13 Songs Filled with Play & Fun features some truly awesome music courtesy of Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Joji, KYLE, and Poppy among others.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Definitely – truer words have never been spoken!  No worries, because all of the work invested into this colorful playlist – 13 Songs Filled with Play & Fun – is worth the totally entertaining, fun ends.  Yep, this compilation is ‘steeped’ in hearty dosages of play and fun.  That said, both words can be used in a variety of contexts, something that is clearly expressed on this playlist.  Regardless if the ‘fun’ is always explicitly ‘fun’ or not, there’s some awesome music courtesy of Arctic Monkeys (“She Looks Like Fun”), Coldplay featuring Tove Lo (“Fun”), Joji (“No Fun”), KYLE featuring Kehlani (“Playinwitme”), and Poppy featuring Grimes (“Play Destroy”). Without further ado, let’s have some freakin’ fun peeps!

1.KYLE, “Playinwitme”

Ft. Kehlani

Light of Mine » Atlantic » 2018

Light of Mine, the official debut album by hella likable Cali rapper KYLE, is chocked full of goodness.  That said, arguably nothing is better than “Playinwitme” featuring Kehlani. From the start, “Playinwitme” has hit written all over it.  Set in a major key, the record bursts with optimism and fittingly, playfulness.  KYLE dominates the majority of this record, beginning with a catchy, melodic chorus, accompanied by piano.

“Girl, why are you playin’ with me?

Girl, who are you playin’ with?
You’ve been on that new stuff
I’ve been on the same shit
Girl, why are you playin’ with me?
I don’t got the time for that
Might need me a refund, ha-ha
I’ma need that time back.”

The melodic, pop-rap continues on his first verse, where he’s clearly on autopilot.  On the second verse, Kehlani arrives in all her glory.  Picking up where the rapper left off, she impresses with her pipes, delivering her own set of memorable lyrics. The two eventually join forces on the brief bridge, and the final chorus.

2. Joji, “No Fun”

BALLADS 1 » 88rising / 12Tone Music » 2018

“Fuck my friends, they’re gone / They all left one by one.” That’s not very nice! “No Fun” is among the groovier, more memorable records from BALLADS 1, the full-length debut studio album from alternative R&B artist Joji.  In the context of BALLADS 1, “No Fun” arrives in the nick of time, providing the spark that the album needed. While Joji is the ultimate pessimist here, his pain is the listener’s pleasure. The production is bright, the tempo is moderately quick, and the vocals are among the most assertive of the LP. 

“And I keep to myself
Fuck with no one else
And I know it’s my fault
But I don’t care
And I keep to myself
Who are you to pretend?
And I know it’s my fault
It’ll never end
Yeah, all my friends no fun…”

3. Jessie J, “Play”

R.O.S.E. (Sex) » Republic » 2018

Though she’s never received the credit she’s deserved, Jessie J has a superb voice, and plenty to offer artistically. In 2018, she released four EPs a day apart, ultimately creating an album in four parts, R.O.S.E.. The song at hand, “Play,” closes out the third EP of the bunch, R.O.S.E. (Sex).  Fittingly, Sex is concluded sexually – what did you expect? More than that, Jessie J is fueled by a classic, easily recognizable Cheryl Lynn sample, “Got to Be Real”. Yes, the original by Lynn is the standard, but Jessie does ‘work’ for sure, involving “show and tell.” It’s shallow, but this lustful, carefree joint is simply too good to resist.  Nothing wrong with capping things off with a ‘bang,’ right? Jessie just wants to play!

“Wanna play with you, wanna play with you
Wanna play with you, you, you
Whoa, show and tell
Wanna play with you
Whoa, show and tell
Wanna play with you.”

4. Arctic Monkeys, “She Looks Like Fun”

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino • Domino • 2018 

“Smile like you’ve got a straw in something tropical / I’ve got the party plugged right into my skull / Wayne Manor, what a memorable NYE.” K… Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino highlight “She Looks Like Fun” sounds suspect from the start. The titular lyric sounds like sexual innuendo, even if Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner isn’t saying anything particular sexual.  That’s part of the modus operandi, clearly, as the band makes a statement about the ills of social networking and the judgmental nature and insensitivity of some people.  On the second verse, Turner delivers the biting lyric, “There’s no limit to the length of the dickheads we can be.”

There’s also a colorful bridge:

“No one’s on the streets
We move it all online as of March
I’m so full of shite
I need to spend less time stood around in bars
Waffling on to strangers all about martial arts…”

5. Poppy, “Play Destroy”

Ft. Grimes

Am I a Girl? » I’m Poppy / Mad Decent » 2018

“This is how we play / This is how we play destroy (play destroy) / Gonna cut your face / And break your favorite toy / Drop the match in the gas tank / Blow up your neighbor’s pool / Oh, boy / I love to play destroy.” Hmm, destruction is on the mind of Poppy, who is assisted by Grimes on “Play Destroy” – what a lethal combination, right?

Throughout the course of the quirky, guitar-heavy penultimate record from Am I a Girl?, Poppy and Grimes also manage to “Manipulate the girls / Indoctrinate the boys / Burn down the local Wal-Mart.”  At least destruction is pretty sweet… within the context of the song of course…

6. Vince Staples, “FUN!”

Ft. E-40

FM! » Def Jam » 2018

“One time, circling the block / Lil buddy got murdered on a flock / Two times, you know how we rock / You know how we knocked on, you know who got socked.” Vince Staples doesn’t play around when it comes to rapping – the man knows how to drop some serious bars.  As expected, on “FUN!,” a highlight from his 2018 album, FM!, he came prepared to spit, assisted by Bay Area vet, E-40.

Following the aforementioned excerpt from his verse, Staples adds:

“Made an uh-oh letting Vince in the door
Gave a little money to me, now I want more
Don’t be lookin’ funny when we come up in the store
My black is beautiful, but I’ll shoot at you, dawg…”

While “FUN!” is definitely an ‘entertaining’ listen, isn’t quite as fun as the ‘word itself’ would suggest.  Why? Well, the title is actually an acronym – “fuck up nothin’.”  That makes sense given the real talk that Staples drops over the unique, minimalist production work, not to mention the explicitly satisfying chorus.

“We just wanna have fun
We don’t wanna fuck up nothin’
We don’t wanna fuck up nothin’
Fun, we don’t wanna fuck up nothin’.”

7. Pusha T, “The Games We Play”

DAYTONA » GOOD / Def Jam » 2018

“The Games We Play” has the arduous task of following up “If You Know You Know,” arguably the crowning achievement of Pusha T’s 2018 LP, DAYTONA.  “The Games We Play” follows up with soulful, old-school, minor-key production by Kanye West and Andrew Dawson.  A notable feature is the horns, which only fuel the fire of Pusha T.

Beginning once more with an intro, T proceeds to ‘dig right in.’ “This ain’t a wave or phase, ‘cause all that shit fades,” he asserts on the first verse.  Poetically, he later goes on to say, “This is for my bodybuilding clients moving weight / Just add water, stir it like a shake.”  While the rapper doesn’t add anything we haven’t already heard in the past, he continues to be articulate and compelling with his drug tales.

8. Big Freedia, “Play” (Ft. Goldiie)

3^rd Wave Bounce (EP) » Asylum Worldwide » 2018

“Shake your ass and your titties / And you make it look gritty and / When you turn around / Go on a mix it, mix it, mix it / Mix it, mix it, mix it baby.” Nothing subtle about that! In 2018, The Queen of Bounce – the one-and-only Big Freedia – brought the bounce back on 3^rd Ward Bounce (EP).  She kills it throughout the course of the five-song EP, never dropping a dud. For our purposes, we focus on the final cut, “Play,” featuring Goldiie.

Initially, the closer sounds kinder and gentler compared to the rest of 3^rd Ward Bounce, at least the early sung portion by Goldiie (“I put it on display, you came to catch this wave / I didn’t come to play, yeah”).  Soon enough, Big Freedia changes the feel, going for the more aggressive, harder sound that has dominated the EP.  There is a nice ‘back and forth’ with aggressive versus more laid back.  This includes the collaborative section between Goldiie and Big Freedia, which pulls back before Freedia throws another TKO.

9. Blackbear, “Playboy Shit” (Ft. Lil Aaron)

Cybersex » Interscope » 2017

“Woke up rich, real bad bitch / Playboy shit, that’s some playboy shit / I’ve been going in, shout out to my wrist / Playboy shit, that’s some playboy shit.” True, or so the hip-hop artists assert. Matthew Musto, better known as blackbear, had a big year in 2017.  His biggest claim to fame was his hit single, “do re mi” (digital druglord), but he also dropped a joint project with his bud, Mike Posner (Mansionz) as well as a mixtape, cybersex.

One of the highlights from cybersex is “Playboy Shit”, featuring Lil Aaron. “Playboy Shit” is a total flex-fest. Albeit cliché, the record celebrates ‘the come up,’ perceptible from the exuberant sound, and carefree, confident hook. Nothing profound is accomplished here, but hey, it’s enjoyable AF.  Ultimately, “Playboy Shit” checks off the boxes of a blackbear song: profane, well-produced, and features a catchy chorus.  That is indeed some ‘blackbear shit’ if you catch my drift.

10. Kelsea Ballerini, “Fun and Games”

Unapologetically » Black River Entertainment » 2017

“We know that ‘no’ is another word for ‘maybe’ / And ‘maybe’ is another word for ‘come over.’” Clearly, in country-pop musician Kelsea Ballerini’s eyes, the relationship between her and her boyfriend is all “Fun and Games” – “We don’t need to be dramatic about it, baby.” This hella fun, incredibly playful and addictive record hails from Ballerini’s sophomore album, Unapologetically.  Sure, “I Hate Love Songs” is the crowning achievement of Unapologetically, but “Fun and Games” is certainly no slouch in the least. Infectious from the tip, the centerpiece is undoubtedly the chorus.

“‘Cause it’s all fun and games
It’s all poker face
Three a.m., your place
You hold me close like you do your cards
Can’t tell the joker from the queen of hearts or the queen of spades
It’s all ‘go’ then ‘stay,’ every time you call me, hey
It’s all fun and it’s all games ‘til someone doesn’t wanna play, play, ay
Doesn’t want to play, play, ay.”

11. Trey Songz, “Playboy”

Tremaine the Album » Atlantic » 2017

“Still running ‘round tryin’ to lay up / Still fucking but I wanna make love, I really want to / Don’t know why I’m still a playboy.” On “Playboy”, Trey Songz can’t get past his playboy status.  From the jump, he shares his shortcomings.  On the verses, he provides details for his playboy problem.  He’s quick to cite his ‘conquests,’ remains guilty of those ‘conquests,’ yet, he genuinely wants to better himself… supposedly. Though “Playboy” lacks transcendence, vocally, Songz remains in his artistic lane, not to mention steamy.  Like really steamy.

12. Coldplay, “Fun” (Ft. Tove Lo)

A Head Full of Dreams » Parlophone » 2015

“I know it’s over before she says / I know the falls that the water face / I know it’s over, an ocean awaits for a storm.” Poetic stuff Chris Martin, poetic stuff.  The lyrics hail from “Fun,” one of the highlights from A Head Full of Dreams, the 2015 album by Grammy-winning alternative rock band, Coldplay.  Notably, it isn’t only Martin handling vocal duties, as he’s assisted by Swedish pop standout, Tove Lo, on the second verse and beyond.

The best moments of the record occur on the high-flying, memorable chorus:

“From the top of the world, top of the waves
We said forever, forever always
We could have been lost, we could have been saved
Oh, I
Now we’re stopping the world, stopped it in its tracks
But nothing’s too broken to find a way back
So, before it’s over, before you run
Ah, didn’t we have fun?”

13. Troye Sivan, “Fun”

TRXYE » EMI » 2014 

“Let’s go have fun / You and me in the old Jeep / Ridin’ ‘round town with our rifles on the front seat / Fun, you and me in the middle east…” Hmm, for some reason Troye Sivan, that doesn’t sound like what I had envisioned for my Friday or Saturday night plans – just saying.  In the context of the pop artist’s 2014 EP, TRXYE, “Fun” is enigmatic.  Furthermore, the “fun” is a larger, more meaningful statement than the title would suggest. This is evidenced from the first verse: “You just gotta take their lives, boy.” He confirms the meaning on the eerily catchy chorus, which appears at the beginning of the record.

Photo Credits: 12Tone Music, 88rising, Asylum Worldwide, Atlantic, Black River Entertainment, Def Jam, Domino, EMI, GOOD, I Am Poppy, Interscope, Mad Decent, Pixabay, Polydor, Republic