12 Songs Where Secrets are Revealed

Reading Time: 12 min read

🎧 12 Songs Where Secrets are Revealed features songs courtesy Anuel AA, Burna Boy, Joshua Bassett, Lorde, Madonna & Quincy Jones.

HAVE A S-E-C-R-E-T – 12 of them to be precise! Cutting straight to the chase, this compendium is all about secrets. Every song on 🎧 12 Songs Where Secrets are Revealed feature some form of the word secret in their title. Most often, the secrets involve relationships in some form or fashion. Secret love peeps – it’s entertaining to listen to!

🎧 12 Songs Where Secrets are Revealed features songs courtesy of 🎙 Anuel AA, 🎙 Burna Boy, 🎙 Joshua Bassett, 🎙 Lorde, 🎙 Madonna, and 🎙 Quincy Jones among others. As always, we have music from various styles – some pop, some R&B, and some international flavor! So, there are no secrets here – just check out the hot songs featured on this compendium!

1. Joshua Bassett, “Secret”

💿 Crisis / Secret / Set Me Free (EP)• 🏷 Warner • 📅 2021

“You had me tricked for sixteen months / Oh, your smoke and mirrors had me hypnotized.” 🎙 Joshua Bassett is candid on 🎵 “Secret,” the grooviest and most fun record from his 2021 project, 💿 Crisis / Secret / Set Me Free (EP). Even though the tempo is quicker than the two songs it’s sandwiched between (🎵 “Crisis” and 🎵 “Set Me Free”), “Secret” is set in a minor key and finds Bassett bothered.

Like “Crisis” before it, Bassett continues to (or seems to) reference his relationship with 🎙 Olivia Rodrigo, which has played a role in ample negative press for Bassett. He never explicitly names her, but clearly, whoever the former flame he mentions is, there’s 🎵 “Bad Blood”. “When ‘Woe is me’ stops working / I bet your songs won’t sound the same.” Oh snap! Nonetheless, Bassett emphasizes the fact, “Your secret’s safe with me.” Of course, isn’t he sort of airing out the dirty laundry to us, the listeners? Regardless, “Secret” is a blast – well-written (Bassett, 🎼✍ Davis Naish, and 🎼✍ Katelyn Tarver), well-produced (Naish), and passionately sung.

2. Quincy Jones, “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)”

Ft. Barry White, Al B. Sure!, James Ingram & El DeBarge

**💿 Back on the Block • 🏷 Qwest Records, Inc. / UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 1989**

🎙 Quincy Jones is the definition of an icon. The legendary musician and producer has been nominated for 80 🏆 Grammys and won 28. While 🎵 “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” wasn’t nominated for a Grammy, its 1989 parent album, 💿 Back on the Block, cleaned up at the 33^rd Annual Grammy Awards, winning the highly coveted Album of the Year award. The star-studded, ultra-smooth, sensual “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” contributed to the success of the LP. Joining Mr. Jones: 🎙 Barry White, 🎙 Al B. Sure!, 🎙 James Ingram, and 🎙 El DeBarge.

“The Secret Garden” commences seductively with the bass vocals of Barry White, establishing the bedroom vibes. From there, on the first verse, Al B. Sure! Blesses our ears, spitting game to his girl. “I wanna read your mind,” he sings at the beginning, adding, “Know your deepest feelings / I wanna make it right for you / Baby, show me.” Then, James Ingram swoops in the for second verse, asserting, “I know a melody that we could sing together / I’ve got a secret key to you, baby.” Ooh la la! Later, the third verse is tackled by the sweet pipes of El DeBarge, who states, “I can keep you satisfied, baby.” As for the fourth, of course it belongs to the once-in-a-lifetime voice of Barry White (“Let your hair down, let me get you in the mood”). The centerpiece of this slow jam, of course is the chorus:

“Here in the garden, where temptation feels so right
Passion can make you fall for what you feel
In the garden, we can make it come alive
Every night, oh woman.”

“Secret Garden” was a moderate success on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at no. 31 in 1990.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Quincy Jones, “The Secret Garden”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 15

3. Lorde, “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)”

**💿 Solar Power • 🏷 Universal Music New Zealand Limited • 📅 2021**

“Everybody wants the best for you / But you gotta want it for yourself, my love / You can take ‘em if you want ‘em, these are just / Secrets from a girl who’s see it all.” In the context of 💿 Solar Power, the third studio album by 🎙 Lorde (Ella Yelich O’Connor), 🎵 “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” packs a bit more punch. For some additional context, Solar Power isn’t the most dynamic album of 2021, and doesn’t achieve the same excellence of her 2017 masterpiece, 💿 Melodrama. Still, Solar Power has its moments, and “Secrets from a Girl” possesses more drive compared to other songs.

Lorde’s rhythmic, raspy vocals command over the chill instrumental. Notably, she sings about a party (wouldn’t be the first time), turning 15, and losing her beloved dog, Pearl (“‘member what you thought was grief before you got the call?”). 🎙 Robyn appears on the outro of the song as a flight attendant delivering spoken word about sadness and eventual resolution.

“Your emotional baggage can be picked up at carousel number two
Please be careful so it doesn't fall onto someone you love.”

4. The Weeknd, “Secrets”

**💿 Starboy • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2016**

“It’s a lie, a lie / I catch you every time / In your lies,, your lies / Every time you close your eyes.” On 🎵 “Secrets,” the sixth track from 💿 Starboy (2016), 🎙 The Weeknd wants to dance! That’s not surprising, considering the dance-pop/synthpop style has served the 🏆 Grammys Grammy winning Canadian musician well. Following 🎵 “Rockin’”, something of an updated 🎙 Michael Jackson record, “Secrets” is the more ambitious dance joint, sampling 🎙 The Romantics (🎵 “Talking in Your Sleep”) and 🎙 Tears for Fears (🎵 “Pale Shelter”).

“I hear the secrets that you keep
When you’re talkin’ in your sleep
I hear the secrets that you keep, keep, keep
When you’re talk, talkin’, talkin’.”

In the context of those lyrics, SHE is not being honest with him – Abel Tesfaye! There, of course, are even more secrets. What doesn’t seem to be a secret is the fact that she’s not into him:

“Wipe the
Lust from your eyes
I see that you’re not mine
I can see the lust in your eyes
You can’t hide it
You can’t be the one
I realize, we’re divided.”

5. Madonna, “Secret”

💿 Bedtime Stories • 🏷 Sire • 📅 1994

The hits are endless for iconic pop musician, 🎙 Madonna. 🎵 “Secret” may have failed to top the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994, but no. 3 is damn good by my estimations. “Secret” appears on 💿 Bedtime Stories. It’s second behind one song in the ‘power rankings’: former no. 1 hit, 🎵 “Take a Bow”, of course!

“Secret” has all the ingredients of a hit. It’s produced by Madonna and 🎛 Dallas Austin, and sounds ‘fresh’ for its time. Hell, it still sounds sweet in the 2020s! Moving beyond dance, with Austin on the boards, there’s more R&B influence. It works! Madge doesn’t serve up powerhouse vocals like a R&B artist mind you, but her voice sounds sweet throughout. Of course, the key moment on “Secret” is no secret – the chorus:

“Something’s comin’ over
Mmm-mmm, something’s comin’ over
Mmm-mmm, something’s comin’ over me
My baby’s got a secret.”

The big takeaway from the song should be no secret: LOVE. Madge makes great points about loving yourself before you can love somebody else. Maybe that’s the secret, hmm 🤔.

6. OneRepublic, “Secrets”

💿 Waking Up • 🏷 Mosely Music / Interscope • 📅 2009

“My God, amazing how we got this far / It’s like we’re chasing all those stars.” While 🎵 “Apologize” is the crowning achievement of the 🎙 OneRepublic catalog (originally credited to 🎙 Timbaland, worth noting), 🎵 “Secrets” marks a close second. “Secrets” just missed the top-20 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at no. 21 in 2010. It appears on the pop collective’s 2009 sophomore album, 💿 Waking Up. Safe to say, 🎙 Ryan Tedder is in his zone here.

The sound of “Secrets” is one of its biggest selling points – no secret there! Tedder co-produces with 🎛 Andy Prickett and puts in work. We have rhythmic strings, pummeling drums, ripe guitars, and powerful lead vocals, with some supporting vocals too. Awesomeness! Besides a great sound palette, the writing is aa selling point too. The chorus is simply marvelous – memorable and tuneful:

“So, tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
I'm sick of all the insincere
So, I’m gonna give all my secrets away
This time
Don’t need another perfect lie
Don’t care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away.”

Besides the chorus, those verses are no slouch, featuring thoughtful, authentic lyrics. A prime example: “‘Til all my sleeves are stained red / From all the truth that I’ve said / Come by it honestly, I swear.”

7. Burna Boy, “Secret”

Ft. Jeremih & Serani

💿 African Giant • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2019

🎙 Burna Boy = 💿 African Giant, indeed! The Nigerian (🇳🇬) musician was nominated for a 🏆 Grammy for his debut album, eventually winning one for sophomore album, 💿 Twice as Tall. 🎵 “Secret” stands out from African Giant, enlisting 🎙 Jeremih (USA 🇺🇸) and 🎙 Serani (Jamaica 🇯🇲) for the assist. If Burna was trying to keep how awesome he is as a musician as a secret, well, that secret is no more – it’s out baby!

The first voice we hear on “Secret’ is Serani, who performs the chorus. Here, the Jamaican singer addresses a mistress looking for more: “I know you want to be more / Baby, oh, but I got my wife / Know you want, you want to be my wife.” As for Burna Boy, he takes the reins on the first verse, throwing some patois in the mix as he sings about sex with his sidepiece:

“And don’t you like it when I hit it from the back?
And don’t you like it when I spend the money stack?
I got a wifey but don’t worry about that
You already know that I’ma put you on your back.”

Woo! Serani drops he second verse, making it no SECRET that he’ll “Smack your booty and choke ya.” Oh, and before that, he says, “You’re only talking crazy ‘cause I make you cum.” Day-um! As for Mr. 🎵 “Birthday Sex” Jeremih on the third verse, “She wanna dance to the beat, wanna conversate / Might end up in her bed, if it comes to dat.” Well, it’s trending that way, isn’t it? NO SECRET THERE! “Secret” is slickly produced by 🎛 Tyrese T Boy.

8. Bleachers, “Secret Life”

Ft. Lana Del Rey

💿 Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2021

“Out of my head, I’m beggin’ for skin-to-skin / You don’t say much ‘cause you’ve been cheated before me.” Apparently, 🎙 Jack Antonoff wants a 🎵 “Secret Life.” Interesting 🤔! That ‘secret life’ involves 🎙 Lana Del Rey. Ooh la la – enticing! Is it love? No! Antonoff’s character desires to spend his life with someone he loves – again, a ‘secret life.’ As for a relationship between Antonoff and Del Rey… he co-writes and produces for her frequently. That said, come to think of it, Jack writes and produces for everybody and their brother/sister!

Love is the modus operandi, period. “I just want a secret life / Where you and I can get bored out of our minds,” Antonoff sings on the chorus, adding, “‘Cause I’m sick of chasing after holy ghosts / Been tryin’ to tell you I want you most.” So, where does del Rey come into the mix? She’s never featured in a solo capacity, instead, duetting with Antonoff during select moments. Besides the love-driven, escapist lyrics, and duetting with Del Rey, the sound of the record is intriguing – folksy, with sort of a throwback 60s psych element. Antonoff penned and produced “Secret Life” alongside 🎼✍ 🎛 Patrik Berger.

9. N.E.R.D, “Secret Life of Tigers”

💿 No One Ever Really Dies • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2017

💿 No One Ever Really Dies (2017) marked the first 🎙 N.E.R.D album in seven years! N.E.R.D has always been an intriguing collective, of course, there’s no way you can’t be intriguing when 🎙 Pharrell Williams is in the mix! No One Ever Really Dies is by far the wildest, most experimental LP of their career. The secret song at hand, 🎵 “Secret Life of Tigers,” is a fun, groovy, penultimate record.

Although “Secret Life of Tigers” is fun, it keeps in step with the social and political themes of No One Really Dies – failed to mention that before! Here, Williams and 🎙 Shay Haley reference the dichotomy of conservative and progressive – closed-minded and open-minded. Haley drops one of the most notable lines: “Your parents discriminate with the bathrooms / Do they know these girls are in your room?” Woo! The secret is out!!!

10. Anuel AA & KAROL G, “Secreto”

**💿 Emmanuel • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2020**

“Lo de nosotro’ e’ un secreto, que nadie se entere / Baby, yo siempre me vengo contigo cuando tú te viene.” No, not everyone reds or understands Spanish, but what is clear on 🎵 “Secreto” is that there is a secret, sexually charged relationship. Puerto Rican rapper/singer 🎙 Anuel AA and Colombian singer 🎙 KAROL G (former boyfriend and girlfriend) shine on “Secreto,” which appears on AA’s 2020 album, 💿 Emmanuel.

Exclusively in Spanish, the steamy factor is elevated something fierce! Anuel constantly thinks with his pants, at one point asserting, he can’t live without her sex. Wow, what horn devil! The thing is, the feeling is mutual, as KAROL G echoes the sentiment! Of course, these two were once an item, so, makes sense. And, in the context of the song, and this compendium, important to remember that this relationship is SECRET!

11. The All-American Rejects, “Dirty Little Secret”

💿 Move Along • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2005

“I’ll keep you my dirty little secret (Dirty little secret) / Don’t tell anyone or you’ll be just another regret.” Sigh, you’ve gotta love the pop-punk, emo music of the aughts! Back then, those 🎙 The All-American Rejects had a run going, led by their skinny (but tall and handsome) front man, 🎙 Tyson Ritter (it’s those piercing eyes). Even though Ritter informed her she’d be his “dirty little secret,” 🎵 “Dirty Little Secret” wasn’t the least bit secretive. “Dirty Little Secret” peaked at no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rad, right? Right!

“Dirty Little Secret” is about a secret relationship, period. The specifics of that relationship are cloudy – we have questions. Is this girlfriend a mistress? Would friends and family take issue with this girl – is she ‘unfit’? Regardless of the circumstances, they’re an item and folks don’t know or need to know! The big takeaway is, we don’t get fun pop-punk/emo gems like this anymore, so let’s just enjoy this 2005 bop from 💿 Move Along.

12. Atlantic Starr, “Secret Lovers”

💿 As the Band Turns • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 1986

“We both know that / We should not be together / Cause if we’re found out / It could mess up both our happy homes.” Oh snap! R&B collective 🎙 Atlantic Starr has racked up few hits here and there. My personal favorite has always been 🎵 “Always”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100. A close second, perhaps a favorite of many, is 🎵 “Secret Lovers,” which peaked at no. 3 on the Hot 100. “Secret Lovers” appears on the collective’s 1986 album, 💿 As the Band Turns.

The centerpiece of this 80s R&B classic is undoubtedly the chorus.

“Secret lovers, yeah
That’s what we are
Trying so hard to hide the way we feel
Because we both belong to someone else.”

It is that last line of the chorus that complicates things. Here are two people that feel some type away about one another (physically and emotionally), but they’re already committed to someone else. What a mighty conundrum! “Can they tell / What’s in our minds / Maybe they’ve had secret loves / All of the time.” So, do their respective lovers know they are adulterers or are they adulterers as well? Ultimately, it’s a deep, twisted situation but musically, it’s marvelous to the nth degree. 🎼✍ 🎛 Wayne Lewis and 🎼✍ 🎛 David Lewis wrote and produced a surefire classic, one that won’t “mess up happy homes” unlike the scenario mentioned in the song!

🎧 12 Songs Where Secrets are Revealed [📷: Andrea Piacquadio, Atlantic, Ba Tik, Ben White, Brent Faulkner, Columbia, Interscope, Keira Burton, Lascot Studio, Monstera, Mosely Music, The Musical Hype, Qwest Records, Inc., Pexels, Pixabay, RCA, Republic, Radu Florin, Saeed Karimi, Sire, Sony, Thomas Wolter, UMG Recordings, Inc., Universal Music New Zealand Limited, Unsplash, Warner]

12 Songs Where Secrets are Revealed | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on December 6, 2021December 6, 2021