13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2

Reading Time: 15 min read

13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 features music courtesy of Adele, Ethan Bortnick, Kehlani, Megan Thee Stallion, and Omar Apollo.

eating a sandwich

Ah, the fun of creating a playlist with limited criteria – freedom feels so free! Are you as prepared as I (we) am (are) to highlight the letter E? We’re back with another NO RHYME OR REASON playlist, covering the 5th letter of the alphabet.

The main criteria for 🎧 13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 are that the title of the song must begin with the letter ‘E’ OR the word that begins with ‘E’ must be the first word of note. Also, worth noting, 🎧 13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 is the sequel to the 2020 compendium, 🎧 13 E Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason.

good evening 🎧 13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 features music courtesy of 🎙 Adele, 🎙 Ethan Bortnick, 🎙 Kehlani, 🎙 Megan Thee Stallion, and 🎙 Omar Apollo among others. As always, we keep our compendiums eclectic – there’s something or everybody! Let’s grab some ‘phones and a snack and get into these stellar ‘E’ songs selected with NO RHYME OR REASON – Vol. 2!!!

1.Omar Apollo, “Evergreen”

💿 Ivory • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2022

🎵 “Evergreen.” is arguably the crème de la crème of 💿 Ivory, the debut album by 🎙 Omar Apollo. The intro of this soulful, heartbroken record says it all: “He don’t love / Me no more.” Most of Ivory has focused on a relationship that Apollo has been part of with another man and the various ways it’s affected him. “Evergreen” might be the biggest moment, as he can’t get him and apparently, the rejection off his mind. “Evergreen, he controls me / Was there something wrong with my body?” he asks in the first verse.

In the second verse, more light is shed by Apollo: “She don’t know you like me / She could never love you more / More than me.” It’s interesting as Apollo has previously sung about this with 🎵 “Stayback” and 🎵 “Bi Fren” from 💿 Apolonio. Is he potentially singing about the same situation where the guy chose a girl over him? Regardless, this situation has hurt him tremendously: “Evergreen, he tears me to pieces.” Nobody wants to see this incredibly gifted, handsome man in pain, but at the same time, his pain on “Evergreen” is our listening pleasure. Oh, the schadenfreude of it all! Fancy sufficiently tickled!

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2. Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

💿 Bella Donna • 🏷 Modern • 📅 1981

“But the moment / That I first laid / Eyes on him / All alone on the edge of seventeen.” One song comes to mind when you think about 🎙 Stevie Nicks: 🎵 “Edge of Seventeen” – DUH! “Edge of Seventeen” appears on Nicks’ iconic 1981 debut album, 💿 Bella Donna. Ah, those post-Fleetwood Mac days! “Edge of Seventeen” is a vibe start to finish, beginning with its driving, rhythmic guitar and of course, the drum groove. Vocally, Nicks sounds powerful, as a superstar should.

Bitmoji Image Besides the signature groove, I’d argue the chorus is one of the most memorable of all-time. Besides the catchy lyrics, “Edge of Seventeen” has a timeless melody, one I certainly wish I’d penned!

“Just like the white winged dove

Sings a song

Sounds like she’s singin’

Whoo-whoo-whoo.”

Woo, indeed! The song encompasses grief for a deceased uncle and assassinated musician John Lennon, as well as inspiration from friend Tom Petty and his first wife, who essentially named the song. The big takeaway from “Edge of Seventeen” – it’s one of the greatest songs of all time. Notably, it’s been sampled numerous times.

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3. Ethan Bortnick, “Engravings”

🎵 “Engravings” • 🏷 Ethan Bortnick / Columbia • 📅 2022

“Eyes, blood, bones / Stuck in your rainbow clothes…” Okay, please continue, 🎙 Ethan Bortnick… I think… “Rest my case / If it’s not rearranged.” Umm, wow – that’s dark, mysterious, and utterly intriguing! Honestly, Bortnick, a child prodigy blessed with exceptional piano skills and perfect pitch is utterly intriguing! His 2022 single, 🎵 “Engravings”, likewise, is special – truly captivating and fitting for such a talent as Bortnick.

star eyes There is plenty to go gaga about in “Engravings.” First and foremost, the musicianship is as good as advertised. Ethan is a beast at the keys – check out killer, agile, scaler piano lines. Furthermore, the sound and production are both fresh and throwback, given the classical music sensibilities from those piano lines. Not to focus only on the piano, but what about those clusters Bortnick throws in? Awesome! Further amplifying Bortnick’s musicianship are compelling pipes – the prodigy sings quite well. His tone on “Engravings” is cool because it gives it an air of enigma. Beyond the instrumental and vocals, the songwriting is compelling too. “Engravings” features dark, poetic lyrics, which blend seamlessly with the colorful, mysterious backdrop. “Not one bite / Stomach knots from our fight,” he sings in the second verse, continuing, “Can’t do shit / The puzzle pieces don’t fit.” Yeah, you guessed it – one shit earned Bortnick parental advisory street cred, ha-ha. Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, where those engravings come into play:

“All the pain is underneath, I’m listenin’

To everything, please tell me everything

I’ll put my hand up on your chest

So you forget your engravings.”

Ooh, wee, Ethan! There is plenty to heart about Ethan Bortnick. He’s already gone places prior to 🎵 “Engravings”. I think it’s safe to say that as he grows into adulthood, he’s going even more places.

4. Adele, “Easy on Me”

💿 30 • 🏷 Melted Stone / Columbia • 📅 2021

“I know there is hope in these waters / But I can’t bring myself to swim / When I am drowning in this silence / Baby, let me in.” Woo – that hits deep! 🎙 Adele returned formidably on 🎵 “Easy on Me”, a personal promo single from her superb fourth studio album, 💿 30. The 🏆 Grammy winner’s voice is the biggest selling point of “Easy on Me,” which she wrote with 🎼✍ Greg Kurstin. Kurstin, a mastermind when it comes to the boards, does work on the production end of things too. That said, “Easy on Me” is primarily a piano ballad, though we add a robust bass line and some light drum programming (nothing too crazy).

Bitmoji Image With soaring vocals, sound production, and a tuneful melody, the last box to be checked off is songwriting. “Easy on Me” is the perfect song that allows Adele to get personal. Divorce seems to be the primary culprit of the singer’s petition for ‘ease,’ though she also asserts, “I was still a child / I didn’t get the chance to / Feel the world around me.” That seems to open the door to a variety of things that have affected her in her life. The return of Adele = sheer brilliance!

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5. Travis Scott, “Escape Plan”

🎵 “Escape Plan” • 🏷 Epic • 🗓 2021

“Twelve-figure estate plan, that was the escape plan.” Woo! 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Travis Scott dropped that ether on 🎵 “Escape Plan”! The rapper’s music, of course, has become secondary to immense tragedy. Here, we focus merely on the music.

“Prolly soaking up her panties, nasty when she off the – / Bust a move, I’m Marco Angie, I just went and bought a planet.” Scott keeps things short though ultimately sweet. “Escape Plan” runs just two-and-a-half-minutes long but that’s sufficient. Starting with the production (🎛 OZ and 🎛 Nik D), “Escape Plan” features a slick trap beat, moody synths, and is set in a minor key. The sound is a menacing vibe, playing to Scott’s strengths. He delivers his typical, agile, confident, and relatively easy-going flow (“That WAP need draining, just have it if you singing, okay”). Expectedly, we hear the “it’s lit!” ad-lib. The crowning achievement, of course, is the melodic, rhythmic chorus:

“Twelve-figure estate plan, that was the escape plan

But hate investigatin’, that shit was a waste, man

But wait, I stopped the facin’ ‘cause shit just started erasin’

But wait, it opened gates and this shit just started paradin’, olé (let’s go).”

Travis Scott doesn’t change the world with “Escape Plan,” but musters up a solid banger.

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6. Megan Thee Stallion, “Eat It”

💿 Something for Thee Hotties • 🏷 1501 Certified Ent. LLC / 300 Entertainment • 🗓 2021

“Bitch, it’s Young Tina Snow, the nastiest freak you know!” 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper 🎙 Megan Thee Stallion keeps it real on banger, 🎵 “Eat It” (💿 Something for Thee Hotties, 2021). Face it – Tina Snow doesn’t know anything other than being unapologetic. On “Eat It,” her flows are agile, edgy, and profane to the nth degree – sexed-TF-up!

eat me From the jump, we get a heaping dose of private parts and WAYYY TOO MUCH INFORMATION! “Bust through the walls, break-in and enter / How many licks ‘til you get to the center?” she asks, continuing, “How many times have I heard that a nigga a dog but scared when he play with the kitten? / How many times have I heard that somebody last long? These niggas ain’t lastin’ a minute.” Wow! A lack of profundity when it comes to sex! Megan makes it clear, “I don’t want just one nut / Daddy, I’ma need the whole tree.” Day-ummm! In the second verse, Megan doesn’t cease her unapologetic nature, but she does move beyond sex for sex’s sake. “And I feel like, aw, shit, y’all should eat my pussy how much y’all mention me.” See what I’m saying! That said, on the chorus, it’s all about cunnilingus!

“Yeah, yeah

Eat it, eat it, eat it ‘til I faint

… Eat it, eat it ‘til you break a sweat

Lick it all, give your all ‘til you outta breath

Eat it, eat it, eat it ‘til I cum

Gimme some, gimme some ‘til I’m goin’ dumb.”

JESUS – well – he has no part in this carnal act! “Legs on the headboard, pussy in his mouth.” 😬😮Nasty, unapologetic, totally-not-family-friendly Megan Thee Stallion? We wouldn’t have it any other way – we’re “Eat It” up!

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7. Machine Gun Kelly & WILLOW, “emo girl”

💿 mainstream sellout • 🏷 Bad Boy / Interscope • 📅 2022

“I feel in love with an emo girl / All I want is an emo girl.” 🎵 “emo girl” featuring 🎙 WILLOW marks one of the better moments of 💿 mainstream sellout, the 2022 pop-punk album by 🎙 Machine Gun Kelly (whether that’s saying much or not). Like much of mainstream sellout, the title is predictable, and honestly, after listening to it, so are the lyrics. Basically, this emo girl, well, she’s cliché AF!

The verses, specifically, play up those emo cliches. Give Machine Gun Kelly credit for “She is a monster in disguise / And she knows all the words to the trap songs.” Still, at 31, isn’t he a bit too old to be singing about wanting an emo girl? WILLOW’s role is the most interesting, thanks to being younger and freely crushing on this girl. Her verse is also more fun:

“Choke-choke-choker on her neck

Kiss me, holy fuck, I’m bleeding on your blink tee

So, so, so many regrets

You tell me you’re depressed, baby girl, that makes two of us.”

Still, it’s all about emo clichés which isn’t particularly a brand-new or fresh topic. Take “emo girl” for what it is, I guess.

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Girl/Girls: 5ive Songs No. 26 (2022)

8. Kehlani, “everything”

💿 blue water road • 🏷 TSNMI / Atlantic • 📅 2022

🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Kehlani has been firmly planted in the LGBTQ+ community for a while. Her membership is not news, and she’s incorporated queer elements into her music many times. However, the formerly bisexual artist informed us she’s a lesbian in 2021. Knowing her sexuality brings more perspective to one of the brightest spots on her under-appreciated 2022 album, 💿 blue water road, 🎵 “Everything”.

“Everything” truly is everything, 🎙 Lauryn Hill – I mean, Kehlani! Kehlani sings beautifully, expressively, and most of all, authentically. Listening to the record, you don’t feel like she is holding back – she’s giving her true feelings and best performance. The chorus, of course, is the centerpiece:

“’Cause, baby, it’s the everything for me

For me, yeah, for me

Baby, it’s the everything for me

For me, yeah, oh, for me

‘Cause, baby, it’s the everything, no tryin’

You be shinin’, my silver linin’

‘Cause, baby, it’s the everything for me

For me, yeah, oh, for me.”

Safe to say, Kehlani is vibing with this woman. If you need further evidence, just check out the verses, where she compliments her. The second verse, in particular, confirms these ‘everything’ feels. All told, this is a terrific R&B song and, a great addition to the LGBTQ+ catalog. Also, shout out 🎛 Pop Wansel and 🎛 Happy Perez for the chill, radiant production work.

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Kehlani, “everything”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 24 (2022)

9. DJ Khaled, “Every Chance I Get” (Ft. Lil Baby & Lil Durk)

💿 KHALED KHALED • 🏷 We The Best / Epic • 🗓 2021

“She don’t got a mortgage, moved in with her niece / These niggas be cappin’, them cars be leased.” Following a thankful opener (🎵 “Thankful”) on his 2021 album, 💿 KHALED KHALED, 🏆 Grammy-winner 🎙 DJ Khaled unveils a menacing, trap banger. On 🎵 “Every Chance I Get,” he enlists two of the biggest rappers at the time: 🎙 Lil Baby and 🎙 Lil Durk. 🎛 Tay Keith is responsible for the production, which both rappers murder – WOO!

“I’ma turn up on a hater every chance that I get

I want the biggest watch that they got, don’t care if that shit hurt my wrist

All these hoes fuck on us all, I wish I would claim that bitch

They get hard when they get guns, we got a hood full of sticks.”

Lil Baby in particular shines with his distinct tone and gets the best part of the song, the chorus. Durk is no slouch either, providing solid contrast to Lil Baby on the third and final verse (“I got the city on lock, uh, fuckin’ up all the opps / I be around with three million dollars in jewelry, I’m standin’ on all the blocks.” #WETHEBEST!

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10. Summer Walker & JT, “Ex for a Reason”

💿 Still Over It • 🏷 LVRN / Interscope • 📅 2021

“Don’t fight over a nigga that got his attention all over the place…. I hope you learn from my mistakes.” Woo! 🎙 Summer Walker spits the truth via tweet regarding 🎵 “Ex for a Reason,” the promo single from her no. 1 debuting sophomore album, 💿 Still Over It. On “Ex for a Reason,” Walker taps 🎙 JT of 🎙 City Girls for the assist.

https://twitter.com/IAMSUMMERWALKER/status/1448861313288056873

“The bitch your ex (Your ex), for a reason though (Reason though)

Try me, trespass

Guaranteed to beat your ass

The bitch your ex (Your ex), for a reason though (Reason though)

It’s too much for her heart to take

I give no fucks ‘bout what she gotta say (No, woah).”

oh hell naw Clearly, Summer Walker is ‘over it!’ She cusses like a sailor on the first verse, clearly irritated. “Fuck a bitch on? Stress is always the mindset I’m in (I’m in) / But a ex game is not the game I’m tryna play at all.” JT is even more hard-nosed on the second verse, commencing with the fiery “That bitch in the ditch for a reason though / She was singin’ on his dick with them easy notes.” Day-um! She remains unapologetic throughout, threatening at the conclusion of the colorful verse, “‘Cause a real bitch’ll pull up with the click-clack.” Holy shit! If it’s not clear, neither Summer or JT are about some BS. They spit the truth on this 🎛 Buddah Bless / 🎛 Sean Garrett / 🎛 Boobie produced joint.

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11. Olivia Rodrigo, “Enough for you”

💿 SOUR • 🏷 Geffen • 🗓 2021

The first six songs on 💿 SOUR are all strong. Following up one of the very best songs, 🎵 “good 4 u”, is quite a tall task. No worries, though! 🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Olivia Rodrigo is up to the task on another compelling ballad, 🎵 “enough for you.”

On “enough for you,” Rodrigo provides a mix of tenderer vocals and more belted, powered vocals that capture her mood. The topic of choice – drum roll, please – matters of the heart! Rodrigo speaks of her inability to be enough for him. However, she asserts on the bridge, “Someday I’ll be everything to somebody else / And they’ll think that I am so exciting.” Woo!

12. Elton John, “Elton’s Song”

💿 The Fox • 🏷 Mercury • 🗓 1981

🎙 Elton John has no shortage of hits – he’s a legend. Furthermore, he ranks high on the list of gay icons. That said, while John is a proud LGBTQ+ musician, much of his music isn’t dominated by sexuality. In today’s age, LGBTQ+ musicians are freer to express their sexuality – it’s more common to hear about boy-on-boy or girl-on-girl love. In John’s heyday, that wasn’t the case. Still, the legend has had his fair share of moments, including the marvelous 🎵 “Elton’s Song” from his 1981 album, 💿 The Fox.

The Fox isn’t the first Elton John album that comes to mind – UNDERSTATEMENT. Furthermore, with an abundance of hits, “Elton’s Song” is one that easily gets lost in the shuffle. It shouldn’t, of course. “Elton’s Song’ was co-written with 🎼✍ Tom Robinson (known for 🎵 “Glad to Be Gay”). Robinson, like John, is gay and wrote some incredible lyrics. Those lyrics, of course, reflect same-sex attraction – queer love – something misunderstood back then and still irks folks even in the 2020s. “They say it isn’t real but I know how I feel and I love you,” John sings at the end of the second verse. No, the pronouns aren’t explicit, but Elton has confirmed it’s gay, and honestly, it sounds gay.

The chorus is my favorite section of the song. It also sheds light about this ‘queer’ teenage crush that is misunderstood but the protagonist feels passionately:

“If you only knew what I’m going through

Time and again I get ashamed to say your name

It’s hard to grin and bear when you’re standing there

My lips are dry, I catch your eye and look away.”

The thing is you don’t have to be gay to relate to those lyrics – they’re applicable to many situations. The lyric that really hits hard appears at the end of this stunning, underrated piano ballad (with some marvelous instrumental pizazz via orchestra): “But I would give my life for a single night beside you. 🎵 “Elton’s Song” = masterpiece. Sadly, it doesn’t get the same love the beloved classics in his catalog, but it should. He sings beautifully, with incredible authenticity and sincerity.

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13. Brian McKnight, “Every Time You Go Away”

💿 Gemini • 🏷 Motown • 📅 2005

“Every time that I’m with you girl / Can’t believe you share my world / But it’s real,” 🎙 Brian McKnight proclaims in 🎵 “Every Time You Go Away”. “Every Time You Go Away” is a gem from McKnight’s 2005 album, 💿 Gemini, among his last to make some noise commercially. On this ultra-smooth, grown-folks R&B ballad, McKnight expresses his dedication to her and doesn’t care what anybody else says: “See, I don’t give a damn / What my homies say / Don’t matter anyway / See I never felt this way before / You leave a brother wanting more.” Woo!

love you so much Of course, the centerpiece in “Every Time You Go Away” is the chorus which is magnificent. McKnight sings expressively:

“I hate to see you go even though

I know when you’re coming back

It’s hard to breathe without you girl

And baby that’s a fact

I know sometimes you have to leave

But I wish that you could stay

Every time you go away.”

Wow, he’s infatuated with her! On the bridge, he goes on to express his feels, calling her “the sunshine of my day” and acknowledging, “You take a piece of me with you.” The best moment of the record are the closing iterations of the chorus, intact with soulful ad-libs by Brian. No reason to shy away from this gem!

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13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 [📷: 300 Entertainment, 1501 Certified Ent. LLC, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Brent Faulkner, Columbia, Epic, Ethan Bortnick, Geffen, Interscope, LVRN, Melted Stone, Mercury, Modern, Motown, The Musical Hype, TNSMI, Warner, We The Best, bal raj, Dan Senior, dusan jovic, Matthew Montrone, Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke, Pexels, Pixabay, Rachel Claire, RODNAE Productions, Sam Kolder, Unsplash, Vinicius Altava]

13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on July 15, 2022July 15, 2022