13 Songs That Feature Names, Vol. 3

Reading Time: 13 min read

13 Songs That Feature Names, Vol. 3 features music courtesy of Armani White, Father John Misty, Joesef, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift, and The 1975.

Names, names, names. That is the focal point of the 11^th musical compendium published on The Musical Hype in the year of our lord, 2023. Cutting straight to the chase and getting right into it, 13 Songs That Feature Names, Vol. 3 arrives a long-awaited sequel to 13 Songs That Feature Names in Their Title (2020) and 13 More Songs That Feature Names in Their Titles (also 2020). 13 Songs That Feature Names, Vol. 3 features music courtesy of Armani White, Father John Misty, Joesef, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift, and The 1975 among others. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into these NAMES, shall we?

1. Joesef, “Joe”

Permanent Damage • Bold Cut / AWAL • 2023

“When I’m alone / I can hear the sound / I just can’t stand the way you said my name.” After eight tracks where permanent damage seems inevitable, why not pile on a little more? “Joe” arrived as a single prior to the release of Permanent Damage, the debut album by queer Scottish, soul-pop musician, Joesef. In the context of the LP, his loneliness continues. Of “Joe,” Joesef asserts, ‘Lyrically, the songs is about the mundane reminders of the fact that someone isn’t there.’ That is confirmed in the chorus, which emphasizes his name: “I can hear you say it / Joe, Joe, Joe / Don’t you ever leave / … Cause you’re nothing without me /…I can still hear you saying…” Joesef is still processing and suffering from the end of the relationship. His pain is our listening pleasure, giving us a great NAME song to kick of 2023.

2. Father John Misty, “Goodbye Mr. Blue”

Chloë and the Next 20^th Century • Sub Pop • 2022

The question for Grammy winner, Father John Misty, is, WHO is the Mr. Blue he mentions in “Goodbye Mr. Blue,” the second track from Chloë and the Next 20^th Century (2022)? He is a cat as opposed to a person. So, why is Josh Tillman singing about a cat? Clearly Tillman, or the character he plays, isn’t too enthused to “Go down to the corner / And buy the damn cat the expensive food.” He also provides specific info about the cat and why he’s annoyed: “That Turkish Angora is ‘bout the only thing left of me and you / Early this morning, it started making sounds that say / ‘Don’t the last time come too soon? / One down, eight to go, but it’s no less true’…” Interesting that the cat has lost a life, if you catch Tillman’s clever lyricism. “Goodbye Mr. Blue” is less about the cat (who dies within the song) and more about the death of the relationship itself.

“This may be the last time

The last time I lay here with you

Do you swear it’s not the cat?

You don’t have to answer that

I’ll just make do.”

Never change, Father John Misty, never change.

Appears in :

13 Intriguing Songs That Reference Animals

3. Megan Thee Stallion, “Megan’s Piano”

Something For Thee Hotties • 1501 Certified Ent. LLC / 300 Entertainment • 2021

“Nasty, I’m a real nigga fantasy / I’ll drop dead ‘fore a broke nigga handle me!” Woo! Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion is the definition of a walking bop. Once again, on “Megan’s Piano,” she manages to drop sick $hee-i†. “Megan’s Piano” arrives as the sixth track on Something For Thee Hotties (2021), keeping things short, sweet, and potent. It commences with a single-note piano ostinato in the right hand. Notably, Megan plays the catchy melodic pattern. It’s elementary, mind you, but any great music producer can hear a fire potential loop. That’s what happens as the piano ostinato sets up a lit rap banger, anchored by knocking beat (Megan gets a production credit alongside LilJuMadeDaBeat). As always, when it comes to the bars, where Megan’s bread is buttered, she’s turnt the f#¢k up (“Seein’ all my opps linked up in a picture / Everybody look busted, injured / Stalkin’ my page, bitch probably wanna scissor / All in her mouth like I kissed her”). #BANGER!

Appears in :

11 Stellar Songs That Reference The Piano

4. Charlie Puth, “Charlie Be Quiet!”

Charlie • Atlantic • 2022

“Charlie, be quiet, don’t make a sound / You’ve got to lower the noise a little bit now / If she knows you’re in love, she’s gonna run away.” Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter/producer Charlie Puth refers to himself, in the third person, in the short but relatable “Charlie Be Quiet!”. Why does Charlie tell himself to be quiet on this gem from his third studio album, Charlie? He doesn’t want to get hurt (as in heartbreak) or ruin his chance at love.

Even as Puth is excited about a prospective serious relationship, he asserts, “… It’s all getting too loud.” He doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, hence, he’s toning things down. A prime example is in the second verse, where he asserts, “I’ll act like I don’t even care, yeah / I’m not going out looking dumb.” Charlie makes his point loud and clear. Even though he’s quieting down, the chorus is big, showing off his upper range and his ability to pack a punch behind his vocals. It contrasts the quieter, more tentative verses, which represent being tame – calm, cool, and collected – regarding love. Besides relatable songwriting and respectable vocals, “Charlie Be Quiet” is respectably produced.

Appears in :

13 Quiet Songs U Should Turn Up Loud

5. NERIAH, “Fuck You Matthew”

How Do I Get Clean? • NERIAH • 2022

Breaking up is indeed hard to do. It can leave you bitter as a four-letter word that rhymes with truck. Of course, when it comes to NERIAH, she feels no need to censor herself. When the name of a song has the f-bomb front-and-center, as well as a specific name attached, you know that the shit has hit the fan! “Fuck You Matthew” is the definition of fierce pop, if for no other reason than an unapologetic title. Of course, sus love, now ended, is what drives NERIAH to flipping the bird to Matthew on this highlight from her 2022 EP, How Do I Get Clean?.

Apparently, the way that NERIAH ‘gets clean’ on “Fuck You Matthew” is to tear her lame ex- absolutely TF down. He ruined so much for her: “I can’t believe you ruined nineteen for me / Then blamed me for it / I am twenty-two and still am paying for it / Bet you adore it.” Ooh-wee! In the second verse, she makes it clear she’s ranked up, including finding “Someone who looks way better than you,” and admitting to faking it with him – OH, SNAP ! Of course, it is the centerpiece that says it all, including the big, bad FU to Matty boy! Of course, NERIAH doesn’t limit her disdain to only Matthew:

“I hate you and all the boys with the same name as you

Continue to lead me on and lead me back to you

I’ve got five fingers and my favorite one’s for you

So, fuck you Matthew!”

What more needs to be said?

Appears in :

NERIAH, “Fuck You Matthew”: FIERCE Pop + Rock 4 (2023)

6. Enchantment, “Gloria”

Enchantment • Roadshow • 1976

“Gloria / My Gloria / Things ain’t been the same / Since you went away.” Ah, those pesky matters of the heart – they always seem to be perfect fuel for the fire for a song! Enchantment thrived from the success of “Gloria”, which peaked at no. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, the five-and-a-half-minute ballad marked the biggest single of the R&B collective’s career. The vocals – lead and background – are epic, the production is lush (strings, winds, and keys), and the songwriting is memorable.

“It seems like / Only yesterday / I beheld your sweet face / And in my lonely room / My memories of your embrace.” Clearly, Enchantment is sentimental about Gloria – she’s one special girl. “Isn’t it funny / How time can change / All the things you want to believe,” lead singer and co-writer Emanuel Johnson asserts, adding, “But time won’t change / The way I feel / Cause in my mind / It’s you and me / You and me.” Johnson penned “Gloria” alongside Michael Stokes, who is also responsible for that silky smooth production that’s idiomatic of the 1970s soul sound through and through. What more is there to say about “Gloria”? This gem from Enchantment, the 1976 album by Enchantment, speaks for itself.

Appears in :

Enchantment, “Gloria”: Throwback Vibez 4 (2023)

7. Alicia Keys, “Nat King Cole” (Ft. Lil Wayne)

KEYS • RCA • 2021

Among the best songs on KEYS, the final major-label album from multi Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Alicia Keys is “Nat King Cole (Originals).” Here, Keys sings in sultry fashion, embracing the jazzy vibes of a torch song. Keys co-produces with Mike WiLL Made-It, providing an additional lift as well as contrast. So, what does the late, great Nat King Cole have to do with this song? Well, Keys references his beloved song, “Unforgettable” on the chorus, the crowning achievement:

“If you wanna take it all

Let the chandeliers fall (Fall)

While you’re standing tall like the Taj Mahal

Be unforgettable

Like Nat King Cole

Like Nat King Cole.”

In the context of KEYS, “Nat King Cole” didn’t require unlocked treatment. That said, “Nat King Cole (Unlocked)” is another gem, however. It is grander than the ‘Originals’ version. Lil Wayne does a marvelous job rapping the first verse. While he retains his Weezy-ness, he also reins himself in, fitting the classy vibes of this modern-day torch song of sorts.

Appears in :

8. Armani White, “BILLIE EILISH.”

“BILLIE EILISH.” • Legendbound, LLC / Def Jam • 2022

“Bitch, I’m stylish / Glock turned, big t-shirt, Billie Eilish.” WOO! Turn Up! Rappers have such a way with words, don’t they? Armani White secured a hit and a record deal with his viral single, “BILLIE EILISH.”. The excerpted line highlights Billie Eilish’s signature style, all the while finding White ballin’ hard: “Watch on my wrist, but I want that in diamonds / Niggas talkin’ crazy, when I pull up, it’s silent / Mile high, run that shit back…” You see where White is going, right?

The chorus doesn’t end the Billie Eilish love, or White’s confidence and drippy ways for that matter. In the sole verse, White kicks things off, asserting, “Put it in perspective / Bitch, I got everything I wanted and some extra.” You see that “everything I wanted” adoration right there – the Grammy-winning, second Record Of The Year for Billie Eilish? There are also rap clichés in play as well, including two phones, being “Flexed out my Lexus,” “Two pistols, thirties in the clip,” and, as you had to expect, “My lil bitch suckin’ dick for free / I got a bitch, but a bitch ain’t go me.” What more needs to be said? #BigMOOD.

Appears in :

Armani White, “BILLIE EILISH.”: Rap BNGRZ 3 (2023)

9-10. Taylor Swift, “Dorothea” / “Majorie”

evermore • Taylor Swift • 2020

In 2020, after impressing with one surprise album, folklore, Grammy-winning musician, Taylor Swift released a second surprise album, evermore. The companion piece to folklore yielded even more greatness, marking one of the most accomplished years of Swift’s illustrious career. Notably, Swift is proficient when it comes to penning and performing songs named after people. Evermore gives us two such moments – “Dorothea” and “Marjorie” – both of which are standouts.

“Hey, Dorothea, do you ever stop and think about me? /… A tiny screen’s the only place I see you now / And I got nothin’ but well wishes for ya.” “Dorothea” seems connected to the ladies Swift sung about on her previous album, folklore, to some extent. Dorothea has left her small hometown to pursue stardom, which is referenced in various moments of the song (“The stars in your eyes shined brighter in Tupelo”). Also, apparently, the narrator desires Dorothea, a former lover, it seems, to “Come back to my side /… And if you’re ever tired of bein’ known for who you know / You know that you’ll always know me.” Again, the simplicity, with the consistent rhythmic groove, is sweet.

“What died didn’t stay dead / You’re alive, you’re alive in my head.” “Marjorie” marks another awesome N-A-M-E song. Much like “Dorothea,” Swift captivates us with memorable writing (“If I didn’t know better / I’d think you were still around”) and sweet vocals. “Marjorie” is written about Swift’s deceased maternal grandmother, opera singer Marjorie Finley. The songwriting remains elite: “Should’ve kept every grocery store receipt / ‘Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me / Watched as you signed your name Marjorie / All your closets of backlogged dreams / And how you left them all to me.”

11. The 1975, “Oh Caroline”

Being Funny in a Foreign Language • Dirty Hit • 2022

“I’ve been suicidal / You’ve been gone for weeks / If I’m undecided, will you decide for me…” Yikes, that is dark, Matthew Healy. Anytime a song commences with suicidal thoughts, it is serious. The thing is, “Oh Caroline”, a highlight from the 2022 The 1975 album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, doesn’t sound dark musically. The production (Healy, George Daniel, and Jack Antonoff) is slick – incredibly bright, embracing a major key as opposed to minor. Yet, this love has consumed the character in obsessive fashion, so much so he’s considered offing himself.

“Getting suicidal? It’s honestly not for me,” he asserts in the second verse. That is a relief but there is more to come that further raises eyebrows. “I’m gettin’ on my nerves by gettin’ on my knees / Getting cucked, I don’t need it.” There is a lot to unpack. By cucked, Healy is referencing cuckold, which adds to the extreme of the record. Furthermore, the “gettin’ on my knees” opens up another can of worms, one that seems to have little to do with faith (Healy isn’t religious) but rather sex too (The Genius’ believe it to be a bisexual experience). Giving this fierce rock record more lightness, sort of is the bridge, where Healy asserts, “Oh, I’ve tried to find / Another name a thousand times / But the only one that rhymes (Always on my mind) / Is ‘Oh, Caroline!’” That makes sense within the narrative that Healy constructs, but also, the front man has been clear that was the fictional name/character that worked perfectly for this song. One of The 1975’s best, methinks!

Appears in :

The 1975, “Oh Caroline”: FIERCE Pop + Rock 5 (2023)

12. Jack Harlow, “Dua Lipa”

Come Home the Kids Miss You • Generation Now / Atlantic • 2022

“Girl, them Russian twists is working out, now just put your butt into it…” With “Dua Lipa,” Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow delivers one of his better moments from his sophomore album, Come Home the Kids Miss You. Come Home the Kids Miss You has its fair share of, but this brief, 2:15-cut gives Harlow a respectable banger.

“I sold them basements out, let’s do arenas, crushin’ / She looking, I’m blushing, I’m lying, I’m touching.” One of the biggest criticisms many have had regarding Come Home the Kids Miss You is that Harlow doesn’t distance himself from a clear influence, Drake. I’m not sure that he separates himself from Drake on “Dua Lipa” either, but there’s enough bite to make this one fun. The chorus is entertaining as Jack makes it clear how he feels about the British pop star: “Dua Lipa, I’m tryna do more with her than do a feature (Do it) / I checked the web, they out here chewin’ me up, fuck it.”

13. Michael Jackson, “Ben”

Ben • Motown • 1972

A decade before Michael Jackson would unveil the likes of “Billie Jean” to the world, the 13 year old was singing about a rat . Not just any rat of course, but “Ben”. Furthermore, his 1972 solo album was also titled Ben. “Ben, the two of us need look no more,” he sings sentimentally in the opening line of the first verse. He continues, on his first no. 1 hit as a solo artist, “We both found what we were looking for / With a friend to call my own / I’ll never be alone.”

Because “Ben,” penned by Don Black and Walter Scharf, is so thoughtful and focused on sincere friendship, the fact that the song is a soundtrack cut in a horror movie about a rat is unimportant. If you have never seen the 1972 film or read a synopsis, it is shocking how different it is compared to this sweet song by a teen music icon . Jackson’s tone is absolutely gorgeous, showcasing him as the once-in-a-generation wunderkind that he was. Besides bring the tender lyrics to life with his awe-inspiring instrument, the production and orchestration supporting him ( The Corporation) – strings and rhythm section – are utterly stupendous.

“Ben, most people would turn you away

I don’t listen to a word they say

They don’t see you as I do

I wish they would try to

I’m sure they’d think again

If they had a friend like Ben.”

So sweet!

Appears in :

13 Songs That Feature Names, Vol. 3 [: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; 1501 Certified Ent. LLC / 300 Entertainment, Atlantic, Bold Cut / AWAL, Generation Now, Def Jam, Dirty Hit, Legendbound, LLC, Motown, NERIAH, RCA, Roadshow, Sub Pop, Taylor Swift; cottonbro studio via Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Maicon Fonseca Zanco, Samuel1983 via Pixabay]

13 Songs That Feature Names, Vol. 3 | Playlist

Published by the musical hype on January 25, 2023January 25, 2023