13 Songs You Don’t WANNA Miss

Reading Time: 16 min read

13 Songs You Don’t WANNA Miss features music courtesy of Christina Aguilera, Lil Uzi Vert, Prince, Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston.

Do you WANNA know a secret? Well, it’s no secret that the keyword of 🎧 13 Songs You Don’t WANNA Miss is wanna. That’s right, all 13 songs on this playlist feature the slang word for want to in their respective titles. And, there is NOOO cheating! Want to, hence, is not an appropriate substitution for the more fun, wanna. 🎧 13 Songs You Don’t WANNA Miss features music courtesy of 🎙 Christina Aguilera, 🎙 Lil Uzi Vert, 🎙 Prince, 🎙 Tina Turner, and 🎙 Whitney Houston among others. So, without further ado, you know you WANNA consume these 13 WANNA songs 😉!!!

1. Prince, “I Wanna Be Your Lover”

💿 Prince • 🏷 NPG / Legacy Recordings • 🗓 1979

“I wanna be your lover / I wanna be the only one that makes you come running.” After failing to find commercial success with his 1978 debut album, 💿 For You, iconic musician extraordinaire 🎙 Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) needed a hit. With 🎵 “I Wanna Be Your Lover”, The Purple One attained the first top-40 hit of his career. The highlight from 💿 Prince peaked at no. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980, performing even better on the R&B charts where it spent two weeks at no. 1 💪.

Bitmoji Image “I Wanna Be Your Lover” truly showcases Prince’s abilities as an artist – incredible musicianship. Vocally, he sounds magnificent, wowing with a falsetto for the ages. Instrumentally, the soul factor is full force with an infectious groove where the rhythm section is ‘in the pocket.’ Melodically, the lines Prince sings are memorable, checking off the tuneful box we love for pop music to have. The songwriting is infectious too. Basically, The Purple One is infatuated, so much so that he asserts in verse two, “I wanna be your brother / I wanna be your mother and your sister too.” Woo – he wants to be her all and everything! The loved is pronounced on 🎵 “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Adding to the allure is the instrumental outro with Prince is in no rush to close things out. He lets it ride out 💪.

Appears in 🔻:

Prince, I Wanna Be Your Lover: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 125 (2023)

2. Whitney Houston, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”  

💿 Whitney • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1987  

“Oh, I wanna dance with somebody / I wanna feel the heat with somebody / Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody / With somebody who loves me.” Woo, that’s #ICONIC!!! She just wants to dance and be in love with someone, sigh (understandable and relatable). Despite living just 48 years 😭, the musical legacy of 🎙 Whitney Houston (1963 – 2012) endures, given a catalog filled with hits, including the beloved 🎵 “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”.  “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” written by 🎼 ✍ Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill, graces Houston’s sophomore album, 💿 Whitney, released in 1987.  Spending two weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is one of 11 no. 1 hits, and 23 top 10 hits by Houston.

dance party It goes without saying that “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” is an incredibly fun and infectious listen.  It is up-tempo, and the minute the song begins playing, it is instantly recognizable.  One of the quintessential numbers of the 1980s, it never loses its luster beyond the decade, which is a testament to its legendary, classic status. As excerpted, the chorus is the centerpiece – the crème de la crème.  Houston shows off her immense musicianship, singing with ample energy, showing off an incredible personality, and most of all, wowing with THE VOICE.  Beyond the elite singing, and the chorus, the verses, and the pre-choruses are memorable too, setting up that magnificent chorus. In the second verse, she asserts, “I’ve been in love and lost to my senses / Spinnin’ through the town / Sooner or later, the fever ends / And I wind up feelin’ down.” Again, relatable – who doesn’t want to find love to rid of loneliness? The sound is also marvelous, featuring arranging and production by the great 🎛 Narada Michael Walden.  All told, 🎵 “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” speaks for itself – a true pop classic. Honestly, “Don’t you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance…” C’mon, baby! 

Appears in 🔻:  

3. Lil Uzi Vert, “Just Wanna Rock”

💿 Pink Tape • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 📅 2023

“Damn / Damn / (MC, make another hit) Whoa / This ain’t what you want (Project-Project X) / This ain’t what you want / This ain’t what you want.” WOO… methinks… Anyways, 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Lil Uzi Vert is truly one of a kind. They do their own thing on 🎵 “Just Wanna Rock,” the promo single from their 2023 LP, 💿 Pink Tape. Best described as an experimental trap cut with club elements (this is one you just have to hear), “Just Wanna Rock” runs just two minutes in change. The energy from Lil Uzi Vert is turned up as they spit over malicious synths, minor key production (🎛 McVertt and Synthetic), and a hard-hitting beat. Do they say much in their rhymes? Absolutely not! “I just wanna rock, body-ody, yeah (Shake it down) / Shawty got that body-ody, ah, ah, ah (Shake it down),” they rap in the sole verse, adding, “Hit it once, no ties (Shake it-shake it) / How the fuck you gon’ kill my vibe?” Perhaps the most colorful moment of his performance are the repeated, “Buh, buh, buh, buh(s)” in the outro. “Just Wanna Rock” is, um, interesting!

4. Elle King & Miranda Lambert, “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”

💿 Come Get Your Wife • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2023

“So, bartender, take my keys / What do you want from me? / Baby, I’m drunk, and I don’t wanna go home.” Woo! Sounds like situation to me. While the drunkenness may not ultimately be optimal, the situation where two musicians the caliber of 🎙 Elle King and 🎙 Miranda Lambert (a 🏆 Grammy winner) join forces is only positive. The resulting duet, 🎵 “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” (💿 Come Get Your Wife, 2023) is pretty sweet, fusing country, pop, and rock seamlessly. “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” catches the ear from the onset. It’s definitely the beat, which incites head nodding, foot tapping, and hand clapping. By the chorus, there are more ‘countrified’ cues, thanks to the inclusion of driving, rhythmic guitars. Besides the electrifying production from 🎛 Martin Johnson and Brandon Paddock, there are also electrifying vocals. Both King and Lambert have powerful voices and do a fabulous job of conveying attitude and feistiness. Because both are so adept at this, the chemistry between the two is marvelous. As far as the songwriting, it is perfect for country music in particular, referencing whiskey and of course its effects (“We’re in the bathroom stall gettin’ tatted, there’s a line in the hall / Tryna be my sugar daddy, gettin’ handsy in the stalls.” Woo! “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” is a ‘must hear’ folks – definitely entertaining with its drunken antics!

Appears in 🔻:

5. Christina Aguilera, “Makes Me Wanna Pray” (Ft. Steve Winwood)

💿 Back to Basics • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2006

“You got me feelin’ like you’re that somethin’ I’ve been missin’/ Everything’s heaven cause life with you has been a blessing.” Ooh wee! 🎙 Christina Aguilera exemplifies the role of a soulful pop singer, PERIOD. She has a marvelous, truly distinct instrument. Aguilera was at her very best on her 2006 album, 💿 Back to Basics, essentially an R&B album compared to the rest of the LPs in her discography. While Aguilera is sometimes criticized for serving up one too many vocal runs, on Back to Basics, particularly the highlight, 🎵 “Makes Me Wanna Pray,” she sounds in her zone. “Makes Me Wanna Pray” features 🎙 Steve Winwood (piano 🎹 and organ). It samples his band, 🎙 Traffic, specifically the bluesy song, 🎵 “Glad”. In addition to the electrifying sample, what makes this record phenomenal are the gospel-tinged lead vocals by Aguilera 🙌, the backing of a gospel choir 👏, memorable songwriting (Aguilera, Winwood, 🎼 ✍ Kara DioGuardi, and Rich Harrison), tuneful melody, and the production (Harrison). The centerpiece is none other than the chorus, which is funky as albeit, filled with the spirit 👏 👏 👏!

6. Jack Harlow, “I WANNA SEE SOME ASS” (Ft. jetsonmade)

💿 Sweet Action • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 🗓 2020

“I wanna see some ass /… Baby, can you do it like that?” Well, shallow lyrics like that leave little to the imagination, 🎙 Jack Harlow. When a song is titled 🎵 “I WANNA SEE SOME ASS”, you know it’s intended for the bedroom, nighttime, etc. “She said, ‘I don’t wanna move too fast’ / ‘Til she hit that gas.” Woo! “I WANNA SEE SOME ASS” expectedly lacks depth and profundity. But give the Kentucky-bred, 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper credit – he’s honest about what he desires on the third track from 💿 Sweet Action, which also features 🎙 jetsonmade. Also, worth noting, jetsonmade produces alongside 🎛 CuBeatz. The theme is loud and clear – SEX. “I WANNA SEE SOME ASS” exemplifies fuckboy rap. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily when you consider how often other rappers rap about sex and sexual encounters. Jack is confident AF making it clear, “And I’m still flyer than a bitch / And ya boyfriend, well he just not that.” Hey, it’s a funny lyric. The second verse grows more explicit, with the gem “Strip club, pre-cum off of liquor, fell in love with a stripper…” Oh my! 🎵 “I WANNA SEE SOME ASS” also wasn’t intended to have much – rather – any substance. Basically, we have a cocky, confident rapper who’s thinking with his pants. At least 🎵 “Young Harleezy” is incredibly likable.

Appears in 🔻:

7. Tate McRae, “She’s all I wanna be”

💿 I used to think I could fly • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 2022

“Stupid boy making me so sad / Didn’t think you could change this fast / She’s got everything that I don’t have / How could I ever compete with that?” Woo! That’s a statement right there, 🎙 Tate McRae! The teenage pop artist continues to see her star ascend. The Gen-Z up-and-comer has a surefire hit on her hands with 🎵 “she’s all I wanna be” which appears on her 2022 debut album, 💿 I used to think I could fly. Just as the lyrics from the excerpted chorus suggest, this is a song that EVERYBODY can relate to in some way at some point in their lives. On “she’s all I wanna be,” McRae collaborates with a pop master, 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Greg Kurstin. As always, the songwriter/producer puts together an excellent musical backdrop for his client. I love the driving, rhythmic guitars, which gives this record a nice mix of pop/rock. As for McRae, she has a nice tone, which rides that pop/rock backdrop with ease. She never over nor under sings, delivering a well-rounded performance all said and done. Returning the focus to the theme, essentially, she paints a picture of being envious of what other girls have that she doesn’t. Why feel that way Tate? Well, these other girls woo these stupid boys, and she finds herself heartbroken. Bummer! While this experience is made personal to her, it is applicable to any and every one, honestly. The best moment of the song is the chorus – the clear centerpiece. All in all, “She’s all I wanna be” is a fun, relatable, and well-rounded pop song that will please Gen-Z but also anyone who enjoys a catchy pop record.

Appears in 🔻:

Awesome Songs: February 2022

8. Mario Winans, “I Don’t Wanna Know” (Ft. Enya & P. Diddy)

💿 Hurt No More • 🏷 Bad Boy • 🗓 2004

“Somebody said they saw you / The person you were kissing wasn’t me…” 💔 In 2004, 🎙 Mario Winans, the secular member of the Winans’, struck gold with his second album, 💿 Hurt No More. It debuted strongly at no. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold. It performed so well thanks to the no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, gold certified single, 🎵 “I Don’t Wanna Know”. “I Don’t Wanna Know” marked Winans’ sole entry on the pop charts. He produced the track himself. Fueling the fire of the production are two 1980s samples: 🎵 “Boadicea” by 🎙 Enya (hence her writing credit/guest appearance), and 🎵 “You’re a Customer” by 🎙 EPMD. The repurposing of an Enya song is crucial to the success of this single, truly contributing an enigmatic vibe as well as lushness. Given the fact that Winans is a modest vocalist, the sample complements his chill, smooth, and soft instrument.

Of course, it’s not all the sound of the record. Mario Winans was made for this particular record. The melodies are lovely and tuneful, on the verses, chorus, and bridge. The chorus, of course, is where his bread is buttered – the part everyone remembers!

“I don’t wanna know

If you’re playin’ me, keep it on the low

‘Cause my heart can’t take it anymore

And if you’re creepin’, please don’t let it show

Oh, baby

I don’t wanna know.”

heart broken Thematically, Winans finds out his lady is stepping out on him, and while it’s bothering him something fierce, he don’t wanna know! Well… by the bridge, however, he’s definitely NOT okay with it telling her to “Don’t come back to me” and “Stay away from me, baby.” Diddy serves up the third and final verse, which fits the vibe yet doesn’t step on Mario’s toes (“Made you hot like the West Indies (That’s right) / Now it’s time you invest in me / ‘Cause if not, then it’s best you leave / Holla, yeah”). Ultimately, it is the sound and the chorus that make 🎵 “I Don’t Wanna Know” the fabulous one hit wonder that it is.

Appears in 🔻:

Mario Winans, I Don’t Wanna Know: 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏 4 (2023)

9. Kim Petras, “They Wanna Fuck”

💿 Slut Pop (EP) • 🏷 Amigo / Republic • 🗓 2022

“Every time I look in my phone got these boys tryna get in my zone / They don’t wanna leave me alone, they just wanna fuck mе through the phone.” Da-yum! 🎵 “They Wanna Fuck” appears as the penultimate joint from 💿 Slut Pop, the 2022 EP from 🏆 Grammy-winning pop musician, 🎙 Kim Petras. Throughout the EP, the German transgender singer goes ‘below the belt.’ The sex-positive vibes run rampant from start to finish. Obviously, with an f-bomb in the song title, sex is the modus operandi. The question is, exactly who “wanna fuck” according to Kim Petras? Well, all the boys, of course – what did you expect! As you can see, participants include American boys, international boys, Christian boys, and “Them good ol’ boys.” Ultimately, “They Wanna Fuck” is silly – very tongue-in-cheek. Even so, it’s ‘irresistibly delicious’ thanks to that undeniable beat and ample personality from Kim Petras.

Appears in 🔻:

10. G Herbo, “I Don’t Wanna Die”

💿 25 • 🏷 Machine Entertainment Group / Republic • 🗓 2021

“I don’t wanna die anymore / Lived so many lives in a row / Devil on the right, angel left (It’s cold) / Won’t lack, won’t lack, won’t lack.” Woo – those are chilling lyrics! 🎙 G Herbo truly brings it on 🎵 “I Don’t Wanna Die”, the opener from his sixth studio album, 💿 25. Before he drops a verse that he absolutely slaughters, the tone is set by the intro, which also reappears as the outro. Aiding the Chicago rapper out is the malicious, minor-key production of 🎛 Southside. “Wanna see my life’s a movie? Press play / Bitch, the street ain’t checkers / It’s a chess game, now let’s play.” Woo (again)! With the tone set by the sung intro (and reprised on the outro) and Southside stitching up a bad ass beat, G Herbo goes in. He depicts the hardships of his life and the lives of others with rough and tumble, violent experiences. There are several devastating nuggets he serves up without sugarcoating anything. Building off the ‘chess game,’ he schools us on guns, escaping being shot himself, and loss (“Kobe took his last breath, I seen him rolling his eyes on the nine”). Perhaps what’s most amazing about “I Don’t Wanna Die” is that G Herbo is being authentic to the nth degree, yet also delivers an infectious record you can’t stop listening to. “I Don’t Wanna Die” is street to the core, something some can relate to, and others can’t. Either way, Herbo has turned his hard-nosed tale into an inescapable, one-verse musical gem.

Appears in 🔻:

15 Epic Songs Worth Dying For (2023)

11. Arctic Monkeys, “Do I Wanna Know?”

💿 AM • 🏷 Domino • 📅 2013

“So, have you got the guts? / Been wondering if your heart’s still open / and if so, I wanna know what time it shuts.” Oh my! 🏆 Grammy nominated, alternative collective 🎙 Arctic Monkeys scored a platinum album with 💿 AM released in 2013, their most successful album to date. Furthermore, single 🎵 “Do I Wanna Know?” earned 🎙 Alex Turner and company a platinum certified single. “Do I Wanna Know” impacted the Billboard Hot 100, something that eludes many alternative acts. It peaked at no. 70 in 2014, the Monkeys’ sole entry on the pop charts to date. So, why is “Do I Wanna Know?” kind of a big deal?

clapping emoji The sound and vibe of “Do I Wanna Know?” contributes to its success. It’s set in a minor key, hence it’s dark, with heavily distorted, garage-style guitars. The groove is relaxed yet ear-catching – infectious. However, it is the songwriting that truly solidifies the fierce excellence of “Do I Wanna Know?” Love is the modus operandi, however, Alex Turner doesn’t merely keep things straightforward with his pen, meaning there are allusions and references – lyrics to decode. The record commences with a drunken confession of love, which is #RAD. As the excerpted lyrics suggest, Turner is infatuated with her (“I’ve dreamt about you nearly every night this week / How many secrets can you keep?”). He confirms his drunkenness in the crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – the chorus:

“Crawlin’ back to you

Ever thought of calling when you’ve had a few?

Cause I always do

Maybe I’m too busy being yours to fall for somebody new

Now I’ve thought it through

Crawlin’ back to you.”

There’s no doubt that is a record we as music enthusiasts keep on crawlin’ back to, too!

Appears in 🔻:

Arctic Monkeys, Do I Wanna Know?: FIERCE Pop + Rock 🔥🤘 36 (2023)

12. Michael Jackson, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”

💿 Thriller • 🏷 MJJ Productions Inc. • 📅 1982

“I took my baby to the doctor with a fever / But nothin’ he found,” 🎙 Michael Jackson sings on 🎵 “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, one of many highlights from the 1982 masterpiece, 💿 Thriller – 34 times platinum, baby! Good news, right, with the lack of a diagnosis? In the first verse, Jackson continues, “By the time this hit the street / They said she had a breakdown.” Really? That’s a dramatic shift! Of course, that’s now how it went down, but tabloids are gonna always tabloid. The more memorable lines, which recur in the second and third verses, with a variation in the fourth, follow: “Someone’s always tryin’ / To start my baby cryin’ / Talkin’, squealin’, lyin’ / Sayin’ you just want to be startin’ somethin’.” Hence, Jackson’s sets up the first track of the album that totally changed the game. Ultimately, this slickly produced dance-pop/R&B cut would peak at no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It marked one of seven top 10 singles from Thriller 💪.

There are plenty more decadent lyrical moments too. The chorus is utterly infectious, backed by the bright, exuberant production by 🎛 Quincy Jones.

“I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’ 

You got to be startin’ somethin’ 

It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah) 

You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah) 

You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah) 

And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah).”

Bitmoji Image The groove, the bass line, guitars, keys, and those articulated horn riffs pack a sizable punch, fueling The King of Pop’s fire. Of course, Michael Jackson was beastly in the vocal department, as well as a true artist who delivered plenty of personality with each performance. His tenor/high tenor is on point from start to finish, giving listeners an engaging, truly elite vocal for the ages. Of course, given its dance cues, post-disco, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” is one of the MJ songs that instantly makes you want to hit the dance floor. The verses are fun, with tuneful melodies, and the chorus is, well, big, but arguably, the section to beat is the outro. The outro is infectious to the nth degree thanks to the use of Swahili lyrics: “Ma-ma-say, ma-ma-sah, ma-ma-coo-sah!” Adding to the allure is when Jackson riffs over the backing vocals jubilantly delivering those unforgettable lyrics. Notably, the lyrics are sampled from 🎵 “Soul Makossa” by 🎙 Manu Dibango [Note: Dibango would sue Jackson, as well as 🎙 Rihanna, who sampled the song in her own hit, 🎵 “Don’t Stop the Music”]. All told, 🎵 “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” is a song for the ages!

Appears in 🔻:

13. Tina Turner, “I Don’t Wanna Fight”

💿 What’s Love Got to Do With It • 🏷 Parlophone • 📅 1993

“I don’t care who’s wrong or right / I don’t really wanna fight no more.” Amen, 🎙 Tina Turner! Confrontation sucks! The late, great artist, who excelled in multiple music styles, secured another pop hit with 🎵 “I Don’t Wanna Fight” (peaked at no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100). By the time this song arrived, Turner was 53 years old – firmly established in her ultra-successful rock and roll solo career 🤘 💪. “I Don’t Wanna Fight” serves as the opener on 💿 What’s Love Got to Do With It, the soundtrack, to the 1993 film. It was written by 🎼 ✍ Billy Lawrie, Lulu Frieda, and Steve Duberry.

“I Don’t Wanna Fight” commences with an exuberant, radiant instrumental introduction. The warmth of the sound is a positive. There are lovely strings, while the rhythmic groove further makes the ears perk up. As always, Tina Turner is true to self, serving up distinct, nuanced vocals. Throughout the course of the record, the melody is tuneful. That said, the centerpiece is none other than the chorus, led by Turner’s utterly sublime lead and the marvelous support of the backing vocals.

“I don’t care who’s wrong or right

I don’t really wanna fight no more

Too much talking, babe

Let’s sleep on it tonight

I don’t really wanna fight no more

Time for letting go

Oh, baby, don’t you know

That I don’t wanna hurt no more?

It’s time, I’m walking, babe

Don’t care now who’s to blame

I don’t really wanna fight no more

This is time for letting go.”

Bitmoji Image There is excellent contrast during the bridge section, separating itself from everything else. Tina serves up an assertive brand of vocals here. Furthermore, that saxophone just feels right! At six minutes and change, “I Don’t Wanna Fight” never gets in a rush. It takes its time at the end winding down within the final minute. All told, this is a fabulous, later hit by the beloved, iconic, 🏆 Grammy-winning musician.

Appears in 🔻:

13 Songs You Don’t WANNA Miss [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Amigo, Arista, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Domino, Legacy Recordings, MJJ Productions, NPG, Parlophone, RCA, Republic; David Lago Rodríguez from Pexels]

13 Songs You Don’t WANNA Miss | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on August 28, 2023August 28, 2023