11 Songs Where the Moment is Key

Reading Time: 11 min read

11 Songs Where the Moment is Key features music courtesy of Brent Faiyaz, Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Minaj, Tame Impala, and Whitney Houston.

Sometimes, it’s all about a MOMENT. What better way to celebrate a moment, or moments, than a playlist? No need for a prolonged, unclever intro, let’s just right into the moment that you’ve all been waiting for 😝! 🎧 11 Songs Where the Moment is Key features music courtesy of 🎙 Brent Faiyaz, 🎙 Kelly Clarkson, 🎙 Nicki Minaj, 🎙 Tame Impala, and 🎙 Whitney Houston among others. Among those five artists alone we have R&B, pop, rap, and alternative covered. So, there’s nothing more to say beforehand… let’s have a moment, shall we?!

1. Brent Faiyaz, “Moment of Your Life” (Ft. Coco Jones) 

🎵 “Moment of Your Life” • 🏷 ISO Supremacy / UnitedMasters LLC / High Standardz / Def Jam Recordings • 🗓 2023  

“You lookin’ better than you ever did,” 🎙 Brent Faiyaz (Christopher Brent Wood) sings in the first verse of his 2023 single, 🎵 “Moment of Your Life”.  He continues, “If you told me the secret, I would spread that shit to every girl that I meet.” Hmm, and why is that, Brent? “So, they would know how to be / That shit tastes fresher than a peppermint.”  The big takeaway from the excerpted lyrics of this contemporary R&B joint is L-O-V-E. On “Moment of Your Life,” he taps the talented 🎙 Coco Jones for the assist. 

Produced by 🎛 Mannyvelli, Sparkheem, and Dpat, “Moment of Your Life” samples the 1998 🎙 Nicole Wray song, 🎵 “Boy You Should Listen”.  In fact, that’s where those ‘old-school,’ rhythmic, 90’s R&B sounds originate.  Furthermore, melodically, “Moment of Your Life” lifts off the 90s tune, which is a win for both Brent and Coco.  Following his smooth performance in the first verse and the chorus, Coco Jones takes the reins in the second verse, wowing with her rich, robust pipes (“Tonight, baby boy, you lookin’ better than you ever did / I’ll show you my secrets, can you handle it?”).  The chemistry when both artists perform is incredible, including harmonized vocals and trading lines (the bridge).  Even the contrast between the two is fabulous, particularly how Jones’ ad-libs cut more than Brent’s – she delivers more grit in the final chorus.  The chorus, of course, is the crème de la crème – that realization of love:   

“And I got every other thing that I need and want but you 

And I’ve been wantin’ you, so what you wanna do tonight? 

Make this the moment of your life.” 

🎵 “Moment of Your Life” is a fantastic R&B duet.

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2. Kelly Clarkson, “A Moment Like This”

💿 Thankful • 🏷 19 Recordings Limited • 📅 2003

“It’s almost that feeling that we’ve met before,” 🏆 Grammy-winning pop superstar, 🎙 Kelly Clarkson sings in the first verse of 🎵 “A Moment Like This.” She continues, “So tell me that you don’t think I’m crazy / When I tell you love has come here and now.” “A Moment Like This” (💿 Thankful, 2003) is key to the Clarkson catalog, marking her first of three no. 1 hits.  Equally if not more important, it marked her winning song from the first season of 📺 American Idol.  This memorable pop/rock song was written by 🎼✍ Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid and produced by 🎛 Steve Mac and Steve Ferrera. Here, a 20-year-old Clarkson is all-in on love, asserting in the second verse, “And I’ll cherish the love we share.” The centerpiece – the crowning achievement – is undoubtedly the chorus. The best chorus comes with a key modulation where Clarkson flaunts those big, powerhouse pipes:

“A moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Some people search forever for that one special kiss

Oh, I can’t believe it’s happening to me

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.”

Sure, Kelly has grown exponentially since this moment, but 🎵 “A Moment Like This” remains unforgettable.

3. Isaac Dunbar, “Intimate Moments”

💿 evil twin • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2021  

“I’m scared to love and bare the rest.” That is an honest and authentic lyric from alternative pop wunderkind, 🎙 Isaac Dunbar.  It’s also incredibly relatable.  The contents of those lyrics seem representative of 🎵 “intimate moments”.  Dig deeper into this highlight from Dunbar’s 2021 album (EP), 💿 evil twin, and he reveals his fears:  “And I might cry but I’ll never show it / Can’t let you down, can’t let you down / I have a fear of intimate moments / If you’re around, why am I down?” So, he has a partner, at least in the context of the song, but he also has anxiety? Yes, that is the situation and honestly, no, it is not far-fetched or unusual.  It speaks to how complicated relationships are and how tough it is to for some people to be vulnerable – be an open book.    

With a stellar theme and thoughtful and emotional songwriting, there is no shortage of positive attributes that make “intimate moments” a winner.  The production (🎛 Joel Little) , sound, and aesthetic are terrific.  Dunbar, of course, is incredibly gifted, shining with  a calm, cool, collected brand of vocals in the verses. Generally, in the verses, he sings in his lower register, in more of an undertone, which is win.  Even so, he impresses with a tuneful melody, particularly in the chorus.  Speaking of the chorus, Dunbar rises to the occasion vocally sans over singing.  The bridge marks a welcome contrast, though doesn’t depart too far from what Dunbar established through most of 🎵 “intimate moments”. All told, it is a terrific song. 

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4. Joesef, “Moment”

💿 Permanent Damage • 🏷 Bold Cut / AWAL Recordings Ltd • 🗓 2023

“Is this it? / Could we fall apart together just like we used to do?” Sigh, it’s a legitimate question, right? On 🎵 “Moment,” the 11th track from 💿 Permanent Damage, the debut album by queer Scottish, soul-pop musician, 🎙 Joesef, the tempo cooks, with the groove fueling the fire 🔥. Even with its quick pace, Joesef, coping with heartbreak, longs to rewind back to the good times, if only for a moment. “Only for a moment, moment, take me some place where you’ll never slip away,” he sings on the memorable, escapist chorus. That said, in the bridge, Joe asserts, “It’s too late / The bitterness is killing us, it’s something we just can’t shake…” Oh, the plight of love!

5. Kings of Leon, “Waste a Moment”  

💿 WALLS • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2016

🎵 “Waste a Moment” serves as the opener from 💿 WALLS, the seventh studio album by 🏆 Grammy winning rock band, 🎙 Kings of Leon.  “Waste a Moment” is all about rebelliousness and being carefree. The female protagonist is a “ticking time bomb, time bomb gonna blow us all away.” Her boyfriend is described as “a live wire, wire, shooting sparks in the night.” Woo! The production work is exuberant and enthusiastic in quality.  The groove is fantastic, while the guitars sound particularly exceptional. 🎙 Caleb Followill delivers powerful, clear vocals. The chorus serves as the epic centerpiece:

“Oh, take the time to waste a moment 

Oh, facing where the lines are broken 

Oh, name a price to all this living 

Oh, never ask to be forgiven.”  

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6. Tame Impala, “The Moment”

💿 Currents • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2015

“Want them to be in the moment / Storm clouds are closing.” In the context of 💿 Currents, the 2015 album by 🎙 Tame Impala (🎙 Kevin Parker), 🎵 “The Moment” features a quick tempo. Despite exuberance established by tempo, and the colorful synths, the mood of “The Moment” isn’t jubilant, but rather introspective. Parker seems to be questioning the value and worth of a lifetime, or at least a specific “moment” within life.

This introspection is evidenced from the start. In the first verse, he sings, “In the end, it’s stronger than I know how to be / And I can’t just spend my whole lifetime wondering.” He adds in the second, “In the end, it’s coming, there’s nothing left to do / But I’m still not certain, just how I’m gonna feel.” Interesting! The centerpiece is the chorus, where “It’s getting closer / Ooh, it’s getting closer.” WOO!

7. Hozier, “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)”

💿 Nina Cried Power (EP) • 🏷 Rubyworks / Columbia • 📅 2018 

“When stunted hammers place with men, my mere monstrosity / Alarms are struck and sure as shook by sheer atrocity.” Man, that’s brilliant songwriting, 🎙 Hozier.  In the context of his 2018 EP, 💿 Nina Cried Power (EP), 🎵 “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)” follows the cool though potent “NFWMB”. “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)” brings a quicker tempo and more assertiveness from Hozier.  By the final chorus of “Moment’s Silence,” the Irish singer/songwriter is totally turned up, showing off those commanding, impressive pipes.   

“Like a heathen clung to homily   

Let the reason come to the common tongue of your lovin’ me   

It’s a silent night upon rosary  

Let the reason come in the common tongue of you lovin’ me.”  

Hozier incorporates religious references, many of which are critical of some of the church’s viewpoints, particularly regarding sex.  You might say, Hozier doesn’t keep quiet!  

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8. Nicki Minaj, “Moment 4 Life” (Ft. Drake)

💿 Pink Friday • 🏷 Cash Money • 📅 2010

As 🎙 Nicki Minaj puts it, “I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life / ‘Cause in this moment, I just feel so alive, alive, alive.” Yes, yes, yes – that’s awesome! This platinum-certified single from the 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper/singer’s debut album, 💿 Pink Friday (2010), somehow missed the top-10 on the pop charts. Even so, it performed well, peaking at no. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 💪. While Nicki does plenty of lifting on this R&B-infused hip-hop cut, she gets the assist from 🏆 Grammy winner, 🎙 Drake. The production is awesome, courtesy of 🎛 Nikhil Seetharam and T-Minus – gotta love the keys 🎹 and those big drums 🥁! Nicki delivers a compelling flow, with her bars trumping her singing even if she does both well (“In this very moment, I’m king / In this very moment, I slay Goliath with a sling / this very moment, I bring / Put it on everything that I will retire with the ring 💍”). Of course, Drake brings the heat in the second verse, famously spitting, “Fuck it, me and Nicki Nick gettin’ married today / And all you bitches that be hatin’ can catch a bouquet.” Well, they didn’t get married, but it’s a fun line on a fun song – one of Nicki’s most memorable.

9. Craig David, “Live in the Moment”

💿 The Time is Now • 🏷 Insanity • 📅 2018

English R&B artist 🎙 Craig David wowed on 🎵 “Live in the Moment”, an advance single from his 2018 album, 💿 The Time is Now. David is assisted by rapper 🎙 GoldLink. “Live in the Moment” features a killer R&B groove with old-school classicism that feels refreshing in 2018. David delivers smooth, easygoing vocals. He sounds like he’s feeling good and carefree. Besides his ripe lead, there is fantastic vocal harmonization during the verse. Melodically, the lines are incredibly rhythmic.

The crème de la crème arrives with the catchy chorus:

“And let’s live in the moment

When one door closes, another one opens

So let’s live in the moment

No point holding onto what’s broken

So let’s live in the moment

When one door closes, another one opens

Stop tryna control it and start living in the moment.”

The inclusion of a rap verse feels natural here, even if GoldLink doesn’t quite live up to the greatness that precedes him. David is beastly throughout and doesn’t need any help to hold things down. His ad-libs add to the greatness of the record. All in all, “Live in the Moment” is great.

10. Dermot Kennedy, “Moments Passed”

💿 Without Fear • 🏷 Riggins Recording Limited • 📅 2017

Dublin Singer/songwriter 🎙️ Dermot Kennedy shines on 🎵 “Moments Passed”, a highlight from his 2019 album, 💿 Without Fear. “Moments Passed” features a variety of sounds: synths, sound effects, and pitch-shifted vocals (🎛 Carey Willetts produces). Around the 40 second mark, Kennedy showcases his natural voice, sounding earnest, nuanced, and soulful. His grit is world class. After the variety of sounds early on, the verses settle into a poised, respectable backdrop. While there’s a sense of calm, slick drums keep “Moments Passed” rolling along. Thematically, “Moments Passed” encompasses love, which is always relatable. Kennedy is poetic about the loss of love in the verses. It all comes together – the sheer pain of heartbreak – in the chorus:

“‘Cause I loved ya

Does that mean nothing to you now?

I loved ya / Get me back on homely ground

She said, ‘oh I know that love is all about the wind

How it can hold me up and kill me in the end,’

Still I loved it / Does that mean nothing to you now?”

The intriguing Dermot shines on “Moments Passed,” a song characterized by excellent production and excellent songwriting.

11. Whitney Houston, “One Moment in Time”

💿 I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2021

“Each day I live / I want to be / A day to give / The best of me / I’m only one / But not alone / My finest day / Is yet unknown.” What beautiful, beautiful lyrics. With so many hits to her name, it seems sometimes that the 🎙 Whitney Houston gem, 🎵 “One Moment in Time” doesn’t get enough credit. This ballad was penned by Albert Hammond and John Bettis. The perfect fit for a big-voiced diva like Houston, she performed it at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Ultimately, “One Moment in Time” wouldn’t appear on a studio album. 💿 Whitney had been released in 1987, and her next album, I’m Your Baby Tonight didn’t arrive until November 1990. Eventually, this no. 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 appeared on greatest hits compilations, though sometimes, it also manages to be omitted. That’s a travesty for a gold single. Thankfully, 💿 I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston includes this moving ballad.

In the verses, Houston shows control. She never over sings highlighting the tunefulness of the melody. At the same time, she sings with incredible authenticity, expression, and nuance. The sense is always that Whitney is leading up to something bigger – truly momentous. That moment, of course, is the beloved chorus. Here, she soars, showing off her powerhouse vocals, backed by an awesome musical arrangement and grand production by the legendary 🎛 Narada Michael Walden. “Give me one moment in time / When I’m racing with destiny,” she sings radiantly, continuing, “Then in that one moment of time / I will feel / I will feel eternity.” Besides the chorus, another epic moment is the bridge (“You’re a winner for a lifetime / If you seize that one moment in time / Make it shine”), which prepares for a truly gargantuan final chorus and the big finish, where Houston proclaims, “I will be free.” 🎵 “One Moment in Time” marks another utterly sublime moment from the Whitney Houston catalog. #ICONIC.

Appears in 🔻:

11 Songs Where the Moment is Key (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 19 Recordings Limited, AWAL Recordings Ltd, Bold Cut, Cash Money, ISO Supremacy / UnitedMasters LLC / High Standardz / Def Jam Recordings, Insanity, RCA; William Fortunato from Pexels]

11 Songs Where the Moment is Key | Playlist 🎧

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