13 Compelling 1st, 2nd + two 3rds’ Songs | Playlist 🎧

13 Compelling 1^st, 2^nd + two 3^rds’ Songs features music courtesy of Fleetwood Mac, Halestorm, Jack Harlow, Monica & Chris Stapleton.  

Sometimes, the lists I construct are random AF.  Yes, the oddly titled 🎧 13 Compelling 1^st, 2^nd + two 3^rds’ Songs is one of those quirky, random music compendiums.  The concept isn’t nearly as left-of-center or wild as the title suggests.  Lemme break it down for you peeps.  There are 13 songs, so that’s simple and if you’ve noticed, a standard track list for The Musical Hype playlists.  The “1^st” refers to songs featuring 1^st or first in the title, which is a grand total of six songs.  The “2^nd,” hence, refers to songs featuring 2^nd or second in the title, which is a grand total of five songs. The oddest part of this compendium title, “two 3rds’” refers to two songs that feature 3^rd or third in their title.  Add it up and there are six first songs, five second songs, and two third songs for a grand total of 13 – woo!

🎧 13 Compelling 1^st, 2^nd + two 3^rds’ Songs features music courtesy of 🎙 Fleetwood Mac, 🎙 Halestorm, 🎙 Jack Harlow, 🎙 Monica, and 🎙 Chris Stapleton among others.  Just among this list, we see rock, rap, R&B, and country represented. 🎧 13 Compelling 1^st, 2^nd + two 3^rds’ Songs may be a bit, um, different but there are plenty of great songs to partake.  So, without further ado, embrace this wild, 71^st musical compilation in the year of our lord, 2022!

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1. Halestorm, “I Come First”

💿 Back from the Dead • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2022 

“I’m not your servant, I’m not your slave / I may be good at trouble but I’m not yours to change.” Woo! 🎙 Lzzy Hale makes it crystal clear she doesn’t belong to anybody else – she won’t be pushed over or dominated.  “One hand on the bed, one behind my back / Think you’re in but not so fast,” the 🎙 Halestorm front woman adds in the first verse of 🎵 “I Come First.” “I Come First” appears on the band’s 2022 album, 💿 Back from the Dead.  It rocks hard, which is an understatement.

“You’re never gonna get it with the games you play.” Oh my! Hale is assertive in the verses, evidenced by the excerpted lyrics, but she’s most aggressive in the gargantuan, must- hear chorus:

“‘Cause I come first

Yeah, I’m worth it

… I come first

Go on and work it

… Play with fire, get burned

Tell you when it’s your turn

You don’t get to break the rules

The truth hurts

But I’m worth it

Yeah, I’m worth it

I come first.”

You don’t want to mess with Lzzy Hale, period.  This hard rocking Halestorm record has no shortage of personality. 🎛 Nick Raskulinecz and 🎛 Scott Stevens ensure the music matches Hale’s assertive pipes 🤘.  

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2. Shalamar, “The Second Time Around”

💿 Big Fun • 🏷 Unidisc Music Inc. • 🗓 1979

🎵 “The Second Time Around” appears on the 1979 🎙 Shalamar album, 💿 Big Fun. Big Fun earned the disco/funk/soul collective a gold album.  Likewise, the song at hand, a top ten hit on the pop charts, is certified gold too.  The edition of Shalamar that appears on “The Second Time Around” and Big Fun is comprised of 🎙 Howard Hewett (lead vocals), 🎙 Jody Watley, and 🎙 Jeffrey Daniel. Throughout the course of this late 1970s classic, Howard Hewett serves up commanding, compelling lead vocals. He sounds nothing short of exuberant, energetic, and utterly sublime.

Of course, it’s not all about Howard, though he’s ‘kind of a big deal’ on “The Second Time Around!” The record is a feel-good, surefire vibe. It was written by 🎼 ✍ Leon Sylvers III and 🎼 ✍ William Shelby.  Sigh, I wish I’d written this bop! It’s set in a bright major key – D-flat to be precise 🤓. Musically, it’s the funky groove, robust bass line, keys, and the crisp, rhythmic guitar that truly stand out.  Beyond the instrumental backdrop, the lyrics are sweet, encouraging her that love can be found, even if it didn’t work out the first time. “But you can’t keep runnin’ away from love / ‘Cause the first one let you down, no, no, no,” Hewett sings, adding, “With me, true love can still be found / Love can still be found.” Awesome! Of course, the centerpiece of “The Second Time Around” is the catchy chorus, carried by the backing vocals (Watley and Daniel), and of course, marvelous ad-libs by Hewett.

“The second time around

Ooh, the second time is so much better, baby

The second time around

And I’ll make it better than the first time.”

Appears in 🔻: 

• Shalamar, “The Second Time Around”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 50 (2022)

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3. Marilyn Manson, “Third Day of a Seven Day Binge”

💿 The Pale Emperor • 🏷 Loma Vista • 📅 2015 

“We’ve only reached the third day of a seven-day binge / I can already see your name disintegrating from my lips.” Woo! On 🎵 “Third Day of a Seven-Day Binge,” 🎙 Marilyn Manson literally goes for the ‘kill’: “I’ve got bullets, in the booth [/Boothe] / Rather be your victim, than be with you.” Woo! Clever how he throws an assassin into the mix, right? Right!

Manson adds on this dark standout from 💿 The Pale Emperor (2015), “Can’t decide if you’re wearing me out or wearing me well / I just feel like I’m condemned to wear someone else’s hell.”  Goes with the territory! With Manson, you know what you’re getting beforehand, yet, him/the band is unpredictable at the same time. Regardless, Manson’s depressing and disturbing lyrics are quite alluring, even if you feel guilty listening.

Appears in 🔻: 

• 13 Songs Where 7 is the Magic Number

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4. Jack Harlow, “First Class”

💿 Come Home The Kids Miss You • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 🗓 2022 

“I been a (G), throw up the (L), sex in the (A.M.), uh-huh / (O-R-O-U-S, yeah).” It’s 🎙 Jack Harlow season! The 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper knows how to make a hit – a no. 1 hit for that matter!  He packs a serious punch with 🎵 “First Class”, the crowd-pleasing single from 💿 Come Home the Kids Miss You.

Harlow’s delivery is chill and laid back. He rides a 🎙 Fergie sample (🎵 “Glamorous”) like a boss. In the chorus, he lets Fergie do some of the heavy lifting 💪! Still, he gets his point across, involving S-E-X.  There’s also surefire confidence and drip involved too (“Uh, I got plaques in thе mail, peak season”), but we know exactly what Harlow has in mind with “Pineapple juice, I give her sweet, sweet, semen.” Of course, he must be aware how much these women are ‘in love with him,’ so, why not play it off? “First Class” features production from 🎛 Angel “BabeTruth” Lopez, 🎛 Charlie Handsome, 🎛 Jasper Harris, 🎛 Nickie Jono Pabón, and 🎛 Rogét Chahayed.  Well, at least the product is high quality! On “First Class” Jack’s cool as a cucumber yet potent.

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5. Kiana Ledé, “Second Chances.” (Ft. 6LACK)

💿 KIKI. • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2020

“I’m too fuckin’ real to wear my heart up on my sleeve / Fuck that back-and-forth shit, if I leave then I’m a leave / I’ma have you begging, have you pleading on your knees.” Well, damn! 2020 saw singer and actress 🎙 Kiana Ledé release her full-length, debut album, 💿 KIKI.  While KIKI hasn’t exactly lit up the charts, the album did debut in the top 30 of the Billboard 200.  More importantly, KIKI has its fair share of notable moments, including 🎵 “Forfeit.” and the numeric song at hand, 🎵 “Second Chances.” (featuring 🎙 6LACK).

As the opening lines of the first verse indicate, you really don’t want to mess with Kiana Ledé.  “Can’t you tell a bitch is fed up with your nonsense,” she goes on to say in the brutally honest first verse.  She’s still feisty on the second verse, where she’d rather troll him than respond to his texts, and informs, “You missed out on a blessing, I made you the king of my world.”  In the chorus, she just makes it crystal clear she is done with it – “No more second chances, chances / Always tryna take advantage, ‘vantage / … So, I’d rather walk away.”  As you might expect, 6LACK provides the male response, owning up to his shortcomings.   Still, he knows it’s all for naught.   But the pain from both perspectives is our listening pleasure, along with solid production work courtesy of 🎛 Boston, 🎛 Cam Griffin, 🎛 Derrick Milano, 🎛 Mike Woods, and 🎛 Roark Bailey.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Number Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason
• 13 Songs Where the Focus is TWO
• Chance: 3 or 4 BOPS No. 16 (2022)

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6. Fleet Foxes, “Third of May / Ōdaigahara”

💿 Crack-Up • 🏷 Nonesuch • 📅 2017 

In 2017, indie rock band 🎙 Fleet Foxes returned with a demanding, yet rewarding comeback album, 💿 Crack-Up, following a six-year hiatus. The crème de la crème from 🎙 Robin Pecknold and company arrives with 🎵 “Third of May / Ōdaigahara.” “Third of May,” which served as the promo single from Crack-Up, clocks in at an ambitious nine minutes.  There’s nothing commercial about it but it is understood that Fleet Foxes aren’t commercial anyways.

Despite the length of “Third of May / Ōdaigahara,” it’s epic. If you’re brave, attempt to decode the lyrics for yourself.  If not, check out Pecknold’s annotations, explaining his brilliant use of homophones, coincidences, and various dates.  Woo! In addition to the breathtaking, specific lyricism, the music is equally genius, shifting from major to minor, and incorporating Japanese music at the end (that’s where Ōdaigahara comes into play).  Fleet Foxes don’t ever change.

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7. SoMo, “First”

💿 The Answers • 🏷 Republic • 🗓 2017

“I’m roaring loud (say it with me) / We’re roaring loud.” Wow, 🎙 SoMo, that sounds animalistic to the n^th degree. I have no doubt that that is the R&B singer’s intent on 🎵 “First”. For years, SoMo has delivered a brand of music with no shortage of the three-letter word: SEX.  “First” is no different. He wrote this record with 🎼✍ K-Major, 🎼✍ 🎛 Tricky Stewart, and 🎼✍ 🎛 Pierre Medor (Stewart and Medor also produce this sensual joint). Interestingly, this third track from 💿 The Answers (2017) features a degree of ‘censorship.’ No worries because the moans replacing certain sexually tinged words say it all!

“You lose if you get it first / Get it first, let it burst…” Hmm, so, this clearly deals with pleasure – the ‘O’ word comes to mind.  Continuing with the chorus:

“…My job is to make it [moan sound]

Don’t hold it back, get it first

You lose if you get it first (Raining, pouring)

Get it first, let it burst (Raining, it’s storming)

My job is to make it [moan sound] (Raining, pouring)

Don’t hold it back, get it first (Raining, it’s storming).”

So, what does the [moaning] censor? The word squirt, which I suppose, was far too dirty.  No worries, because SoMo does everything in his horny little power to make sure you know what he’s getting at.  “Raining, pouring” and “Raining, it’s storming.” Yeah, it’s goin’ down, clearly! SoMo doesn’t stop there, of course.  In the second verse, he asserts, “I got a Tonka truck, baby, can I put it in drive?” Guys love to talk about their penis, don’t they? There’s also more roaring too.  Notably, in the bridge, SoMo wants to go all-in on her – “I’m playing Russian Roulette with that.’ Basically, he needs to know, can he? I’m trying to cool off following such a sexy song not to mention that risqué, ultra-sexy music video.  Getting the eye candy through the visual accompanying the SEX-driven song is a big-time bonus.  You can’t unsee that 😍!

 

Appears in 🔻:

• SoMo, “First”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 36 (2022)

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8. Fleetwood Mac, “Second Hand News”

💿 Rumours • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1977

“When times go bad / When times go rough / Won’t you lay me down in the tall grass / And let me do my stuff?”  Those are key lyrics from 🎵 “Second Hand News,” the opening record from 💿 Rumours.  Rumours, of course, is the 🏆 Grammy-winning masterpiece by 🎙 Fleetwood Mac released back in 1977.  Despite its age, Rumours ranks among the most beloved and most popular albums of all time.

“Second Hand News” is a bright, fun record.  Even so, matters of the heart are clearly in play, regardless of those infectious “Bow-bow-bow-bow-buh-buh-bow” lyrics on the chorus.  On the third verse, 🎙 Lindsey Buckingham makes it crystal clear that “I ain’t gonna miss you when you go / Been down so long / I’ve been tossed around enough” (🎙 Stevie Nicks sings backing vocals on this one).  So, the big question is, when does the news, specifically “second-hand news,” come into play? Not until the end of this three-minute bop: “I’m just second-hand-news / I’m just second-hand news, yeah.”

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 News Songs That Are Definitely Newsworthy
• 13 Songs Where the Focus is TWO

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9. ILLENIUM & iann dior, “First Time”

💿 Fallen Embers • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2021

“I know that we haven’t met, but I know your vibe / Are we skipping a step? ‘Cause I really don’t mind.” What happens when 🎙 ILLENIUM and 🎙 iann dior join forces? Magic, of course! The producer tapped the melodic rapper/singer for the single, 🎵 “First Time.” “First Time” appears on ILLENIUM’s 2021 album, 💿 Fallen Embers.

“Hello stranger / I don’t know your name but I recognize your energy / … You give me déjà vu, this is feeling like a memory.” Ooh wee, iann! “First Time” is an enjoyable pop cut – a surefire VIBE. Dior is the perfect singer for this cut, performing relatively chill and serving up easygoing vocals.  You could say, he never gets too high.  Of course, the best moment of the record – the centerpiece – is the chorus:

“I know that we haven’t met, but I know your vibe

Are we skipping a step? ‘Cause I really don’t mind

It’s like you been in my bed a couple thousand times

Now we’re at it again, we’re at it again for the very first time.”

Besides dior’s enjoyable performance, and the incredibly catchy, memorable chorus, ILLENIUM serves up respectable production alongside 🎛 Stevie Aiello. Gotta heart the tasty guitars and the synths too.

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10. Chris Stapleton, “Second One to Know”

💿 From a Room: Volume 1 • 🏷 Mercury • 📅 2017

“Don’t put my love on your back burner / Never let anything that hot get cold.” Say that, 🎙 Chris Stapleton! He continues, “And if you ever change your mind / Want to leave my love behind / Just let me be the second one to know.” The identity of 🎵 “Second One to Know,” from his 2017 album, 💿 From a Room: Volume 1, is country-rock. Yee-haw! Stapleton penned this gem with 🎼 ✍ Mike Henderson, while he produced the record alongside 🎛 Dave Cobb.

Even with drive and tempo on “Second One to Know,” the 🏆 Grammy-winning country musician maintains a sense of poise.  Don’t get it twisted though –  the record still cooks but doesn’t grow overwrought.  Among the highlights, in addition to Stapleton’s voice, and the songwriting is his guitar solo 🤘.

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11. Monica, “The First Night”

💿 The Boy is Mine • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1998

Ah, it’s awesome when a soul sample is used brilliantly in a contemporary R&B song.  🎛 Jermaine Dupri brilliantly samples the 🎙 Diana Ross classic 🎵 “Love Hangover” on 🎵 “The First Night,” one of the best songs by Grammy-winning contemporary R&B artist 🎙 Monica.  “The First Night” appears on the 1998 album, 💿 The Boy is Mine, which was stacked with hits including the title track, “Angel of Mine”, and “For You I Will”.  Of course, our focus is “The First Night” – it’s the ‘first’ song of the LP.

“I knew it was wrong for feeling this way / Especially the thought of getting in on the first date / Couldn’t let go, it stayed on my mind / At the end of the night, I had to decide / I was thinking.”  Hmm, essentially on “The First Night,” Monica was totally feeling her date, and even though she knows she shouldn’t entertain the idea, she at least considers making love… “the first night” of course.  The chorus is the best part:

“I should make a move but I won’t

I know you’re probably thinking something is wrong

Knowing if I do that it won’t be right

I don’t get down on the first night.”

The bridge is pretty sweet as well:

“(If) If you want me

You got to know me

And if you want my love

You gotta win my love
Hey baby

That’s the way it’s got to be, yeah

Get to know me, get to know me

So, we can do this.”

Appears in 🔻:

11 Captivating Songs About Firsts

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12. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “I Second That Emotion”

💿 The Definitive Collection • 🏷 Motown • 📅 2008

“Maybe you want to give me kisses sweet / But only for one night with no repeat.”  Hmm, I’m not sure that’s the ideal situation for 🎙 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.  Actually, I KNOW that’s not going to fly with the legendary soul collective! On their classic, 1967 single, 🎵 “I Second That Emotion”, Smokey has some conditions for getting involved with this lady.  “Oh, little girl, in that case, I don’t want no part / That would only break my heart.” Basically, if the situation is one where it’s merely a hook-up and she exits, he’s not ‘bout it – WORD.

That said, if this lady is willing to open herself up to LOVE, Mr. Robinson and his Miracles have no problem entertaining it!

“Oh, but if you feel like loving me

If you got the notion

I second that emotion

Said, if you feel like giving me

A lifetime of devotion

I second that emotion.”

For SR&TM, they seek an LTR – long-term relationship! If that’s what she’s willing to do, well, they – Smokey –  is all in!

Appears in 🔻: 

• Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “I Second That Emotion”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 52 (2022)

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13. Ed Sheeran, “First Times”

💿 = • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2021

“Ain’t it funny how the simplest things in life can make a man? / Little moments that pass us by / Oh, but I remember.” 🎙 Ed Sheeran returned in 2021 with 💿 = (Equals), his first ‘solo’ album since 2017 (💿 ÷Divide). Upon the release of =, lots has changed in his life.  He’s married and has a baby girl. Throughout the album, Sheeran reflects on marriage and fatherhood, showing us where he currently is in his life.  On 🎵 “First Times,” Sheeran takes on more of a singer/songwriter vibe.

Sheeran is in full-on introspective mode, commencing “First Times” the statement, “I thought it’d feel different playin’ Wembley.” Of course, it’s not the success he’s experienced as a pop superstar that pleases him most, but rather, falling in love with his wife.  “The first kiss, the first night, the first song that made you cry / … I still feel the first fight, and we both made it out alive,” he sings sentimentally on the chorus.  “First Times,” hence, is a gorgeous, honest ballad from Sheeran.  It is a record that makes you remember the most important things in life.

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13 Compelling 1^st, 2^nd + two 3^rds’ Songs [📷: Arista, Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Generation Now, Loma Vista, Mercury, Motown, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, Republic, Unidisc Music Inc., Warner, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Michał Jamro, Nataliya Vaitkevich, RODNAE Productions]

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