13 Gripping Wants and or Needs Songs | Playlist 🎧

1. Drake, “Wants and Needs” (Ft. Lil Baby)

💿 Scary Hours 2 • 🏷 OVO • 📅 2021

On his single/EP 💿 Scary Hours 2, 🎙 Drake follows his electrifying opener, 🎵 “What’s Next?” with another banger, 🎵 “Wants and Needs.” Drake enlists the services of one of the hottest rappers of the 2020s, 🎙 Lil Baby. Expectedly, there’s definitely F-I-R-E. Even before Lil Baby blesses us with his distinct tone and intriguing flow on the second verse (“I’m not a GOAT, but I fit the description / I like to pour, so I get prescription”), Drizzy continues to impress, bringing more toughness to the table.

Drake isn’t as mellow as he’s been in the past, a welcome contrast.  He closes out his verse with the bullet, “Yeah, I should probably go link with Yeezy, I need some Jesus / But soon as I started confessin’ my sins, he wouldn’t believe us.” Woo! The production provides a nice lift courtesy of 🎛 Cardo, 🎛 Dez Wright, and 🎛 Noah “40” Shebib.

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2. Ariana Grande, “Needy”

💿 thank u, next • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2019

“And I can be needy, way too damn needy / I can be needy, tell me how good it feels to be needed.” 🎵 “Needy” appears as the second track on the 🎙 Ariana Grande masterpiece, 💿 thank u, next.  The record definitely keeps the under-appreciated album (*cough* by the 🏆 Grammys *cough*) on an upward trajectory.  The brief “Needy” is incredibly well-produced (🎛 Tommy Brown), characterized by inescapable lushness.  This lushness is created by the keyboard loop, pad, and rich, robust harmonized vocals.

“I can be needy, so hard to please me
I know it feels so good to be needed.”

As always, Ariana Grande sings incredibly well, truly making the melody sound gorgeous. Also, worth noting, 🎼✍ Victoria Monét serves as a co-writer 💪. #SLAY

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3. Omar Apollo, “Want U Around” (Ft. Ruel)

💿 Apolonio • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2020

“Baby, I want you around / And, baby, I want you around.” On 🎵 “Want U Around”, the third track from 💿 Apolonio, 🎙 Omar Apollo collaborates with Australian standout 🎙 Ruel. The results are absolutely amazing.  Both artists wrote the song with Apollo serving as producer.  Omar handles the majority of the song, the absolute boss that he is. That said, Ruel joins him on select moments (including the chorus), bringing his utterly distinct, expressive pipes in all their glory.

Following two verses by Omar, Ruel also gets his own verse, showcasing soulfulness transcendent of his age (he’s 18 as of the publication date).

“Baby, I need you to notice me (Oh, oh)
See your name on my phone ‘fore I go to sleep (Oh, oh)”

Adding to the excellence is the sound of this record – it’s definitely a vibe.

4. Jon Batiste, “I Need You”

💿 We Are • 🏷 Verve • 📅 2021

After 🎙 Jon Baptiste delivers a formidable opening trio on his 2021 album 💿 We Are, he keeps bringing the heat on 🎵 “I Need You.” “I Need You” easily ranks among the most fun songs to grace the album. It’s a blend of classic and novel with a heaping dose of infectious.

Baptiste captivates us not only with his prestigious musicianship but also ample personality.  Not everyone could pull this record off. Jon is not just anybody though – he’s special.  The chorus = incredible!

“We done a lot of living
We working overtime
Don’t need another million
You got that gold mine
I love the way you’re livin’ (Hey)
‘Cause you’re so genuine (Genuine)
You got that something special
Didn’t you know?
I just need you, you, you.”

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5. Billie Eilish, “everything I wanted”

🎵 “everything I wanted” • 🏷 Darkroom / Interscope • 📅 2019

“I had a dream / I got everything I wanted / But when I wake up, I see / You with me.” You know, they say that the rich get richer.  That seems to be the case with 🏆 Grammy-winning alternative pop artist 🎙 Billie Eilish, who came through big at the 2020 Grammys with 💿 WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?.  Once again, Eilish is nominated for more Grammys, thanks to her post-album single, 🎵 “everything I wanted.” Once more, Eilish enlists the services of her bro, 🎛️ FINNEAS, working those boards. As always, Finneas provides his sister with some musical magic.

“If I could change the way that you see yourself
You wouldn’t wonder why you hear
‘They don’t deserve you’.”

Billie Eilish is not a flashy singer – understatement.  Once again, she delivers a calm, cool, and collected vocal performance on “everything I wanted.” Even so, the listener leans on every word and every note that Eilish sings – she’s quite hypnotic, sucking you in.  Adding to her own hypnotic approach, Finneas’ production yields a similar effect – well put together, yet much more subtle as opposed to overt.  The end result is a gorgeous record that honestly provides just about “everything you’d want.”

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6. Ekelle, “I Need That”

🎵 “I Need That” • 🏷 Motive Music Canada • 🗓 2021

According to versatile artist 🎙 Ekelle, 🎵 “I Need That”, the song at hand, “was written as a reminder that you’re that bitch, no matter what.” Right on! Anyways, the confident, electrifying Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter definitely brings mad attitude, mad energy, and ample heat to the sleek single at hand.  Can we go on and characterize “I Need That” as #SLAY???

“No more lockdown make it hot now / Better do the damn thing when I drop now.” Woo! From the start of “I Need That,” it’s S-I-C-K-E-N-I-N-G! As Ekelle says regarding the conception of the record, “We’re all going a little stir-crazy now a year into the pandemic, but this is a track to help pull you out of a rut if you’re not feeling so sexy.” True to her word, she brings a heaping dose of sexiness (and sex itself).

“Give her what she really want
Cumming in her nightgown
Harden when I hit the shot
Never seen a rebound.”

The clever, sensual lyrics don’t stop there whether its “Wrestling around till we’re soaking wet / Let’s have a night that you won’t forget” (Ooh-la-la) or “Fuck what they all say hot like I’m flambé.” Throw in a catchy, infectious chorus and fine production work, and ladies and gentlemen, we have a certified B-O-P! THIS RIGHT HERE, is a necessity!

7. Eamon, “Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back)”

💿 I Don’t Want You Back • 🏷 Zomba • 📅 2004

“You played me; you even gave him head.” #TMI. It’s safe to say that R&B singer 🎙 Eamon was a one-hit wonder.  Can’t be stated enough. What’s surprising is the song that ended up being a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: 🎵 “Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back).” Six years before 🎙 CeeLo Green changed the game with 🎵 “Fuck You”, music was even less explicit, so the success of a raunchy joint like “Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back)” was a total fucking shocker (oops 🤭).

“Fuck what I said, it don’t mean shit now / Fuck the presents, might as well throw ‘em out / Fuck all those kisses, they didn’t mean jack / Fuck you, you ho, I don’t want you back.” Eamon says fuck so much it makes any and everybody who hears want to say fuck… maybe… maybe not… One thing’s for sure, he makes it pretty ‘fucking’ clear that he doesn’t want her back. “Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back)” shined in 2004, making the f-bomb, well, prominent in mainstream music.

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8. Taylor Swift, “You Need to Calm Down”

💿 Lover • 🏷 Taylor Swift • 📅 2019

There are plenty of positives regarding 🎵 “You Need to Calm Down”, a single from the 2019 🎙 Taylor Swift album, 💿 Lover. Such positives include the sound, vibe, and a hella catchy chorus.  Adding to the allure of the chorus is the use of vocal layering. Where things get hairy is the execution of the intended message. Swift attempts to create an anthem encompassing love and respect for the LGBTQ+ community – admirable. During the second verse, she references to GLAAD, as well as a key lyric, “Sunshine on the street at the parade / But you would rather be in the dark ages / Makin’ that sign must’ve taken all night.” The problem is timing.  Why did Swift just become a straight ally?

Naturally, the reaction to Swift’s purported support for the LGBTQ+ community has drawn criticism. Christina Cauterucci (Slate) calls “You Need to Calm Down” “… A Teachable Moment About How Not to Be an Ally”.  Ouch! Of ‘queer-baiting’, Amelia Abraham (The Guardian) asserts it “leaves [her] cold”. Specifically, referencing the video for “You Need to Calm Down,” she writes:

“We jest, but the video for ‘You Need to Calm Down’ is not very funny, despite being intended as a campy celebration of queer culture. If singing ‘shade never made anybody less gay’ was meant to be Swift’s idea of allyship, the bad execution and cynical timing with Pride month make this video feel more like empty virtue signaling…”

Glamour and The Atlantic also had criticism regarding “You Need to Calm Down” as well.  I’dd like to believe Swift had the best of intentions, even if this record ultimately opened a giant can of worms and missed on its opportunity towards straight ally-ship.

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9. Juice WRLD, “I Want It”

💿 Legends Never Die • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2020

“Fuck on a private jet, ain’t nowhere safe now / Baby, hold me down and stay down,” 🎙 Juice WRLD raps melodically on 🎵 “I Want It.” Juice, of course, tragically passed away in December 2019 just days after his 21st birthday.  His demise came at the hands of one of his demons, drugs.  Despite his death, his music continues to live on. He continues rapping on this number from his posthumous album, 💿 Legends Never Die: “Goin’ in raw, want you to feel me, I’m not playin’ around / Your heart is my safe house.”

As the “I” title suggests, Juice WRLD ‘wants it’ – he desires it! “Baby girl, don’t run from me, don’t run, I want it.” That’s about the size of it.  He likens drugs and infatuation.

“I know you don’t trust me
I’m sedated, baby, baby, did you drug me?”

He asks this question on the pre-chorus that precedes the aforementioned chorus where he makes it crystal clear, he ‘wants it.’

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• 15 Songs Where Want, or Lack Thereof, is Real
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10. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Dark Necessities”

💿 The Getaway • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2016

The funky 🎵 “Dark Necessities” is the crowning achievement of 💿 The Getaway, the 2016 studio album by 🎙 Red Hot Chili Peppers’. From an initial listen, the magic of the record is crystal clear, finding RHCP on autopilot. The funk is real, led by 🎙 Flea’s masterful bass playing.  Additionally, a sick groove anchors “Dark Necessities” down.  There are also sublime jazzy harmonies captured by the piano 🎹! Front man 🎙 Anthony Kiedis is at his best.

The geniuses point out references to Kiedis overcoming drug addiction.  This is logical, given the lyrical content – “Tell the world that I’m / Falling from the sky / Dark necessities are part of my design” – and the accompanying music video.

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11. Post Malone, “Take What You Want” (Ft. Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott)

💿 Hollywood’s Bleeding • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2019

💿 Hollywood’s Bleeding – certainly a dramatic album title by 🏆 Grammy nominated artist, 🎙 Post Malone to say the least. Post amplifies the pop more pronouncedly on Hollywood’s Bleeding compared to his debut, 💿 Stoney, or sophomore LP, 💿 Beerbongs & Bentleys.  One of the best songs from Hollywood’s Bleeding is 🎵 “Take What You Want.”

“I feel you crumble in my arms down to your heart of stone / You bled me dry just like the tears you never show / Why don’t you take what you want from me?” “Take What You Want” pairs Post Malone with 🎙 Ozzy Osbourne (!) and 🎙 Travis Scott.  Can you say vibes?  Ozzy Osbourne sounds particularly awesome here, singing the aforementioned chorus at the beginning and following Travis Scott’s verse (verse two).  Of course, Post sings the first verse and his own version of the incredibly catchy chorus following his verse.  Easily among the crème de la crème of Hollywood’s Bleeding, it’s a pretty rad song outside of the album too!

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12. GIVĒON, “Like I Want You”

💿 When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2021

“See you face to face, I’m thinking ‘bout the days we used to be / But I can’t make a scene, but I can’t make it seem / Like I want you.” 🏆 Grammy nominated R&B artist 🎙 GIVĒON (Giveon Evans) gets into the WANTS portion of 🎧 13 GRIPPING WANTS AND OR NEEDS SONGS with the soulful slow jam, 🎵 “Like I Want You.”  Matters of the heart drive this sleek-sounding joint, produced by a team comprised of 🎛 Jahaan Sweet, Sevn Thomas, River Tiber, and Los Hendrix.

The compound-duple slow jam is a classic example of desiring your ex. He wants to be cool about this thing but in all honesty, he’s absolutely smitten.  A prime example? That ripe, expressive, and longing falsetto on the chorus.  Of course, more explicit examples include “A table set for two / You got me waitin’ but you ain’t comin’ through” from the second verse.  Admittedly, GIVĒON has his doubts about the success of reconciliation, but he definitely WANTS it, per the bridge.

“There’s no reason to believe I’ll save us now
But if you really love me, say it now
Why is it so hard to figure out?
I need you every day, believe me when I say it.” 

13. Lady A, “Need You Now”

💿 Need You Now • 🏷 Capitol Nashville • 📅 2010

“It’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk and I need you now / Said I wouldn’t call, but I lost all control, and I need you now,” 🏆 Grammy-winning country group 🎙 Lady A sings on the catchy, incredibly memorable chorus of 🎵 “Need You Now.” “Need You Now” was their biggest hit from the biggest album of their career, also titled 💿 Need You Now (2010).  The glorious chorus continues: “And I don’t know how I can do without / I just need you now.”

The well written record was easily among the best crossover cuts of the 2010 – yeah, it’s been more than a decade! It features superb production work (restrained piano and soft guitars) and straddles country and pop. 🎙 Hillary Scott serves up lovely vocals during the first verse. There’s awesome chemistry between her and 🎙 Charles Kelley.  Kelley, like Scott before him, shines on the second verse. 🎙 Dave Haywood also gets into the action with a grand guitar solo.  Definitely the ballad everyone needed in 2010 and could still enhance any playlist today!

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