11 Songs Where the Trouble is, Well, Troubling | Playlist 🎧

1. Omar Apollo, “Trouble”

Friends • Omar Apollo / AWAL • 2019

“It’s just nice to meet you anyway / Didn’t mean to scare you yesterday / Though you wanted all that I could bring.” Sigh, things simply didn’t seem to work out for Omar Apollo and his crush. Why? Well, as the middle line from the chorus of “Trouble” suggests, he came on way too strong.  Bummer! “Trouble” of course is no bummer for the intriguing Indiana musician, appearing on his seven-song, 2019 EP, Friends.

While Omar Apollo’s music may be best characterized as alternative, “Trouble” lies somewhere between a pop and R&B ballad.  This is a well-produced joint, with the lush backdrop giving Apollo ample fuel for the fire.  Vocally, he sounds amazing, perfectly capturing what seems to be a rejection that stuck with him for a while.  On the second verse for example, he’s still lingering on a relationship that’s clearly not reality:

“Kiss me one time
I’ve been dying to know
If this is real life
Then I’m down with growing old.”

On the bridge, he perfectly captures his shortcomings:

“I need to wait
Good at rushing
Love on my mind
Days that I
I hope I find.”

2. Coldplay, “Trouble in Town”

Everyday Life • Warner • 2019

In case you weren’t aware, multiplatinum, multi-Grammy-winning alternative rock collective Coldplay released their eighth studio album, Everyday Life, in November 2019.  At one time, the announcement of a new Coldplay album would be the big headline.  Unfortunately for Chris Martin and company, Everyday Life was pretty much a F-L-O-P, debuting modestly in the top 10 before losing any sense of Billboard 200 relevancy.  The modest start wasn’t the first sign of the trouble for Coldplay, as the promo campaign, consisting of good but underperforming singles (“Arabesque”, “Orphans”, and “Everyday Life”) suggested Everyday Life was, itself, going to underperform.  Still, one thing that’s not troubling about the project is the fact we get a trouble-titled song, “Trouble in Town” to include on this troubling, troublesome, trouble song list.

“And I get no shelter / And I get no peace / And I never get released.” “Trouble in Town” itself is a prime example of the message of unity that Coldplay seeks to emphasize throughout Everyday Life, tackling relevant societal issues. Here, Chris Martin highlights the unfair treatment that people of different colors and different ethnicities face.

“Trouble in town
Because they cut my brother down
Because my sister can’t wear her crown…”

Besides the examples he sings about, there’s a telling interlude, laced with profanity, depicting an unfortunate police interaction with a young man of color. Just listening to it, particularly as a man of color, is quite disturbing.  Thematically, the band is definitely on-point.

3. Chris Brown, “Troubled Waters”

Indigo • RCA • 2019

Beginning in 2017, Chris Brown decided when releasing an album, he needed to throw every song he recorded at his audience.  That means the resulting album is fat, bloated, and totally overstuffed with material.  Brown’s Heartbreak on a Full Moon, in its deluxe version, runs an absurd three hours in duration! Indigo, released in 2019, was shorter, but still runs more than two hours long.  Honestly, that makes it difficult to appreciate every song because there’s just too much material.  Perhaps that why, when initially reviewing Indigo, I failed to mention “Troubled Waters” – it just didn’t necessarily stand out at the time.  Honestly, it’s an enjoyable song with plenty of positive attributes, namely production and vocals.

“And baby, when you decide that he just ain’t right / I need to now, I need to know.” Chris Brown definitely desires the girl that he sings about on the 18^th track from Indigo.  On this smooth, rhythmic, mid-tempo number (produced by Leon “Roccstar” Youngblood, Andre Harris, and Almatic), he tries his best to flatter her and convince her to be his on the pre-chorus and succeeding chorus section:

“Baby, your skin like porcelain
Like ocean waves, your mind’s amazing, oh
Can I be your everything?
… I just came to calm your troubled waters
Down to be aligned, I swear I got you.”

On the bridge, he continues to argue why he’d be best suited for her: “Baby, I’ll be your lifeguard / Through everything / If you stay with me.”

4. Bishop Briggs, “Tempt My Trouble”

Church of Scars • Teleport / Island • 2018

Alternative singer/songwriter Bishop Briggs possess mad pipes and ample potential.  If you haven’t heard her cover of the INSX classic, “Never Tear Us Apart”, featured in the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack, you’re missing out on a treat.  Briggs is no superstar yet, but definitely has all the ingredients to become one. Throughout the course of her full-length debut, Church of Scars (2018), she proves she’s indeed a ‘force to be reckoned with.’ That force begins with the not at all troubling, opening song, “Tempt My Trouble.”

“Why you got it in for me? / Is it ‘cause I bring me to your knees? / Throw water on electricity / Just to see if the sparkle’ll make us feel / The way we used to feel.” Briggs commences Church of Scars strongly with “Tempt My Trouble.” Here, she serves up breathy vocals on the verses, while digging in on the chorus.  “Unchain my ghoul / But don’t you ever let me go,” she sings on the pre-chorus, before unleashing the centerpiece, troublesome chorus:

“Lights go out again
You stroke my pain
And tempt my trouble
Sick how we pretend
But we’re not friends
And we’re not lovers
We’re just trouble
We’re just trouble
So, tempt my trouble.”

Ultimately, “Tempt My Trouble” dabbles in matters of the heart, despite the fact Bishop Briggs assert their neither friends nor lovers.  There’s definitely something there, particular since she asks him to “tempt my trouble” on this sleekly produced, alternative pop record.

5. Josh Groban, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”

Bridges • Reprise • 2018

Josh Groban is arguably classical crossover’s it boy – ‘Mr. Popera’.  For years, he’s shown off his prodigious pipes. “You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains…” Sigh, doesn’t that lyric just take you back to 2003, when he released one of the biggest hits of his career, “You Raise Me Up”, a cover that far eclipsed the success of the original.  He’s had plenty of great moments throughout his career (“All Luce del Sole”, “Per Te”, “You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up)”, etc.).  With the release of his eighth studio album, Bridges in 2018, he added even more great moments to his resume, including a cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.

“Bridge Over Trouble Water,” surprisingly, is the first cover to grace Bridges, arriving as the fifth track. The beloved classic never seems to get old, despite being covered by everybody and his/her brother/sister.  Josh Groban does this Grammy-winning record justice, accentuated by a backing choir (Major Tones Music, London, directed by Becky Thomas), as well as the strings (The London Studio Orchestra, conducted by Gavin Greenaway).  The arrangement is incredibly successful, arranged by Bernie Herms, who also produces track, co-orchestrating alongside David Hamilton.

6. Luke Christopher, “Trouble”

“Trouble” – Single • RCA • 2018

If you haven’t done so, you should totally check out Luke Christopher. Who is Luke Christopher, you ask? Well, he’s a talented rapper, singer, and producer approaching his 27^th year (as of publication, of course).  Of his 2017 debut, TMRWFRVR, RCA describes his vision as “genre-less and borderless.” He first caught my attention the following year, in 2018, when he released the single, “Just Watch”. The record at hand, fittingly named “Trouble” , was also released in 2018.

On “Trouble,” Luke Christopher both raps and sings, showcasing his musical versatility.  Furthermore, Christopher co-produces alongside Chris Rosa with alluring results.  Even with trouble being the keyword, “Trouble” itself is quite bright sounding, set in a ‘happy’ major key.  The synths are colorful, while the drum programming is punchy. So, with a sense of optimism, why is there any trouble involved whatsoever? Well, according to Christopher, on the chorus (the centerpiece) it’s all on him:

“Trust me, you don’t want me, I’m just trouble
There’s nothing you can say that’s gonna help
But I’m not tryna be nobody’s trouble
‘Cause I’m already trouble for myself.”

Later, he goes on tell a potential girlfriend, “You might be the one for me / But I’m not the one for you / And everyone else can see / The trouble I’d be for you, ooh yeah.”  Well, at least Luke is honest, and honesty is the best policy.

7. Green Day, “Troubled Times”

Revolution Radio • Reprise • 2016

Green Day has been around since the 1990s – true vets.  Given such a lengthy career, it’s not surprising that the 2010s were less commercially lucrative – FACTS. After a four-year hiatus. Billie Armstrong and company returned in 2016 with their fourth studio album of the decades, Revolution Radio, which followed a trio of albums from punk-revivalist band, all released in 2012.  Revolution Radio was by all means enjoyable and respectable, though fell short of greatness the band enjoyed in the aughts with American Idiot (2004) or slightly less so with 21^st Century Breakdown (2009).  Still, Revolutionary Radio gives us another troubling song, “Troubled Times.”

In the context of Revolution Radio, “Troubled Times” dives back into social issues.  On the first verse, Billie Joe Armstrong asks the question, “What good is love and peace on earth / When it’s exclusive?” He goes on during the second verse to ask, “What part of history we’ve learned / When it’s repeated?” The point is simple, as stated on the refrain: “We live in troubled times.”  Fast forward several years after “Troubled Times” first bowed, and its message remains relevant – very much on-point.

8. Iggy Azalea, “Trouble”

Ft. Jennifer Hudson

Reclassified • Virgin • 2014

Iggy Azalea is a prime example of the fleeting nature of fame.  She experienced her “fifteen minutes” of it in 2014 with The New Classic, which featured mega hits “Fancy” and “Black Widow”.  Azalea featured some additional success with Reclassified, which featured the biggest hits from The New Classic, as well as a couple of additional tracks.  Among the additional tracks are “Trouble,” which pairs Azalea with Grammy-winning R&B singer (and Academy Award-winning actress), Jennifer Hudson.

There’s lots to like about “Trouble.” First and foremost, the production is quite funky – bright and soulful as hell. Maybe, just maybe, this is the best part of the brief, but potent number.  Still, arguably, Jennifer Hudson, who is automatic, might be the crowning achievement herself (she sings the chorus and bridge):

“Don’t you come here thinkin’ you ballin’
Ain’t down for it
You seem like trouble to me
I can tell by the way that you lean
And the way that you kiss your teeth
And you turn up so fresh and clean
Smells like trouble to me.”

 She infuses her funky, sassy vocals, arguably stealing the show from Azalea (you read right).  As for the lead artist, Iggy, she’s true to self, bringing ample personality to her rhymes.

“See, baby, now you fiendin’ for a test drive
Cuz you don’t wanna lose your ride to the next guy
And baby trouble only makes for a good time
So, all the normal red flags be a good sign.”

Sure Iggy, whatever you say.

9. Luke James, “Trouble”

Luke James • Island • 2014

When Luke James arrived in 2014, it was an incredibly underrated debut album;  it sort of fell through the cracks.  Even so, Luke James was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Performance for the album’s crowning achievement, the falsetto-laden “I Want You”.  As much as I could spend time praising “I Want You,” it’s just not applicable to this playlist of troubling, troublesome songs.  No worries though, considering James gave us another utterly fantastic record from Luke James, “Trouble.”

“Trouble” is a well-produced record (Philip Constable, Dominic Gordon, and Jamaica “Kahn-Cept” Smith), yielding a beautiful, lush sound. Vocally, James flaunts his prodigious instrument, namely his flawless, full-bodied falsetto.  His vocal performance is quite expressive and nuanced, selling the troublesome nature of this absolutely gorgeous woman.   Like another gem from his self-titled album, “Dancing in the Dark”, the chorus is catchy, further accentuated by the repetition of the title (“trouble, trouble”):

“When you get lost in just lovin’ someone pretty (Trouble, trouble)
You’ll always find
You’ll always find
When you get lost in just lovin’ someone pretty
You’ll always find
Happens every time.”

When reviewing this song specifically back in 2014, something that stood out about “Trouble” was the modulation (key change) – more of a rarity in contemporary music.  It certainly adds another level of drama and excitement to this stellar R&B cut.

10. J. Cole, “Trouble”

Born Sinner • Roc Nation • 2013

In 2011, Grammy-winning rapper (finally, sigh) J. Cole released one of the best rap albums of 2011, Cole World: The Sideline Story.  He would follow it up, two years later, in 2013, with another brilliant album, Born Sinner.  Looking back, I have to ask myself, why wasn’t J. Cole at least nominated for his sheer brilliance on either of these two albums? He nabbed a Best New Artist nomination following Cole World: The Sideline Story, as well as a nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Power Trip” from Born Sinner, but he wouldn’t be recognized for an album until the nomination of 2014 Forest Hills Drive. But enough about Grammys, let’s focus on the trouble with have at hand, “Trouble,” the sixth track from Born Sinner.

On “Trouble,” Cole’s magna cum laude status pays off – or maybe, it’s just ‘life lessons’: “First the text, then the draws, see first the sex / Then it calls cause the bird’s obsessed.” Wow, that’s some colorful, sexual lyricism right there. True, real talk, right? Right! Cole moves beyond sex, rapping about black stereotyping:

“But I’m back on track, jump shot wasn’t that good
Couldn’t sell crack but I rap good
That’s one stereotype.”

Young black men can only play sports or rap, right? That is, indeed, a popular, totally incorrect stereotype. His intelligence turns threatening, on the bold chorus where “…Real niggas trying to fuck, fuck niggas wanna fight… Gun shots into the air, but I ain’t scared for my life.” For all of the top-notch lyrics, it’s the churchy, choral sample that truly anchors down the sinful, troubling nature of this standout from Born Sinner.

11. Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

Red • Big Machine • 2012

“‘Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in / So, shame on me now,” sings Taylor Swift on “I Knew You Were Trouble.,” a surefire highlight from her 2012 album, Red.  Swift later adds on the troublesome chorus of this Max Martin, Shellback production, “Flew me to places I’d never been / Now I’m lying on the cold hard ground.”  Swift is no stranger to singing about boys, but in this case, she knows she allowed herself to be played essentially.  Hence, “Trouble, trouble, trouble.” Those dirty boys, OMG (“A new notch in your belt is all I’ll ever be”)!

Musically, “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Marks one of several transitional records from Taylor Swift.  As a whole, Red could be considered a transitional album, released after the country-dominant Speak Now (2010) and her pop breakthrough, 1989 (2014).  As the excerpt from the chorus suggests, “I Knew You Were Trouble.” features catchy, irresistible songwriting.  Furthermore, the production embraces dubstep, popular in 2012, and a clear departure from the music Swift had released up until that point.  Analyzing the Taylor Swift catalogue, “I Knew You Were Trouble.” is definitely marks an important moment in her career.