13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell

Reading Time: 14 min read

13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell features music courtesy of Aaron Frazer, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Lorde, and Three 6 Mafia.

Are you ready to RING in another playlist? Well, we have put together 🎧 13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell! The bell is not important in this case – it just had a nice ring to it 🤣! Ring is the keyword – what this musical compendium is based on. 🎧 13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell features music from the likes of 🎙 Aaron Frazer, 🎙 Ariana Grande, 🎙 Beyoncé, 🎙 Lorde, and 🎙 Three 6 Mafia among others. Just within those five musicians, we have contemporary soul, pop, R&B, alternative, and some 2000s Memphis rap. So, without further ado, let’s dive into 🎧 13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell!

1. Aaron Frazer, “Bring You A Ring”

🎵 “Bring You A Ring” • 🏷 Dead Oceans • 📅 2023

“Today I’m gonna bring you a ring 💍/ Today I’m gonna bring you a ring 💍.” Soulful, talented crooner 🎙 Aaron Frazer brings the heat with his lovely, pure vocals on the single, 🎵 “Bring You A Ring”. His approach is chill but incredibly potent. Stylistically, the R&B musician embraces neo- and retro soul. “Bring You A Ring” checks off all the boxes of a contemporary soul record, with its marvelous guitar accompaniment, robust bass line, and, of course, Frazer’s skill on the drums. Of course, it is his voice that takes the cake – beautiful to the nth degree. The songwriting (courtesy of himself) is authentic, chivalrous, and poetic:

“You make me float like a feather

When I’m unsteady like a ship from a storm

Been through it all together

Withstood the pressure and this diamond formed.”

Sigh, beautiful! Also, shout out the flute solo, which ups the ante. All told, 🎵 “Bring You A Ring” marks another incredible performance and song from Frazer, an artist many more folks need to be buzzing about.

2. Ariana Grande, “7 Rings”

💿 thank u, next • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2019 

“Been through some bad shit, I should be a sad bitch / Who woulda thought it’d turn me to a savage?”  🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Ariana Grande sounds incredibly fierce on 🎵 “7 Rings”, one of the many highlights appearing on 💿 thank u, next, among the best albums of 2019.  It’s also polarizing –CONTROVERSIAL! Some love “7 Rings” while others are annoyed and absolutely loathe it. Perhaps the key reason why folks have ‘a bone to pick’ with Ari on this 🎵 “My Favorite Things”-lifted number – cultural appropriation.  Yikes! The black influence of the record is undeniable. Grande, considered a pop artist, blurs the lines including ample R&B influence.  R&B is an undeniably black genre, even if more and more white musicians have become ‘hip to the vibe.’  The way she sings, with hip-hop influence, is part of the cultural appropriation argument against the hit: “My wrist, stop watchin’, my neck is flossin’ / Make big deposits, my gloss is poppin’…” 

The music video 🎶📼 also contributes to the argument against “7 Rings” if you will (that long hair, the dancing, the vibe).  So, what have others said? Brooklyn White (Hello Giggles) writes, “right before the minute mark, ‘7 Rings’ takes a sharp, cringeworthy turn. The trap hi-hats come in, and Grande’s “Pretty Boy Swag” homage kicks off.”  In her extensive article regarding the song, that’s just the beginning of White’s skepticism.  A different writer, Jayna Viswalingam (Feminism in India) focuses on cultural appropriation from the Japanese perspective.  Perhaps the more familiar publication is The Atlantic, where Spencer Kornhaber titles his article, How Ariana Grande Fell Off the Cultural-Appropriation Tightrope, with the headline, “With ‘7 Rings,’ the singer wears a culture as a costume.” Woo! Worth noting, Ariana Grande did respond to cultural appropriation.  I guess, take it how you will.  If nothing else, “7 Rings” makes a worthy discussion piece.

Appears in 🔻:  

3. Three 6 Mafia, “Tongue Ring”

💿 When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 • 🏷 Loud • 📅 2000 

“Let me see your tongue 👅 ring 💍, let me see / Let me see let me see let me see your tongue 👅 ring 💍/ Let me see let me see let me see your tongue 👅 ring 💍.” WOO, 🎙 Three 6 Mafia! 🎵 “Tongue Ring” 👅 💍 appears as the 12th track from the 🏆 Academy Award winning rap group’s  💿 When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, released in 2000. “Tongue Ring” was issued as the third single from the platinum certified album, but didn’t perform well on the charts itself 🤷🏾‍♂️. Nonetheless, this 🎙 Juicy J / 🎙 DJ Paul produced joint is a blast to listen to.  It’s the active beat, dark synths, and of course, that simple but utterly infectious hook performed by Juicy J.  

Juicy J follows up with the first verse, dropping an aggressive flow with sexed-up lyrics (“Never would I wear that sweater / Knowing she’d be chewing pecker”).  Chewing pecker, huh? Wow 🍆! DJ Paul performs the second verse, matching Juicy J’s energy, asserting, “I’m all about them freaky hoes / That like to suck.” 🍌 WOO! That’s all fine and good, but former Three 6 Mafia member, the late great 🎙 Gangsta Boo, is as unapologetic as the boys in the third verse. She goes all the way in, starting at the top as she spits, “I be fuckin this nigga / Straight corrupting this nigga / Pussy wet as a river / You need a boat for me, nigga.” Holy sheee-it… more like, holy fuccck! Anyways, 🎙 Crunchy Black goes hard in the fourth verse (“Oldy, freaky, hood rat type of ho / Nigga don’t you know all hoes go / Go easy / Fuckin’ cum easy”), the late 🎙 Lord Infamous segues (“Skinny dick, she’ll stretch it / Pussy stayin’ wet, and she loves when niggas wreck it”), and the late 🎙 Koopsta Knicca finishes things off, focused on all kinds of bitches (“Saddity bitches / Pretty bitches, freaky bitches /Them petty sneaky bitches”). It may have fallen short commercially but 🎵 “Tongue Ring” will always be a surefire rap banger from Three 6 Mafia. 

Appears in 🔻:  

4. Anita Ward, “Ring My Bell”

💿 Ring My Bell • 🏷 601 Music • 🗓 1979 

“You can ring my bell, ring my bell / You can ring my bell, ring my bell.” Ring my bell, huh? Ah, the sexual innuendo is lit 🔥, 🎙 Anita Ward 😈. In her career, on the pop charts, Ward charted only two songs. 🎵 “Don’t Drop My Love” spent just five weeks on the charts, peaking at a tepid no. 87. That is NOT considered a hit – an understatement.  Furthermore, “Don’t Drop My Love” wasn’t a success on the R&B charts either, peaking modestly at no. 52. However, 🎵 “Ring My Bell”, her first charting song, spent two weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 – that’s a big-time hit! Furthermore, “Ring My Bell” earned Ward the sole 🏆 Grammy nomination of her career for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female.  It is safe to say that Ward is rightfully characterized as a one-hit wonder.   

“Ring My Bell” appeared on Ward’s second album of 1979, 💿 Songs of Love, renamed, you guessed it, 💿 Ring My Bell for its biggest hit. Written by 🎼 ✍ Frederick Knight (yes, the renowned 🎵 “I’ve Been Lonely For Song Long” artist), “Ring My Bell” is sexy without crossing any lines. Glad her man is home, Ward asserts in the first verse, “Well, lay back and relax while I put away the dishes /… Then you and me can rock-a-bye.” Woo! In the second verse, “The night is young and full of possibilities,” with Ward concluding the verse by saying, “Tonight was made for me and you.” What is clear is that the bell is going to be rung on this not-so-innocent disco gem.  Ward sings well, manages to be classy, yet also embraces pleasure. 🎵 “Ring My Bell” is a rad one-hit wonder, all told 💪.  

Appears in 🔻:

Anita Ward, Ring My Bell: 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏 No. 6 (2023)

5. Wale, “Name Ring Bell”

💿 Folarin II • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2021  

“Anyway, you catch me any day / Sippin’ Hennessey, all of my peeps got heavy chains / Who name bell ring? What / Who name bell ring?” Need a compelling flow? Well, 🎙 Wale always seems to deliver in that department.  The Washington D.C. rapper brings hella confidence on 🎵 “Name Ring Bell,” which appears as the second track on his 2021 LP, 💿 Folarin II.  It also doesn’t hurt that producer 🎛 Trizzy sets him up with an electrifying, groovy backdrop that plays to his strengths.  Notably, “Name Ring Bell” samples 🎵 “Ting-A-Ling” by 🎙 Shabba Ranks. “A lot of my haters is mad, but I forgive ‘em,” Wale asserts in the first verse, adding, “‘Cause every bad bitch in the city tatted ‘Ambition’.” If you didn’t catch it, he’s referencing his 2011 album, 💿 Ambition, which marked his breakthrough moment.  The point is, he’s confident AF, something that continues in the second verse: “Soldiers on the way if you wan’ play ‘cause I ain’t playful / I got bitches, I got paper, but I’m great ‘cause I got favors.” Also, he drops the gem, “Say I got a ego, I deserve a EGOT.” Woo! “Who name bell ring?”  

Appears in 🔻:

15 Compelling Name Songs (2021)

6. Lorde, “Mood Ring” 

💿 Solar Power • 🏷 Universal Music New Zealand Limited • 🗓 2021 

“I’m tryna blow bubbles, but inside / Can’t seem to fix my mood,” 🎙 Lorde sings on 🎵 “Mood Ring,” adding, “Today, it’s as dark as my roots / If I, if I ever let them grow out.” Interesting! The penultimate record marks one of the better moments from the 🏆 Grammy winning, alt-pop artist’s third studio album, 💿 Solar Power (2021). On “Mood Ring,” a colorful vocal arrangement shines, as does lighthearted production courtesy of Lorde and the one-and-only 🎛 Jack Antonoff. Lorde’s vocals are on the thin side – a bit more bite wouldn’t have hurt – but respectable and sufficient.  Among the big selling points of “Mood Ring” is the songwriting – “The whole world is letting me down / Don’t you think the early 2000s seem so far away?” The strong songwriting (Lorde and Antonoff) includes the chorus, one of the more tuneful from Solar Power: “I can’t feel a thing / I keep looking at my mood ring / Tell me how I’m feeling / Floating away, floating away.”  “Mood Ring” is characteristic of Lorde through and through.

7. Juice WRLD & Rvssian, “Ring Ring” (Ft. Clever)

💿 Death Race for Love • 🏷 Grade A Productions / Interscope • 📅 2019

“Off three, I pop, all three, I’m off, all three / Should make it four like the rings on my Audi…” So, we’ve got a high 💨 and a luxury ride 🚙. The late 🎙 Juice WRLD delivered a surefire gem with 🎵 “Ring Ring,” the 14th track on his 2019 sophomore album, 💿 Death Race for Love. On “Ring Ring,” Juice collaborates with Jamaican producer 🎛 Rvssian and rapper,🎙 Clever (Joshua Tyler Huie). Clever is superb on the second verse (“Gettin’ high is exhausting / But I was told it gets better with time”). Woo, that’s high 💨! The sound of the record is a brilliant blend between hip-hop, emo, and pop/rock, perfectly suited for a rapper who was totally invested in his emotions.  “Ring, ring-ring / I don’t feel like comin’ to the phone today / Everybody should just leave me alone,” Juice sings in the chorus, continuing, “I don’t feel like comin’ to the phone today / But I don’t feel like bein’ alone… / I can’t tell what’s real or where I belong.” 

Appears in 🔻:

11 Songs Associated with the Phone (2019)

8. Selena Gomez, “Ring” 

💿 Rare • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2020

“I’m breakin’ hearts like a heart attack / Got him right where the carats at.” Oh my, 🎙 Selena Gomez! 🎵 “Ring” marks a playful, if subtle, tongue in cheek record that appears on her sixth studio album, 💿 Rare. “Ring” suits her personality well. Furthermore, she’s got him “Wrapped ‘round my finger like a” – wait for it – “ring 💍, ring 💍, ring 💍!” Also, rather than answer his (their) pathetic calls, “I’ll just let it ring, ring, ring.” Selena, characteristically, takes a more low-key approach, yet still manages to be quite effective in execution. “Ring” is produced by 🎛 Sir Nolan, Simon Says, Sean Douglas and Johan Lenox. The backdrop features lovely touches, led by the groove, Spanish guitar, and strings 🎻.  

Appears in 🔻:

16 ‘R’ Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason (2020)

9. T.I., “Ring” (Ft. Young Thug)

💿 The L.I.B.R.A. • 🏷 Grand Hustle LLC / EMPIRE • 📅 2020

Atlanta in the house! That’s right, 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper 🎙 T.I. (Clifford Harris Jr.) enlists 🎙 Young Thug for the assist on 🎵 “Ring”, a single + highlight from T.I.’s 2020 LP, 💿 The L.I.B.R.A. The resulting collaboration ends up being pretty entertaining and intriguing. Does Harris Jr. and Thugga bring some heat 🔥.  “Ring” commences dark and enigmatic from the start. Post-intro (Young Thug), “Ring” turns into a trap banger, courtesy of 🎛 Chopsquad DJ and DY Krazy.  Basically, we get a banging beat and minor key synths. It’s perfect fuel for the fire for both rappers.  The chorus, performed by Young Thug, is a vibe, not to mention sexual… T.I. follows with a refrain, with quick-paced, agile rhymes.  His flow remains in tip-top shape. Following the chorus and refrain, we get a verse each from Thugga and T.I.  This happens later in the song with the third and fourth verses.  The verses are short, but again, effective, particularly the way that they are traded off. Is the wheel reinvented? No, but both rappers keep things all the way real. Great production, stellar flows, and an electrifying vibe make “Ring” worthwhile – NO 🚫 CAP 🧢!  

10. Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”   

💿 I Am… Sasha Fierce • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2008       

“All the single ladies (All the single ladies) / All the single ladies / Now put your hands up.” WOO! Need an example of a truly ubiquitous song? Look no further than 🎵 “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” one of the best songs in the illustrious musical catalog of 🎙 Beyoncé.  The song, which rightfully won the 🏆 Grammy for Song of the Year, appears on her 2008 double album, 💿 I Am… Sasha Fierce. “Single Ladies” is filled with fun. Produced by Queen Bey, 🎛 The-Dream, and Tricky Stewart, “Single Ladies” remains fresh 15 years after its arrival.  The beat! The synths! Most of all, the assertive, attitude-laden vocals of Queen Bey with catchy lyrics makes “Single Ladies” a surefire winner.  The minute you hear it, whether you’re a single lady, a married lady, or a fella, it makes you wanna dance – #INFECTIOUS.  The chorus is golden, with Beyoncé telling these boys, if you like it (aka her) you better lock it (her) down! 

“‘Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it   

If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it   

Don’t be mad once you see that he want it   

If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it   

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh   

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.”       

Appears in 🔻:    

11. Grizzly Bear, “Three Rings”

💿 Painted Ruins • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2017

Five-year hiatuses seem to be the rage these days.  Why? Not sure. Alternative rock collective 🎙 Grizzly Bear returned after a ‘beary’ long break with a new album, 💿 Painted Ruins. Among the promo singles issued by 🎙 Ed Droste and company was 🎵 “Three Rings”, which commences with a bold sound including hard-hitting drums, with bass, keyboards, and guitar entering shortly. Vocalist Droste enters delivers a lush, relaxed vocal performance upon entering.  Vocal harmonies sweeten an already appealing sound, painting the backdrop magnificently. There is plenty of time allowed for the instrumental to shine itself.  The lyrics and theme are notable too.  Droste seemed to tackle a dysfunctional, on-and-off again relationship.    

“Will you move on again?

See that time to flee again

You always make it alright

Is that the way it is?

Let’s get along again

You know your move around the bend.”    

All told, the music shines, Droste delivers sensational vocals, and theme and lyrics are on-point.

12. Johnny Cash, “Ring of Fire”

💿 The Essential Johnny Cash • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 🗓 2002

“Love is a burning thing / And it makes a fiery ring.” Indeed, 🎙 Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003), indeed. “Bound by wild desire / I fell into a ring of fire.” Dang! 🎵 “Ring of Fire” is one of the most iconic country songs of all-time, PERIOD. In the hands of Mr. Cash, “Ring of Fire” peaked at no. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, one of two top-20 hits by the iconic country musician. The country standard was penned by Cash’s eventual second wife, 🎼 ✍ June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. Carter Cash didn’t write it for Cash, but rather her sister, Anita Carter, per Alex Baker of Fender. Unsurprisingly, early in 🏆 Grammy history, at the 6th Annual Grammy Awards, Cash earned his first Grammy nomination for Best Country & Western Recording.

So, what makes “Ring of Fire” the sugar honey iced tea? The theme and songwriting go a long way, particularly the catchy chorus. Sing along if you know it!

“I fell into a burning ring of fire

I went down, down, down

And the flames went higher

And it burns, burns, burns,

The ring of fire

The ring of fire.”

Of course, those expressive, nuanced vocals of Johnny Cash are the biggest attraction 💪. That baritone is nothing short of amazing. Also, throw in the mariachi horns 🎺 and the backdrop is distinct and sweet. The groove is infectious, reminding us just how fabulous the country/western music of the past is. Still, the focal point is the icon himself, Johnny Cash, who made 🎵 “Ring of Fire” a gargantuan hit. The greatness of the song speaks for itself.

Appears in 🔻:

Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 144 (2023)

13. Beyoncé, “Ring The Alarm”

💿 B’Day • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2006

“Ring the alarm 🚨 / I’ve been through this too long / But I’ll be damned if I see another chick on your arm.” WOO! Hell, hath no fury like a woman scorned – or threatening to be scorned… 😬 😏!!! 🎙 Beyoncé, who makes a second appearance on 🎧 13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell (2023), came out swinging on 🎵 “Ring The Alarm,” a highlight from her 2006 sophomore album, 💿 B’Day 🥊. “Ring The Alarm” was less successful than her bigger, later, 🏆 Grammy-winning ring 💍 song, 🎵 “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” but still mustered up a no. 11 peak on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably, Queen Bey is aggressive AF on this banger she writes and produces with 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Sean Garrett and Swizz Beatz: “Tell me how should I feel / When I know what I know (I know) / And my female intuition / Telling me you a dog 🐕.” Woof, woof! On one side of things, she knows this man has a proclivity for cheating… On the other hand, seemingly alluding to her husband, 🎙 Jay-Z, she knows if someone else were to rock with him, they’d be rich AF: “She gon’ be rockin’ chinchilla coats / If I let you go / Pent in the house off the coast / If I let you go /… She gon’ rock them VVS stones / If I let you go…” You get the idea. Basically, Beyoncé is not about to let that sh🤬t happen! RING THE ALARM 🚨🚨🚨!!!

13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 601 Music, Dead Oceans, Grand Hustle LLC / EMPIRE, Interscope, Loud, RCA, Republic, Sony, Universal Music New Zealand Limited, Warner; Radu Florin from Pexels; Агзам Гайсин, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

13 Songs That Totally RING the Bell | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on September 27, 2023September 27, 2023