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“11 Songs Where the ‘Crash’ is Real” features music courtesy of Bea Miller, G-Eazy, Ryan Beatty, Thomas Rhett, and Yellow Claw among others.

“Oh, when you come / Crash into me.”  Sigh, those are the words of one Dave Matthews, via the 1996 Dave Matthews Band gem, “Crash into Me” (Crash).  No, “Crash into Me” didn’t earn its own spot on 11 Songs Where the ‘Crash’ is Real (we didn’t include any pre-2010 songs), but, it gets a well-deserved mention as a perfect example of a ‘crash’ song.  All of the songs on this list feature some form of the word, most of which retaining the original form.  Musicians depicting the impact include Bea Miller (assisted by O’Neill Hudson), G-Eazy (assisted by Kehlani), Ryan Beatty, Thomas Rhett, and Yellow Claw (assisted by Tabitha Nauser).

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1. Yellow Claw, “Crash This Party”

Ft. Tabitha Nauser

New Blood • Barong Family • 2018

Dutch producer/DJ duo Yellow Claw (Jim Taihuttu and Nils Rondhuis), known for “bass-heavy productions and riotous performances,” remained busy throughout 2018. After dropping hot single after single, their third album, New Blood, arrived in all its electronic glory. In the context of New Blood, “Crash This Party” keeps the momentum going strong, clocking in at just two-and-a-half minutes. That’s sufficient, particularly in the hands of talented Singaporean pop/R&B singer, Tabitha Nauser.  The chorus soars in particular, as Nauser pushes more, ascending into her upper register.  As she rises, so does the intensity the production, leading to a killer, trunk-rattling, drop/instrumental break.

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2. Ryan Beatty, “Crash”

Boy in Jeans • Boy in Jeans • 2018

“There’s ivory on the handle / Jesus on my dash / Neutral colors on the centerfold / Fuck it, let’s go fast.” Ryan Beatty, an openly gay, former teen-pop artist, is honest about love and sex throughout the course of his stellar, 2018 debut album, Boy in Jeans.  Boy in Jeans is an eclectic album, encompassing pop, R&B, and a dash of alternative.  Naturally, multiple songs from the LP have appeared on multiple The Musical Hype playlist. “Crash” is the latest to get some love.  In the context of the album, “Crash” is the first of two two-part songs. The first part of the song seems to be a bit more playful and plays up a car crash. The second part of the song focuses more on being in love and infatuation.  The lyricism stands out:

“My insomnia’s acting up / Or am I in love with ya, I don’t know / Tracing the V on your abdomen / Like Siamese twins and making me feel precious.”

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3. Bea Miller, “crash&burn”

Ft. O’Neill Hudson

Aurora • Hollywood • 2018

“Ain’t nobody gotten through to me / Nobody gotten through to me / Nobody gotten, nobody-body got through, but you.” Singer, songwriter, and actress Bea Miller seems to have found a solid relationship on “crash&burn,” the penultimate track from her 2018 album, aurora.  Basically, Miller confesses that she’s had a tough time finding someone who legitimately cares for her and who she can feel comfortable being in a relationship with. “You’re the only one that makes me feel so high,” she sings on the second verse, continuing, “But I won’t crash and burn this time.” After going through plenty of bad and the lack of that special someone, her current boy has “gotten through” to her.

“I wanna be yours / And you wanna be mine / And everyone else been a waste of my time.”

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4. EDEN, “Crash”

Vertigo • Astralwerks • 2018

“It’s been a few years since you’ve been gone / There’s been a few tears, but that was years and years ago.” “Start//end” may be the crowning achievement of vertigo, but “Crash” (track seven) gives Dublin, Ireland musician EDEN (Johnathon Ng) another personal gem. “Crash” commences moodily in regards to the vibe. Sporting simple production, the focal point is the distinct, expressive vocals of EDEN, which are beautiful.  Opening lyrics confirm the moodiness, also adding a sense of reflectiveness. Following the acoustic intro, there’s a shift that incorporates more electronic elements and effects.  It’s signaled by pitch-shifted, effects-laden vocals (“‘Cos you are not who you think you are / There’s no grain on these brown eyes”). EDEN also drops a couple of f-bombs, for good measure.

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5. Vance Joy, “Crashing into You”

Nation of Two • Atlantic • 2018

“You were the one to visit my darkness / You were the brightest way… / I was a bird, you opened the cage / It felt like a clean white page.” Sigh. Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy (known for his single “Riptide”) returned with his sophomore album, Nation of Two, in 2018 with positive results.  While the song at hand, “Crashing into You” wasn’t among the crème de la crème, it shows Joy’s dedication to love.  Contextually, the amorous “Crashing into You” follows the lengthiest song from the album, another love-centric record.

“You came along / You light up my days, my personal sun / Showing me all the ways I could fall / You made me feel new / I’m crashing, I’m crashing right into you.”

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6. G-Eazy, “Crash & Burn”

Ft. Kehlani

The Beautiful & Damned • RCA • 2017

“Live each day like it’s your last / ‘Cause you never feel the moment ‘til it’s passed / …Time just keeps on ticking fast / Know, there’s danger in the lesson learned / Slow down before you crash and burn.” “Crash & Burn” appears on the second disc of the 2017 G-Eazy double album, The Beautiful & Damned. Here, Eazy is paired with Grammy-nominated urban contemporary standout Kehlani, who sounds radiant on the chorus (aforementioned).  Within the context of The Beautiful & Damned, thematically, “Crash & Burn” has more substance and thoughtfulness (it’s clearly more transcendent than “Gotdamn” for example). Eazy is on autopilot, spitting assured, yet easily over the beat.

“I’m living like the villain does / They say karma’s comin’ ‘round but until it does / I’m a do these drugs ‘til I feel a buzz / I ain’t slowin’ down, I’m tryna live it up.”

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7. Aminé, “Wedding Crashers”

Ft. Offset

Good for You • Republic • 2017

“This is dedicated to my ex-lovers / Hope that you hear this, never find another / Me and my friends, we don’t worry or pretend / Hope you play this at your wedding.” “Wedding Crashers,” featuring Offset, ranks among the best moments from Good for You, the debut album from “Caroline” rapper/singer Aminé. The production is bright, while the rhymes possess an exuberance despite being pessimistic (“Vultures at the altar, tell the pastor to watch his back”). The chorus, sung by Aminé, is a selling point.

“This is dedicated to my ex-lovers / Hope that you hear this, never find another / Me and my friends, we don’t worry or pretend / Hope you play this at your wedding / Yeah, the one I won’t attend.”

Offset isn’t a bad ‘wedding crasher’ himself, rapping about some of his favorite topics that aren’t necessary ‘wedding appropriate’ – ultra-lux items and of course, “bad bitches everywhere.”

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8. Usher, “Crash”

Hard II Love • RCA • 2016

“Would you mind if I still love you? / Would you mind if things don’t last? / Would you mind if I hold onto / You so that I won’t crash?” As an advanced single for Usher’s 2016 album Hard II Love, “Crash” didn’t create much buzz upon its arrival.  Molded in the ‘modern’ urban contemporary style, “Crash” isn’t far-fetched from the R&B artist’s work on his 2012 album, Looking 4 Myself.  In the context of Hard II Love, it’s among the crème de la crème.  Here, the modus operandi is matters of the heart.

“Morning light, I’m at your door / One last time, and no one’s there… / Drove all night, just to beat you home / Would you mind if I waited? / Would you mind if I waited right here?”

“Crash” isn’t game changing, but the falsetto shines “bright like a diamond,” and the backdrop is ‘synth heaven’, if such a place exists.

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9. Thomas Rhett, “Crash and Burn”

Tangled Up • Valory • 2015

“Do you hear that? / It’s where I’m at / It’s the sound of teardrops falling down, down, / A slamming door and a lesson learned / I let another love crash and burn.” On his sophomore album, Tangled Up, Thomas Rhett seems like he’s anything but a pure country artist at times, experimenting with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  On title track “Crash and Burn,” he shines, showing off his lower register before ascending to that twang-driven upper register.  Basically, he sings about flunking at love.  Of course, in real life, we know that’s not the case – Rhett is a married father, something he’d sing about on “Life Changes” from his 2017 album, Life Changes.  Focusing on “Crash and Burn,” this record definitely doesn’t fit the mold of your ‘father’s country music’ – it’s eclectic with the current generation in mind.

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10. SoMo, “Crash”

SoMo • Republic • 2014

“Head first, chest hurts / Never thought it get worst / Let the bottle pour it in, drown out all these mess ups / Let’s just go back in the story, replay… / Wish I’d never strayed away, oh no.” On his 2014 self-titled, major-label debut album, R&B/pop artist SoMo showed plenty of potential, even if the LP itself wasn’t fully cooked. The record at hand, “Crash,” successfully embraces the modern R&B sound of the 2010s.  Drenched in a drunken, druggy vibe, the coolness of the record is nothing short of alluring.

“Baby, baby come back you were the only one

That’s full of pain but so full of love

Stuck in this heartache like it’s a drug

Relapsing and I’m back, crash, I’m falling off

I’m falling off.”

Maybe SoMo doesn’t provide chills per se, but he does provide a relatable musical narrative regarding love and heartbreak.

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11. Luke Bryan, “Crash My Party”

Crash My Party • Capitol Nashville • 2013

Luke Bryan exemplifies the ‘simple man’, something that his 2013 album, Crash My Party makes obvious. Crash My Party encompasses booze, trucks, and girls with little to nothing else in between. Even considering a lack of substance (or too much substances), “Crash My Party” atones for the utter silly album opener (“That’s My Kind of Night”) and has more substance than “Beer in the Headlights” that precedes it. Don’t get it twisted, Bryan mentions alcohol, but also transcends weekend drinking for something potentially more permanent and exciting: “The door’s unlocked, I’ll leave on the lights / Baby you can crash my party anytime…”

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Photo Credits: Astralwerks, Atlantic, Barong Family, Boy in Jeans, Capitol Nashville, Hollywood, RCA, Republic, Valory

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