12 Captivating Same & Different Songs | Playlist 🎧

1. serpentwithfeet, “Same Size Shoe”

💿 DEACON • 🏷 Secretly Canadian • 📅 2021

“Can’t love no man ‘til I measured his feet,” alternative R&B artist 🎙 serpentwithfeet (Josiah Wise) asserts on 🎵 “Same Size Shoe”. “Same Size Shoe” is arguably the best song from his sophomore album, 💿 DEACON.  Later, Wise heeds the advice of his aunt singing, “My auntie’s right, don’t fuck a man / If his shoes are two times the size of your hands.” Woo!

Besides the unique lyricism of the record, serpentwithfeet delivers an expressive, nuanced, and truly refined vocal performance. His best moments include the ad-libs, the bridge where he asks for his trumpet (you just have to hear it for yourself), and of course, the chorus.  The chorus, as to expected, is infectious to the nth degree: “Me and my boo wear the same size shoe.” Additionally, the production (Wise, 🎛 Brandon Juhans, and 🎛 Batu) allures as well.

Also Appears On 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Same: 5ive Songs No. 33 (2021)

2. SZA, “Hit Different”

Ft. The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams & Ty Dolla $ign

🎵 “Hit Different” • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 2020

“Hit different, hit different / …Hit different when I’m sittin’ here / Alone all by myself / Hit different when I think you might be / With somebody else.” 🎙 SZA enlists 🎙 Ty Dolla $ign, 🎙 Pharrell Williams, and production standouts 🎛 The Neptunes on the excellent 🎵 “Hit Different”. The Neptunes give “Hit Different” a unique sound from the onset.

Beyond that 🔥 backdrop, Ty sets the vibe with the chorus with his distinct tone being a selling point. SZA delivers fine vocals, sounding clear, singing agilely, and sounding absolutely beautiful. She sings about being in love in what is clearly a non-monogamous relationship where neither her nor her boyfriend are exclusive. There’s definitely something hypnotic about this particular R&B record – it HIT DIFFERENT!

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🔗 🎧 Hit: 5ive Songs No. 46 (2020)

3. Jack Harlow, “Same Guy”

Ft. Adam Levine

💿 Thats What They All Say • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 📅 2020

“I can’t keep lettin’ shit slide /Thought that I would change, but I’m the same guy.” Okay… Anyways, the most surprising collaboration on 💿 Thats What They All Say, the debut album by Louisville, Kentucky-bred, 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Jack Harlow, is 🎵 “Same Guy.”  Here, Harlow taps 🎙 Adam Levine for the assist (primarily on the chorus). “Same Guy” is an interesting record by all means, and 🎛 jetsonmade definitely delivers some cool production touches (“Oh Lord, Jetson made another one”).

“Same Guy” isn’t a tour de force.  Neither is Thats What They All Say overall. Still, there’s plenty to like about the record.  For one, the riffing falsetto by Levine is win.  Furthermore, the gospel vibes, elevated by an appearance by 🎙 Jason Clayborn & The Atmosphere Changers makes it among the best of Thats What They All Say.

Also Appears On 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Same: 5ive Songs No. 33 (2021)

4. Justin Bieber, “Love You Different”

Ft. BEAM

💿 Justice • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2021

“I will love you different / Just the way you are / And I will love you different.” Fair enough, 🎙 Justin Bieber. Following his chill, no. 1 hit 🎵 “Peaches” from his 2021 album, 💿 Justice, the 🏆 Grammy winner has plans to 🎵 “Love You Different.”  Why? Well, apparently, she’s the one.  “When we touch,” he gushes on the first verse, “I think we skip a beat (Beep, beep, beep).”

Something that is specifically different about “Love You Different” is the sound, which embraces sleek, tropical pop.  In fact, it’s one of a couple of records from Justice that integrate some international flavor. Confirming the topical, Jamaican tinged sound is a guest appearance by 🎙 BEAM, who guests on the third verse (“A real ting we feel this time / You gimme goosebumps, yehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hziNlrrNdvM ah, yeah”).  The record is catchy, even if it doesn’t quite reach the top echelon of Justice.

5. Camila Cabello, “Never Be the Same”

💿 Camila • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2018

Hard drums anchor the well-produced (🎛 Frank Dukes) 🎵 “Never Be the Same”, the opener from 💿 Camila.  Camila marked the 🏆 Grammy-nominated debut studio album from former 🎙 Fifth Harmony standout, 🎙 Camila Cabello. In addition to Camilla herself, “Never Be the Same” was penned by a team comprised of 🎼✍ Adam Feeney, 🎼✍ Jacob Ludwig Olofsson, 🎼✍ Leon Rami Dawod, 🎼✍ Noonie Bao and 🎼✍ Sasha Yatchenko.

On the verses, Cabello never pushes her voice much. Her stunning falsetto shows up, in all its sexiness and sweetness, beginning on the pre-chorus. Cabello exhibits the most vocal oomph during the high-flying chorus.

“It’s you babe
And I’m a sucker for the way that you move, babe
And I could try to run, but it would be useless
You’re to blame
Just one hit of you, I knew I’ll never be the same.”

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🔗 🎧 Same: 5ive Songs No. 33 (2021)

6. OpenSoul, “Differences”

🎵 “Differences” • 🏷 Artekal • 🗓 2021

Jamaican R&B artist 🎙 OpenSoul delivers a stunning, love-centric single with 🎵 “Differences”. “Differences” features lush, soulful production by 🎛 Artekal that’s definitely idiomatic of the R&B sound. The record feels like there’s one foot in the door of the past yet feels refreshing in 2021. The sounds are lit – guitars, keys, and a contemporary hip-hop beat = heaven! I definitely heart love warmth of the backdrop, further amplified by backing vocals as well as the slow, relaxed tempo.

OpenSoul delivers a beautiful vocal performance.  He has a radiant tone, sweet falsetto, and tasteful ad-libs and nuances. He sings with incredible ease and smoothness. Furthermore, he brings incredible authenticity – you buy what he’s selling.  Adding to the allure of this ‘different’ cut – great overall songwriting, particularly the chorus!

“You’re not like anybody else
So, let’s take a chance
I’m selfish. need you for myself
It’s like I’m in a trance
Tried shooting stars and wishing wells
And found you’re not like anybody else.”

7. Jon Bellion, “He is the Same”

💿 The Human Condition • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2016

“Same kids from the high school, jump shot still flame / Couple million in the bank, but / Nothing has changed, he is the same.” Pop singer/songwriter 🎙 Jon Bellion is autobiographical on 🎵 “He Is the Same,” the opener from his 2016 album, 💿 The Human Condition. Bellion hasn’t changed since his ‘come up’; he remains grounded and truly humble.

There are a number of other memorable lyrics throughout this intriguing opener.  “Still living in his dad’s house, 24 years old,” he sings on the first verse, continuing, “He could buy a few pads, but he just like to stay home.”  Facts.  There’s also the very thoughtful, empathetic “His assistant is his best friend / Lost his dad that day / Really puts it in perspective / What the fuck’s a bad day?” Bellion’s “bad days” are nothing compared to losing a loved one to death.  Ultimately, “He is the Same” is an awesome start to an awesome, if underrated album in The Human Condition.

8. Trey Songz, “Hit Different”

💿 Back Home • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 2020

“A blunt to the face / Now I want a taste of you.” Well, it seems that 🎙 Trey Songz is getting a ‘two-for-one’ deal essentially.  On 🎵 “Hit Different” from his 2020 studio album, 💿 Back Home, Trey focuses on getting high and having sex.  Honestly, that’s about the size of it when it comes down to it.

The weed only heightens the senses when it comes to ‘getting it in.’ Truthfully, Songz is true to self, especially on the naughty, risqué, but utterly infectious chorus.

“That shit hit different when we both faded
I put the tip in, watch you go crazy
You know it ain’t a party ‘til we both naked
And we ain’t finished ‘til your legs shakin’.”

Sigh, it certainly does “hit different,” doesn’t it?

Also Appears On 🔽:

🔗 🎧  Hit: 5ive Songs No. 46 (2020)

9. Tame Impala, “New Person, Same Old Mistakes”

💿 Currents • 🏷 Modular • 📅 2015

“Feel like a brand-new person / (But you’ ll make the same old mistakes) / I don’t care, I’m in love / (Stop before it’s too late).” 🎙 Kevin Parker is an incredibly talented musician.  The 🎙 Tame Impala brainchild certainly makes no mistakes in regard to the quality of 🎵 “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.”  The closing song from the band’s 2015 album, 💿 Currents, says it all:

“All the signs I don’t read
Two sides of me can’t agree
Will I be in too deep?
Going with what I always longed for.”

While Parker has “changed” for the better, he still admits his flaws – the same old pitfalls.  Notably, 🎙 Rihanna covered this record (as 🎵 “Same Ol’ Mistakes”) on her 2016, 🏆 Grammy-nominated album, 💿 Anti.

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🔗 🎧 Same: 5ive Songs No. 33 (2021)

10. Florida Georgia Line, “People are Different”

💿 Can’t Say I Ain’t Country • 🏷 Big Machine • 📅 2019

On 🎵 “People Are Different” (💿 Can’t Say I Ain’t Country), early on, 🎙 Florida Georgia Line throws a lot at the listener rhythmically and lyrically.  On the first verse, the ‘differences’ of people are quickly highlighted – “White collar, blue collar, hillbilly, high dollar / Hot head, pot head, non-believer, holy water.” The second verse embraces a similar script: “Left wing, right wing, jail house, freedom ring / Old school, new school, everything in-between.” On the chorus, the duo summarizes their point, which is all about acceptance and tolerance.

Florida Georgia Line definitely delivers a respectable message, with their hearts in the right place.  Execution can be debated, particularly the heaviness of the twang, and arguably, the production, which is a bit heavy-handed during the biggest moments.  Still, give the 🎙 Brian Kelley and 🎙 Tyler Hubbard credit where credit is due.

11. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Same Love”

Ft. Mary Lambert

💿 The Heist • 🏷 Macklemore • 📅 2012

“For those that like the same sex had the characteristics / The right-wing conservatives think it’s a decision,” 🎙 Macklemore asserts on 🎵 “Same Love,” continuing, “And you can be cured with some treatment and religion / Man-made, rewiring of a predisposition, playing God.” Rap music typically isn’t the go-to for LGBTQ+ friendly music but Macklemore, 🎙 Ryan Lewis, and openly gay singer/songwriter 🎙 Mary Lambert, aimed to shift that perception on this standout from the 🏆 Grammy-winning rap album, 💿 The Heist.

Macklemore isn’t gay but supports the LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 community wholeheartedly.  Throughout the song, he references the fears that folks have about same-sex relationships (“America the brave still fears what we don’t know / And ‘God loves all his children’ is somehow forgotten”) and how hip-hop is on the wrong-side of the issue. Lambert locks down “Same Love” on the chorus, specifically the lyric, “She keeps me warm.”

Also Appears On 🔽:

🔗 🎧 A Compendium Comprised of 100 Notable LGBTQ+ Songs

🔗 🎧 Same: 5ive Songs No. 33 (2021)

12. Father John Misty, “Two Wildly Different Perspectives”

💿 Pure Comedy • 🏷 Sub Pop • 📅 2017

“One side says / Y’all go to hell / The other says / If I believed in God, I’d send you there.” Literally, 🎵 “Two Wildly Different Perspectives” (💿 Pure Comedy, 2017) covers TWO wildly different perspectives. Interestingly, the response that 🏆 Grammy winning alternative artist 🎙 Father John Misty (Josh Tillman) personally has towards both sides is pitch-perfect: “But either way we make some space / In the hell that we create / On both sides.”

“Two Wildly Different Perspectives” is open to multiple interpretations. It seems that Mr. Tillman is referencing the dangers of politics. The polarization caused by both sides is at an all-time high – even higher since he wrote and recorded this standout from Pure Comedy! And like Tillman suggests, the back-n-forth between both totally creates HELL.

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