Reading Time: 12 min read

13 Dazzling Songs About the Apartment (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; edvaldocostacordeiro, Public Doman Pictures from Pixabay]13 Dazzling Songs About the Apartment features songs by Ari Lennox, Bobi Andonov, Isaac Dunbar, Lana Del Rey, and Tammy Wynette. 

Places of residence have been the subject of many songs. With 13 Dazzling Songs About the Apartment, we focus on the rental property where far too often the rent is too damn high (speaking from personal experience).  While rent is a problem, that’s not the premise of this list.  The focus is solely on the APARTMENT and the life experienced or NOT experienced there. 13 Dazzling Songs About the Apartment features songs by Ari Lennox, Bobi Andonov, Isaac Dunbar, Lana Del Rey, and Tammy Wynette. A little alternative, some country, a dash of R&B, pop, rock – something for everybody who is apartment-ing! So, without further ado, let’s celebrate apartments with these dazzling songs!


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1. Isaac Dunbar, “Apartment A”

2. Ari Lennox, “New Apartment”

3. Wallows, “Your Apartment”

4. Cassidi, “apartment”

5. Joesef, “Apt 22”

6. NIKI, “The Apartment We Won’t Share”

7. Bobi Andonov, “Apartment”

8. Lana Del Rey, “Mariners Apartment Complex”

9. Victony & SAINt JHN, “Tiny Apartment”

10. Alessia Cara, “Apartment Song”

11. Free Nationals, “Apartment” (Ft. Benny Sings)

12. Macabre, “Apartment 213”

13. Tammy Wynette, “Apartment #9”


1. Isaac Dunbar, “Apartment A”

Beep Beep Repeat (EP) // RCA // 2024 

Isaac Dunbar, Beep Beep Repeat (EP) [📷: RCA]“Apartment A / I want love, no ricochet / Outside my door / Yeah, Apartment A.” Ooh-wee! “Apartment A” is the opener from Beep Beep Repeat (EP). The talented, underrated Isaac Dunbar has dropped another bop. Even though the Gen-Z musician just turned 21 after releasing “Apartment A” as a single, he’s been active in the music industry since his early teens. Dunbar penned this colorful song with Cary Singer, Matias Mora, and Sizzy Rocket.  He also produced it with Mora and Singer.

From the get-go, “Apartment A” is groovy as albeit.  This is an energetic, fun, and youthful song. Refreshing, “Apartment A” also recalls the past with funky disc cues.  The instrumental accompaniment is the bomb diggity.  Dunbar delivers electrifying, personality-filled vocals. This young king slays! The lyrics are a blast. “In Apartment A we found our fame / Taking Polaroid pictures, everybody in frame,” he sings expressively in the first verse.  In the second verse, ‘they’ enjoy brunch:

“We woke up at 12:30 and went to the kitchen

He sat on the counter, and I made eggs and bacon

Something about this place is high vibration

Like new religion.”

The lyric to beat occurs in the second pre-chorus, where on a European trip, Isaac asserts, “I want to lose my wallet / Then kiss the bitch who stole it!” “Apartment A” is a song that more people need to be listening to and buzzing about. Also, more people need to ‘get hip’ to the talented, alt-pop force that is Isaac Dunbar.

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2. Ari Lennox, “New Apartment”

Shea Butter Baby // Dreamville / Interscope // 2019 

Ari Lennox, Shea Butter Baby [📷: Dreamville / Interscope]“I just got a new apartment / I’m gon’ leave the floor wet,” Ari Lennox (Courtney Salter) sings in the chorus of “New Apartment.”  “New Apartment” is the seventh track from her 2019 debut studio album,  Shea Butter Baby. Lennox continues singing, “Walk around this bitch naked (Woo) / And nobody can tell me shit.” Word! Ari penned “New Apartment” with  Anthony Parrino (Elite), Colin Calabrese (DJ Grumble), and Hubert Laws. How did the renowned jazz flutist earn a songwriting credit? His 1979 song, “Land of Passion” is sampled in “New Apartment.” The production (Elite and DJ Grumble) is fire – soulful and refined. The star of the show is Lennox, of course.  Her vocals are gorgeous.  She sings distinctly and expressively. An independent woman, she asserts she can do whatever she wants to in her apartment. It is only her there, after all!

“Pop my woo-hah in the sky

‘Cause nobody here to judge my life

Leave the dishes in the sink, do some cartwheels

‘Cause my furniture ain’t came

Standard shippin’ thing.”

In the end, however, Lennox realizes she needs people.  That is a rub, isn’t it? 

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3. Wallows, “Your Apartment”

Model // Atlantic // 2024 

Wallows, Model [📷: Atlantic]“There’s a lot of things that I could tell you / But some things are left better if you never knew.” Facts, Dylan Minnette. He continues, on the tail-end of the first verse of “Your Apartment”, the first track from Wallows’ 2024 album, Model: “So, I shut myself up with a night cap / I’m not tempted, I just don’t like that.” Matters of the heart come into play on this single, composed by Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, Cole Preston, and Nate Mercereau. John Congleton produces this colorful, alternative track. The sound is one of the biggest thrills.  I love the tone of the guitars.  The keys shine too.  This ‘driving’ track also benefits from pummeling drums. Minnette handles the lead vocals throughout, with some contributions from Braeden Lemasters. Thematically, “Your Apartment” encompasses a breakup, something clarified in the second verse: “Empathetic to you and your healing / Ask a friend if you still don’t believe me / I’ve got stitches that I’m sewin’ up too / So, it isn’t fair to say, ‘I love you.’” The biggest, most spirited section of “Your Apartment” should come as no surprise – the chorus:  

“Who said I don’t understand or that I probably won’t remember 

Time in the palm of your hand, we both let go together 

But I promise, I get your sentiment 

I wonder who’s been at your apartment 

Would you give in, or would you relent? 

Who’s been tryin’ to get in your bed?”

All told, “Your Apartment” is a fun listen. The concept and sounds are ear-catching.

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4. Cassidi, “apartment”

“apartment” // independent // 2024

Cassidi, Apartment [📷: independent]“Come over to my apartment / I need you on top of me regardless of that bullshit / You’re going through with your parents.” On top, Cassidi (Cassidy Gerken)? Ooh-la-la.  It’s getting hot 🥵 in that apartment 😈! Turn the air conditioner up! Gerken penned and produced “Apartment,” which runs about two-and-a-half minutes long. The backdrop is sleek but non troppo (not too much) – just right! The vibe is vibin’ – chill, easygoing, and sexy. “You and I remind me of a movie / Let me watch you fix the button on your jeans,” she sings.  No question what she’s getting at there 😏.  When buttons and zippers get involved… She continues, “Got me wasted on a fever / Boy you know that either way this goes / I’m yours.” Cassidi knows her and him have something special… as well as good weed 💨.

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5. Joesef, “Apt 22”

Permanent Damage // Bold Cut / AWAL Recordings Ltd // 2023 

Joesef, Permanent Damage [📷: Bold Cut / AWAL Recordings Ltd]“I kissed you / But you left me in a hotel room / Apartment number twenty-two.” “Apt 22” is the seventh track on Permanent Damage, the debut studio album by bisexual Scottish musician, Joesef.  He penned and produced the song with Barney Lister. In the context of Permanent Damage, “Apt. 22” maintains the soulful vibes established in the preceding track, “Didn’t Know How (to Love You)”. The record is anchored by a groove that hails from the R&B book. Joe’s vocals are drenched in soul, delivered with ample expression and nuance.  Love is the driving factor as he recollects a relationship that has gone silent. “Sometimes, I still wake up thinking you’re by my side / It’s like how it was before,” he sings in the chorus, continuing, “Underneath the weight of everything, I’m so tired / It’s harder at night ‘cause I can still feel you by my side.” Oh, the plight of love!    

 

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6. NIKI, “The Apartment We Won’t Share”

Nicole // 88rising // 2022

NIKI, Nicole [📷: 88rising]The apartment we won’t share / I wonder what sad wife lives there…” Their relationship is no more. In “The Apartment We Won’t Share,” Indonesian singer/songwriter, NIKI (Nicole Zefanya) sings about what they won’t do since they are no longer an item. She also imagines who will take her place: “The girl I won’t be is the one that’s yours / I hope you shortly find what you long for.” “The Apartment We Won’t Share” is the fifth track on her sophomore album, Nicole. This telling, two-and-a-half-minute song was written by Zefanya and produced by Zefanya and Ethan Gruska. “You’re a full-fledged socialist, I go by a new name,” she sings in the second verse, reflecting on changes. “The story we won’t tell is my greatest fantasy / The passion I won’t feel again isn’t lost on me,” she asserts, adding, “The son you never wanted is the wound your father left / And the mother I won’t be is probably for the best.” “The Apartment We Won’t Share” is a beautiful and honest song that perfectly captures the feelings experienced post-breakup, particularly if the relationship was long-term.

 

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7. BOBI ANDONOV, “Apartment”

“Apartment” // Andonov Music // 2017

BOBI ANDONOV, Apartment [📷: Andonov Music]“I know we been thinkin’ about / The same thing, same thing / So, dive in, deep till we drown / Breathe out, breathe in.” Yes, Macedonian-Australian singer/songwriter BOBI ANDONOV references swimming but he’s not really talking about swimming. In his 2017 single “Apartment”, Andonov is talking about ‘doing it’: S meets E, and then they X 😈. “Playin’ with fire, please don’t pull me out.” Interesting choice of words in the pre-chorus… What could he possibly be getting at? Andonov penned “Apartment” with Christopher Blair, Dylan Bauld, and Sam Watters.  Bauld produced the sleek alternative pop gem.

If there was any doubt that BOBI ANDONOV is horny, the chorus, the crowning achievement of “Apartment,” confirms it.  Andonov delivers his best vocals including an impressively ripe falsetto.  “Sign your name across my body / Lose your innocence / I can feel it, leave your body.” Ooh-wee, BOBI! There’s more! “If you want to blame it on me / Heat of the moment / We could fuck up my apartment / We’re just getting started.” The keyword is – drum roll, please – FUCK! The apartment isn’t so important but the act – the sexing – is crucial! No deep analysis is necessary for “Apartment”. It’s a stellar song that should be included on every sex playlist.  BOBI ANDONOV went ‘hard’ on this one 😈.

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8. Lana Del Rey, “Mariners Apartment Complex”

Norman Fucking Rockwell! // Polydor / Interscope // 2019 

Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell! [📷: Interscope]“You took my sadness out of context / At the Mariners Apartment Complex / I ain’t no candle in the wind / I’m the board, the lightning, the thunder.” “Mariners Apartment Complex”, the second track from Norman Fucking Rockwell!, has an alt-folk, singer/songwriter vibe. Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey serves up strong vocals, giving a playful, nuanced, rich performance. Lyrically, “Mariners Apartment Complex” shows you what you would expect from a Lana Del Rey song. The first pre-chorus references beaches – not the first time. Additionally, there’s wordplay and reference to the forthcoming “Venice Bitch”:

“And who I’ve been is with you on these beaches

Your Venice bitch, your die-hard, your weakness

Maybe I could save you from your sins.”

Del Rey also references Jesus, regardless of whether she’s not being genuine spiritually. Also, in the second verse, she references her kindness as being mistaken for weakness.  Ultimately, it’s an alluring record with intriguing moments.

 

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9. Victony, “Tiny Apartment” (Ft. SAINt JHN)

Stubborn // Victony / Encore Recordings // 2024

Victony, Stubborn [📷: Victony / Encore Recordings]“I was in my tiny apartment / It was a normal Saturday night / I ordered Chinese, it was wine night / But then we started fighting / I fucking hated when we fight.” The vibe was killed, according to the spoken word intro of “Tiny Apartment.” The intro sets the tone for the seventh track from Stubborn, the 2024 LP by Nigerian rapper/singer Victony.  Victony gets an assist from American rapper SAINt JHN who performs the first, third, and fifth verses. SAINt JHN references fighting at the end of the first verse: “I’m here with Joan of Arc / We always go to war…” In his other verses, he also mentions them fighting, asserting in the fifth, “You got me punching air, girl your such a menace / We going back and forth, you’re in love with tennis / You giving me mixed emotions, a fucking chemist, whoa.” As for the lead artist, Victony performs with patois in verses two, four, and six (“You tell me another man wey go love you pieces / ‘Cause you carry yansh wey dey make your girly timid”).  SAINt JHN and Victony collaborate in the chorus, performing in their respective styles:

“In my tiny apartment, I loved your body often

And I don’t even know when you’re coming home

Girl na my blankie I use hold body, oh

I use hold body, oh.”

Ultimately, “Tiny Apartment” is a surefire vibe.

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10. Alessia Cara, “Apartment Song”

In The Meantime // Def Jam Recordings // 2021 

Alessia Cara, In The Meantime [📷: Def Jam Recordings]“I know I’m a bummer, got no lover, but the color / Of the sky tonight’s so nice I don’t mind.” Alessia Cara sounds content, despite what she isn’t and doesn’t have. It’s the simple things in life. The Grammy-winning  pop singer/songwriter is authentic and honest in “Apartment Song.” “Apartment Song” is the 18th and final track on her third studio album, In The Meantime. Cara penned the song with Kyle Harvey and producer, Joel Little. Written in the thick of the pandemic, she adjusted to being alone and reflected on her experience.

“Tears that I shed, turned into glitter / On the floor of my apartment / Pop of shimmer I needed,” she sings poetically in the first verse.  In the second verse, she’s “Filling a void / With the joy I’m feeling / Though I know that it is fleeting / I will welcome it in.” The crème de la crème is the chorus, where she’s embracing life and feeling fulfilled:

“Something in the air

I’m tripling in size, oh I, I swear

Something in the air

I’ve been up all night, and I don’t care.”

“Apartment Song” is a fantastic way to conclude In The Meantime and a welcome addition to this apartment-driven playlist.

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11. Free Nationals, “Apartment” (Ft. Benny Sings)

Free Nationals // OBE, LLC / EMPIRE // 2019

Free Nationals, Free Nationals [📷: OBE, LLC / EMPIRE]“It was a long and sad goodbye / But now it’s time to pick up the pieces / I have to leave my sister’s couch today,” Benny Sings (Tim van Berkestijn) sings in the first verse of “Apartment.” “Apartment” is the fifth track from Free Nationals, the 2019 album by, you guessed it, Free Nationals. The Grammy-nominated, L.A.-based band is comprised of José Ríos (guitar), T. Nava Avant (keys), Kelsey Gonzalez (bass), and Callum Connor (drums). “Apartment” was penned by Berkestijn, Ríos, Gonzalez, Avant, and Matthew Merisola. It was produced by Avant, Gonzalez, Ríos, and Merisola. The Dutch pop musician (Benny Sings) provides the vocals, singing about rebuilding his life following a breakup. “Start to move on, been here too long / I’m on my own again,” he sings in the second verse.  The crowning achievement is the chorus:

“Looking at the apartment

It’s got all you need as a single man

Now that we bought it

There’s nothing left to do…

It’s a brand-new start, girl

Even though I’m missing you.”

All told, “Apartment” is a sweet collab between Free Nationals and Benny Sings.

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12. Macabre, “Apartment 213” 

Dahmer // Nuclear Blast // 2000

Macabre, Dahmer [📷: Nuclear Blast]Macabre has been “delivering quality murderous music since 1985,” according to their website. The death metal band tackles the residence of notorious, gay serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in “Apartment 213.”  Not only does the band sing about the site of the perversions, but they also released an entire album centered around the notorious serial killer (Dahmer, 2000). The lyrics on “Apartment 213” are cut and dry, explicitly detailing the hellishness.   

“At the Oxford Apartments 

Jeffrey lived at 213 

But his neighbors didn’t know 

That Jeffrey was a fiend 

He said the fridge was broken 

The smell was rotten meat 

But nobody knew it was the men that Jeff would eat.”  

Accurately, Dahmer managed to keep secrets – awful, terrible, no-good, murderous, necrophilia-driven secrets.  The song goes on to say:    

“Jeff strangled and dismembered them 

And saved some parts to eat 

The smell of rotting men 

Got worse in summer heat.”  

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13. Tammy Wynette, “Apartment #9”

Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad // Sony BMG Music Entertainment // 1967

“Just follow the stairway / To this lonely world of mine / You’ll find me waitin’ here / In apartment number 9.” Grammy-winning country music icon Tammy Wynette (1942 – 1998) released a surefire musical gem in 1967. “Apartment #9” is the opening track from her album, Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad. It was written by country musicians Bobby Austin and Johnny Paycheck. Notably, Bobby Austin released the song first preceding Wynette’s version by several months. Billy Sherrill marvelously produced this vintage country record with colorful instrumentation including pedal steel and piano.

Tammy Wynette performs radiantly.  She sings with ease, never forcing things.  Even if it sounds as if she never breaks a sweat, she’s expressive, conveying loneliness vividly.  “Loneliness surrounds me / Without your arms around me,” she sings, continuing, “And the sun will never shine / In apartment number 9.” Despite being down in the dumps after “You walked away from me,” she holds out hope he’ll return (“I keep waiting in this lonely room / Just in case you change your mind”). Country music isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but “Apartment #9” is universally relatable for anyone who’s lost a lover and yearns for them to return.  This oldies transcends musical genres.

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13 Dazzling Songs About the Apartment (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 88rising, Andonov Music, Atlantic, AWAL Recordings Ltd, Bold Cut, Def Jam Recordings, Dreamville, EMPIRE, Encore Recordings, independent, Interscope, Nuclear Blast, OBE, LLC, Polydor, RCA, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Victony; edvaldocostacordeiro, Public Doman Pictures from Pixabay]

 

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the musical hype

the musical hype (Brent Faulkner) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.

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