13 Satisfying Songs That Exude Growth | Playlist 🎧

13 Satisfying Songs That Exude Growth features music courtesy of Ben Platt, Kesha, Lil Durk, Ruel & Thomas Rhett.

GROWTH.  Everybody experiences it, plain and simple.  We don’t stay a baby or a child our entire lives – we grow into adult men and women.  Also, many of us don’t stay the same size either – our bodies grow, often, um, adversely 😬. But, today, we won’t trouble anybody about trying to shed those unwanted pounds – we’re keeping it all about the music, here! So, the 78^th musical compendium of 2022 is… 🎧 13 Satisfying Songs That Exude Growth.

The concept of this playlist is simple. Some form of the word GROW must be featured in the song title.  That means, there could be grow, growth, growing, grown, etc. featured.  🎧 13 Satisfying Songs That Exude Growth features music courtesy of 🎙 Ben Platt, 🎙 Kesha, 🎙 Lil Durk, 🎙 Ruel, and 🎙 Thomas Rhett among others. On this grown-up list, we’ve got alternative, pop, rap, and country music covered.  So, put all those childish things and ways behind you! It’s time to grow up – showcase that growth!

1. Lil Durk, “Grow Up/Keep it On Speaker”

💿 7220 • 🏷 Alamo / Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 2022 

It’s no secret that 🎙 Lil Durk has slowly but steadily ascended as one of rap’s biggest stars.  He’s a hard-nosed, unapologetic rapper, but conveys toughness through a melodic approach, which is captivating.  In 2022, his album, 💿 7220 topped the charts and has remained a force to be reckoned with – woo! The growth-oriented record that earns Durk a spot on this music compendium is two-parter 🎵 “Grow Up/Keep it On Speaker,” the 10^th track on 7220.

“Grow Up”  is the shorter part of this two-part record. In the chorus, Durk raps about the ambition he had. “I wanted to run the streets when I grow up / I wanted to be like Meech when I grow up,” he spits, continuing, “I wanted to be a millionaire when I grow up / I wanted to fuck all the bad hoes when I grow up.” Honestly, it’s on-script for a rapper, keeping it street by all means.  Besides his ambition, Durk gets personal during the verses, referencing his children, his religion (Muslim), and his addiction to lean.  There’s a clear beat switch going into part two, “Keep it On Speaker,” which features two equal-length verses, and a totally different chorus (“Fast car, I can’t steer / I got diamond in my ear / Sometimes I can’t hear”).  The beat, as well as Durk’s flow, are two selling points of “Keep it On Speaker.” Put it all together, and “Grow Up/Keep it On Speaker” is an intriguing record.

2. The Pussycat Dolls, “When I Grow Up”

💿 Doll Domination • 🏷 Pussycat Dolls, LLC • 📅 2008

“When I grow up, I wanna be famous / I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies.” Hell yeah! Back in the day, 🎙 Nicole Scherzinger and 🎙 The Pussycat Dolls had a successful run. While the Dolls never reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, they came close with 🎵 “Don’t Cha” (no. 2).  Their grown-up joint from their 2008 album, 💿 Doll Domination, 🎵 “When I Grow Up,” was no slouch either. “When I Grow Up” peaked at no. 9 on the Hot 100, spending 20 weeks on the chart. 

“…When I grow up, I wanna see the world

Drive nice cars, I wanna have groupies

When I grow up, be on TV

People know me, be on magazines

When I grow up, fresh and clean

Number one chick when I step out on the scene.”

“When I Grow Up” is fun, plain, and simple.  Sure, it’s corny and tongue-in-cheek, but it’s incredibly entertaining. The production is bright, energetic, and slick – perfect fuel for the Doll’s fire.  The minute that 🎛 Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins beat kicks in, you’re ready to move your body!  The lyrics are confident-made-sexy given the delivery by Scherzinger and the backup from the Dolls.  The aspirations for growing up are sweet music to the ears, ala late 00s, all told.  Just “Be careful what you wish for / ‘Cause you just might get it!”

3-4. Ruel, “GROWING UP IS_____” + “Let the Green Grass Grow”

🏷 RCA• 📅 2021 + 2022

It never grows tiring raving over 🎙 Ruel (Ruel Vincent Van Dijk), an incredibly gifted young Australian pop musician.  He has a truly radiant, expressive instrument – his voice is angelic! He’s growing up, believe it or not, officially leaving those teen years in 2022. In his 2021 single, 🎵 “GROWING UP IS_____,” it’s clear that Ruel is no longer a child, but becoming a man.  In the first verse, he apologizes for his ineptitude: “I wasn’t tryin’ to let you down / I was just workin’ my shit out / I’m sorry I didn’t know how much I led you on.” Clearly, he’s dealing with those complicated and complex matters of the heart.

Even beyond potentially reinvigorating a former relationship, during the chorus, Van Dijk reflects on growing up:

“Growin’ up is weird

Sleep with friends, break a heart

Question everything you thought

Split a pill, smoke a dart

Growin’ up is weird

Fall in love for a year

And then I disappear

Wish that you were here.”

Indeed, “GROWING UP IS_____” a lot.  But hey, he does so, so well with the help of producer 🎛 M-Phazes! That’s not the only growth song the talented Australian singer served up.  In 2022, he unleased 🎵 “Let the Green Grass Grow,” which features morbid, though, incredibly poetic lyrics.  Notably, in the first verse, Ruel, proclaims himself as “broken,” and, “an emotionless wreck” who “Make(s) mole hills of mountains,” and believes “There’s gold in this ground…” Mercy! Dramatic and emotional, whether he’s “emotionless” or not, the chorus is particularly beautiful (though still morbid):

“Take the river to the sea

Drown myself so I don’t sink

Find my place there underneath, the hurricane

Break a promise so I can leave

Burn a forest so I can sleep

Lay my headstone, let the grass grow over me.”

5. Alessia Cara, “Growing Pains”

💿 The Pains of Growing • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2018

🏆 Grammy-winning pop artist 🎙 Alessia Cara released her underrated sophomore album, 💿 The Pains of Growing, in Fall 2018.  The Pains of Growing commences with the honest promo single, 🎵 “Growing Pains”.  “Growing Pains” features great production work, comprised of a driving synth, rhythmic, urban-infused drum programming, and lovely harmonized backing vocals. Cara serves up clear, nuanced lead vocals, delivered with great authenticity but never forcing things. Her rhythmic, melodic lines are influenced by hip-hop without being pop-rap. The substance of this stands out as she’s honest about her lot in life, singing about real issues.

“And I’ve always been a go-getter

There’s truth in every word I write

But still, the growing pains, growing pains

They’re keeping me up at night.”

Appears in 🔻:

• GROW: 5ive Songs No. 40 (2020)

6. Thomas Rhett, “Growing Up”

💿 Country Again (Side A) • 🏷 Big Machine • 📅 2021

On 🎵 “Growing Up,” 🏆 Grammy-nominated country musician 🎙 Thomas Rhett reflects on getting older.  Not only do the lyrics reflect this, but Rhett’s approach also artistically reflects it too. The audience hears a more thoughtful, mature approach overall.

On this standout from his 2021 album, 💿 Country Again (Side A), Rhett states, “In a lot of ways, I’m still the kid I was / Just a little less Jack in my cup.”  Country musicians love their alcohol, but it seems that Thomas has discovered the importance of moderation.  He confirms this discovery, and newfound maturity when he asserts, “Yeah, I guess I’m growing up.” It’s worth noting that Rhett has a wife and kids, hence, he’s literally in a different place than he was years ago.

7. Avril Lavigne, “Here’s to Never Growing Up”

💿 Avril Lavigne • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2013

“Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs / With the boombox blaring as we’re falling in love / I got a bottle of whatever, but it’s getting us drunk / Singing here’s to never growing up.” Judging by her 2013 song, 🎵 “Here’s to Never Growing Up,” it seems that Canadian standout 🎙 Avril Lavigne hasn’t grown up any.

If anything, she prolongs carefree youth, amplified with swear words (“We don’t give a fuck / And we’re never gonna change”)! As spirited and unapologetic as “Here’s to Never Growing Up” is, it sadly didn’t give Lavigne a huge hit, sigh.

Appears in 🔻:

• GROW: 5ive Songs No. 40 (2020)

8. Kesha, “Grow a Pear”

💿 Cannibal • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2010 

When 🎙 Kesha first broke out on the scene, it would be safe to call her unapologetic – UNDERSTATEMENT.  You might even characterize her as ‘a lot.’  Her debut album, 💿 Animal, was a big success in the depths of winter, arriving in January 2010.  Her follow-up EP, 💿 Cannibal, arriving the same year, in the fall, was also successful and quite intriguing.  One of the more interesting musical selections is none other than 🎵 “Grow a Pear.” It’s safe to say that Kesha – well – she totally emasculates this dude!

“I signed up for a man / but you are just a bitch.” Wow! I asserted SHE emasculates him, or does she? Maybe her read on him is correct: “You should know / That I love / You a lot / but I just can’t date a dude with a vag’.” She goes on to say, during the chorus, “When you grow a pear, you can call me back.” No, she’s not referring to the tasty fruit found in the produce section of the grocery store but rather, a PAIR of testicles… balls… you get the picture… Give credit to Kesha for being blunt yet at the same time, revisiting this high point from Cannibal, does it fly in the 2020s where there’s so much sensitivity and correctness surrounding gender and sexuality? It’s just food for thought.  That said, I’m sure someone’s getting canceled in today’s age for assertions like, “And no, I don’t want to see your man-gina.” Woo!

9. Ben Platt, “Grow as We Go”

💿 Sing to Me Instead • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2019

“You can ebb and I can flow / And we’ll take it slow / And grow as we go / Grow as we go.” 🎙 Ben Platt blesses the listeners with his radiant tone on 🎵 “Grow as We Go” from his debut album, 💿 Sing to Me Instead; dude can sing his butt off! On “Grow,” he’s accompanied by a relatively simple backdrop for most of the song – acoustic guitars, panned respectively to the right and the left.

That’s really all he needs, as his voice is the focal point.  Besides the core production, there are warm, harmonized backing vocals, and occasional moments where the production grows a bit more robust.  Ultimately, the result is a thoughtfully penned, sincere record.

Appears in 🔻:

• GROW: 5ive Songs No. 40 (2020)

10. Confetti, “When I Grow Up”

🎵 “When I Grow Up” • 🏷 Confetti • 📅 2018 

“I got 99 problems, still no bitches (damn).” Ah, the humor, the truth, and most of all, the gloriousness of being tongue-in-cheek. Pop band 🎙 Confetti keeps things ‘short and sweet’ on their 2018 single, 🎵 “When I Grow Up”.  The song title gives away the basic theme of the song – growing up.

“Maybe I can find some peace of mind

But the older I get, the hard it’s to find.”

Essentially, Confetti touches upon something no one wants to do (“growing up”), at least when they finally reach the ‘adulting’ stage: “Can’t wait for the day, that I feel okay / I just wanna be like the kid I was, when I grow up.” Okay… I think… Anyways, “When I Grow Up” is melodic hip-hop of sorts – pop-rap mixed with traditional vocals.  Oh, those blurred music genre lines! The approach, the sound, and the vibe are all A-OK. Why is “When I Grow Up” successful? It’s relatable and fun! “You say my bad habits are annoyin’ / But I don’t play with toys, so why you toyin’?”

11. NF, “When I Grow Up”

💿 The Search • 🏷 • Capitol • 📅 2019

“Yeah, when I grow up, you know what I wanna be? / Take a seat, let me tell you my ridiculous dreams.” Okay, 🎙 NF, we’re all ears! “I wanna rap, yeah, I know it’s hard to believe / And I can tell you’re already thinkin’ I will never succeed.” Woo! 🎵 “When I Grow Up” appears as the eighth track on 💿 The Search, the fourth studio album by the Christian rapper.  On “When I Grow Up,” NF speaks about his aspirations as a child. He captures the struggle of making his dream a reality, the plight of so many talented musicians.

The chorus in particular is on-point, filled with energy.

“When I grow up, I just want to pay my bills
Rappin’ about the way I feel (Oh, yeah)
I just want to make a couple mil’
Leave it to the fam in the will (Oh, yeah)
I just want to sign a record deal
Maybe buy a house up in the hills (Oh, yeah)
Might not be the best in my field
But I guarantee that I’ma die real
When I grow up.” 

Appears in 🔻:

• GROW: 5ive Songs No. 40 (2020)

12. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Growing Up” (Ft. Ed Sheeran)

💿 This Unruly Mess I’ve Made • 🏷 Macklemore • 📅 2016

💿 This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, the 2016 album by 🎙 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, had a tough act to follow, specifically the duo’s Grammy-winning album, The Heist (2012). One of the best songs from This Unruly Mess I’ve Made is 🎵 “Growing Up,” featuring 🎙 Ed Sheeran. On the touching record, 🎙 Macklemore wishes to be the best father to his daughter (“Cause your momma’s the toughest person I know / I wanna raise you to be like her”).

Ed Sheeran provides a perfect, emotional, soulful assist, particularly as he lets loose towards the end of the chorus.

“I’ll be patient, one more month
You’ll wrap your fingers round my thumb
Times are changing, I know
But who am I if I’m the person you become
If I’m still growing up, still growing up, still growing up.”

Appears in 🔻:

• GROW: 5ive Songs No. 40 (2020)

13. Father John Misty, “So I’m Growing Old on Magic Mountain”

💿 Pure Comedy • 🏷 Sub Pop • 📅 2017

“So the longer I stay here / The longer there’s no future / So I’m growing old on magic mountain…” 🏆 Grammy-winning alternative musician 🎙 Father John Misty (Josh Tillman) delivers a demanding but exceptional album with 💿 Pure Comedy (2017).  Tillman ranks among the most gifted songwriters in modern times, able to blend the serious, the humorous, and the satirical seamlessly.  He works his magic on Pure Comedy, including the lengthy, 10-minute-long penultimate number, 🎵 “So I’m Growing Old on Magic Mountain.”

“As if it’s any time but the present / So for now, every young thing in my path / I’ll hold their face so long inside my hands.” Essentially, “So I’m Growing Old on Magic Mountain” finds Father John Misty desiring to hold onto youth long as possible, evidenced by the lyrical excerpt from the second verse. He knows its impractical, but he’s clinging onto it.  Later, in the third verse, he sings: “These days the years thin till I can’t remember / Just what it feels like to be young forever.”

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Songs Where the Magic is Legit
• Mountain: 3BOPS No. 32 (2021)
• 20 Intriguing Songs About Landforms
• 11 High Flying Songs About Mountains

13 Satisfying Songs That Exude Growth [📷: Alamo, Atlantic, Big Machine, Brent Faulkner, Capitol, Confetti, Def Jam, Macklemore, The Musical Hype, Pussycat Dolls, LLC, RCA, Sony Music Entertainment, Sub Pop, eminumana, George Pak, Joshua Mcknight, Lia Castro, Pavel Danilyuk, Samuel Peter, Siêu Mẫu  Hoàng Hôn, Tam Hoang]