel Little, and Tobias Jesso Jr.) construct the perfect aesthetic. The backdrop is so big and lush! Vocally, Niall gets better with time, growing more confident and more mature with each successive release. “Heaven” comes from a love angle at its most literal, something the excerpted chorus superbly demonstrates. Also, the verses seem to focus on that special somebody, with the second verse being utterly radiate: “I’m having revelations / You dance across the floor / Beyond infatuation / How I obsessively adore you / That’s what I do.” Commenting about the song, Niall makes it clear he eschews societal pressures regarding milestones and follows his heart. It is so sweet when he asserts, “I believe, I believe / I could die in your kiss,” in the pre-chorus. The thoughtfully-penned 🎵 “Heaven” makes you feel good inside – finding that one true love and embracing life.

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Awesome Songs: February 2023

10. Wheeler Walker Jr., “God Told Me to F🤬ck You”

💿 Sex, Drugs & Country Music • 🏷 Pepper Hill / Thirty Tigers • 📅 2022

Per 🎙 Wheeler Walker Jr., “God told me to fuck you / God told me to lick your crotch / God told me to tell you to suck my dick / He told me he likes to watch.” Totally speechless here 😶 😶 😶! According to Walker Jr., the Lord came to him and told him to do those things (“‘Cause he came to me today / In a very holy way”). I’m calling BS on 🎵 “God Told Me to Fuck You”, among many colorful moments from his 2022 album, 💿 Sex, Drugs & Country Music. Interestingly, if Wheeler took himself more seriously with a more respectable topic, this could be a legit country record with replay value. Basically, he wants to have sex with her, and claims God told him so: “‘Cause tonight, I’m pretty bored / So, let’s listen to the Lord.” Furthermore, it’s far too much information about the execution of the sexual experience, not to mention controversially using Christianity in a sexual manner. “Girl, get down on your knees / Show the Lord your love / Just suck it out of me / To the heavens up above.” That bridge is something else!

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11. Madonna, “Like A Prayer”

💿 Like a Prayer • 🏷 Sire • 📅 1989

“Life is a mystery / Everyone must stand alone / I hear you call my name / And it feels like home.” 🎙 Madonna is an icon, period. 🎵 “Like a Prayer” appears on her 1989 album, 💿 Like a Prayer. Rather than being a dance-pop record, “Like a Prayer” is more gospel-pop/pop-soul. The gospel part is undeniable, with incredible backing vocals by the legendary 🎙 The Andraé Crouch Singers, who participated on many secular recordings adding some extra oomph. With a title like “Like a Prayer,” spirituality is an inescapable theme. The problem is, it’s not particularly Christian! “When you call my name / It’s like a little prayer / I’m down on my knees / I want to take you there…” Hmm, I want to take you there, Madge? Where? Continuing: “In the midnight hour / I can feel your power / Just like a prayer / You know I’ll take you there.” Hmm, doesn’t sound like “a little talk with Jesus,” that’s for sure! She makes spiritual references mind you, but sex is on her mind. “Like a child / You whisper softly to me,” she sings in the second verse, adding, “You’re in control.” God or this god – “That is the question!” Clearly, we get no ‘spiritual’ answers or advice from Madge, but the innuendo is lit. The bridge and the outro mark my favorite sections, highlighting the gospel-tinged nature of the record. Not shying away from controversy, the music video 🎶📼 has ample blasphemy including burning crosses, a kiss between Madge and a black saint, and arguably, when Madge ‘catches the spirit.’ Ultimately, controversy aside, 🎵 “Like a Prayer” is an utterly sublime classic!

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11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus… (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 347RECORDS, AJR Productions LLC, Capitol, Columbia, Interscope, Mathilda, Mercury, Parkwood Entertainment LLC, Pepper Hill / Thirty Tigers, Republic, Sire, Sony Music Entertainment UK; Mikhail Nilov from Pexels]

11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus… | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on September 6, 2023September 6, 2023