13 Terrific AWAY Songs | Playlist 🎧

13 Terrific Away Songs features music courtesy of Brian McKnight, John Mayer, Miley Cyrus, Omar Apollo & Twenty One Pilots.

No 🚫!!! Please 🥺! Don’t go AWAY!!! Why? Well… we have songs, of course – TERRIFIC songs! That’s right, we the keyword being away, and a miniature list behind us (🎧 Away: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2022)), we proudly present 🎧 13 Terrific AWAY Songs! Basically, peeps, we don’t want you to go away without checking this sugar honey iced tea out!

 

 

So, who are some of the fantastic musicians contributing to these 13 terrific songs? How about the likes of 🎙 Brian McKnight, 🎙 John Mayer, 🎙 Miley Cyrus, 🎙 Omar Apollo, and 🎙 Twenty One Pilots among others.  Genre-wise, that’s R&B, rock, pop, and alternative represented by those five musicians – a little bit of everything! So, prepare to stay and NOT GO AWAY and check out these 🎧 13 Terrific AWAY Songs! You won’t regret it!!! 

---

1. Twenty one pilots, “Shy Away” 

💿 Scaled and Icy • 🏷 Fueled by Ramen • 📅 2021 

🏆 Grammy-winning alternative duo 🎙 twenty one pilots are back with their sixth studio album, 💿 Scaled and Icy.  In advance of the LP, 🎙 Tyler Joseph and 🎙 Josh Dun unveiled promo single, 🎵 “Shy Away”.  Like so many of the band’s music of the past, there’s plenty to sink one’s teeth into on “Shy Away.”  

Twenty one pilots keep things short and sweet on “Shy Away.” As always, the production is quite intriguing – sleek and well-rounded.  Given its rhythmic sound and quick pace, there’s no way to “Shy Away” from this record.  Joseph exudes ample personality as he performs.  As always, the theme and lyrics truly go a long way in making this a successful record. Here, Tyler encourages ditching the shyness and being unafraid to reach for dreams and ambition – shedding modest and reaching for the stars. 

“Don’t you shy away (Ah-ah-ah) 

Manifest a ceiling 

When you shy away (Ah-ah-ah) 

Searchin’ for that feelin’ 

Just like an ‘I love you’ (Ooh, ooh) 

That isn’t words (Ooh, oooh) 

Like a song he wrote, that’s never heard (Ah-ah-ah) 

Don’t you…” 

Once more, twenty one pilots have truly tickled our fancy on “Shy Away.” Great vocals by Tyler, great production, and thoughtful, positive songwriting make this ‘S’ song a surefire winner. 

 

Appears in 🔻:  

• ‘S’ Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 
• Away: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2022) 

---

2. Tate McRae, “Go Away” 

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

In 2022, Canadian teen pop singer 🎙 Tate McRae released her debut album, 💿 I used to think I could fly.  Despite building some buzz, particularly through TikTok, the Gen-Z-er debuted modestly at no. 13 on the Billboard 200.  Despite the fact that album number one hasn’t electrified the pop charts, McRae delivered a respectable, enjoyable debut with some worthwhile bops. What I’m saying is, I don’t believe that McRae will just 🎵 “go away” – ha!  

On the penultimate record, notably, we the album’s titular lyric shows up in the first verse: “You know, I used to think I could fly, now I’m just holding on.” What’s the context of this 🎛 Blake Harnage-produced number? Chronic heartbreak.  Tate regrets being wooed in, asserting, “Shouldn’t have played in your game of fun / Now I don’t think I’m okay, you never go away.” Oh, the plight of love.  Sigh, it’s truly a female dog! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Go Away: 3 or 4 BOPS No. 15 (2022) 

---

3. Omar Apollo, “Go Away”  

💿 Ivory • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2022

🎙 Omar Apollo (Omar Velasco) is a special artist. The Mexican American musician is one of the young, rising stars.  Velasco shines on the three-and-a-half-minute-long 🎵 “Go Away”, an early single from his 2022 full-length, debut album, 💿 Ivory. Omar produced “Go Away” alongside 🎛 Carter Lang and 🎛 Chromeo. There are ample selling points including the gift of groove.  Listening to it, it makes you want to move your body. Next, and most importantly, are the vocals. Velasco gives us a range of sounds, including middle register, falsetto, and some smooth, heavenly harmonies.   

Apollo’s best moments lie on the memorable, shimmering chorus:  

“But if you had to go away again 

I just don’t see you enough 

I wish I saw you enough 

It’s something in the way I feel your skin 

I just don’t see you enough 

I wish I saw you enough.” 

With a talented team behind the boards, it’s not surprising that the backdrop is sweet.  Characterized as alternative, “Go Away” sounds and feels more alt-R&B or pop. In addition to the chorus, the lyrics are effective, selling a theme of L-O-V-E.  With such high-quality music, Omar Apollo certainly won’t be ‘going away’ anytime soon!   

  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Awesome Songs: July 2021 
• 11 Terrific AWAY Songs 

---

4. Summer Walker, “Throw it Away” 

💿 Still Over It • 🏷 LVRN / Interscope • 📅 2021 

“We reached a ceilin’ / I had a feelin’ / From the beginnin’ / Must be endin’.” 🎙 Summer Walker perfectly captures the plight of love on 🎵 “Throw it Away.”  The two-and-a-half-minute number graces her 2021 sophomore album, 💿 Still Over It.  Walker is upset by the way things went down, accepting responsibility that she shouldn’t. “Had me thinkin’ that I was average,” she sings in the pre-chorus, adding, “When you’re to blame.” Oh, snap!  

After putting the blame where it deserves to go, Summer piles that sugar honey iced tea on him.  “How you gonna throw it away?” she asks in the chorus, later adding, “How you gonna make it so damn hard to explain?” She has a legitimate point! As “Throw it Away” progresses, Summer only gets angrier showing she’s truly Still Over It – all the BS that is! Walker is backed by a production team that includes 🎛 London on da Track. #Winning!  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Away: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2022) 

---

5. Aaron Neville, “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”  

💿 The Grand Tour • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1993 

“Oh, baby, I found heaven when I found you.” Aww, 🎙 Aaron Neville, that is so sweet! Not only is the opening lyric sweet, but so is the entirety of 🎵 “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”! “Don’t Take Away My Heaven” serves as the opener from the 🏆 Grammy-winning, versatile soul musician’s 1993 album, 💿 The Grand Tour.  The record, penned by Academy-Award nominated songwriter 🎼 ✍ Diane Warren, is one of Neville’s best in a storied career.  Warren’s pen is impeccable, period! Sadly, this gorgeous record only peaked at no. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 – it was wronged by pop radio!  

Regardless of the fact that it was a moderate success on the pop charts, Neville’s three-decade-old gem speaks for itself.  Heaven is her, period.  With his utterly distinct pipes, Aaron expresses the end if she were to go – he wouldn’t survive! This is best exemplified by the chorus:   

“And the sun would have nowhere to shine 

And the stars would all fall from the sky  

Baby, please 

Don’t take away my heaven.”  

Neville does a bang-up job bringing Warren’s dedicated, poetic lyrics to life.  Furthermore, 🎛 Steve Lindsey does a fabulous job supporting Mr. Neville with colorful, suitable production. No one sings like Aaron Neville – facts.  Diane Warren gave Neville a surefire masterpiece with 🎵 “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”!  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Aaron Neville, “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 96 (2022) 

---

6. Miley Cyrus, “Slide Away” 

🎵 “Slide Away” • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2019

“Once upon a time, it was paradise / Once upon a time, I was paralyzed / Think I’m gonna miss these harbor lights / But it’s time to let it go…” On 🎵 “Slide Away”, 🏆 Grammy-nominated pop musician 🎙 Miley Cyrus dabbles in a topic readymade for success – breaking up.  Sadly, Miley Cyrus and hubby Liam Hemsworth decided to go their separate ways.  Often, when musicians separate/divorce, their musical output is affected by it either negatively or positively.  “Slide Away” yields positive results, thanks to beautiful production work (🎛 Andrew Wyatt and 🎛 Mike WiLL Made-It), strong vocals (duh, M.C. could always sing), and strong songwriting.    

Besides the excerpt from the verse, the pre-chorus and chorus sections standout.  In the pre-chorus, Cyrus, “Don’t want the whiskey and pills,” while in the chorus, she’s going back to the city, while he (Liam) returns to the ocean (Australia): “So, won’t you slide away? Back to the ocean, I’ll go back to the city lights.” Ultimately, “Slide Away” is a winning moment for the pop star.  She’s honest and open, and she has a great, relatable theme, and quality writing to work with. 

---

7. Charlie Puth, “One Call Away” 

💿 Nine Track Mind • 🏷 Artist Partner Group • 📅 2016

“I’m only one call away / I’ll be there to save the day / Superman got nothing on me / I’m only one call away.”  Sigh, before 🏆 Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter 🎙 Charlie Puth would become a more mature artist on his sophomore album, 💿 Voicenotes, the perfect-pitched pop artist would release his full-length debut album, 💿 Nine Track Mind.  Safe to say, the critics were not fanboying or fan-girling to say the least.  Mr. Puth received a devastating ‘metascore’ of 37!  All you can really say is, da-yum.  Of course, the schmaltzy lyrics from the song at hand, 🎵 “One Call Away,” sort of sums up why critics rolled their eyes.  

 

“One Call Away” ranks among the better songs on a suspect album, but that doesn’t make it a masterpiece.  Perhaps the most offensive moment is that corny ‘Superman’ lyric, but also, Puth gets a little too deep ‘in his feelings’ you might say (“Call me, baby, if you need a friend / I just wanna give you love”).  There’s mothing wrong with sensitivity, but maybe “One Call Away” has too much of it, not to mention overly-light production work (🎛 Justin “DJ Frank E” Franks and 🎛 Matt Prime), and of course, that ‘Superman’ lyric – have we mentioned that already?  But hey, girl, on the bridge, Charlie’s got you:   

“And when you’re weak, I’ll be strong 

I’m gonna keep holding on 

Now don’t you worry, it won’t be long 

Darling, and when you feel like hope is gone 

Just run into my arms.”  

Appears in 🔻:  

• 11 Songs Associated with the Phone 
• 11 Songs Associated with Number One

---

8. Berlin, “Take My Breath Away” 

💿 Count Three & Pray • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 1986 

“Watching every motion in my foolish lover’s game / On this endless ocean, finally lovers know no shame…” American new wave collective 🎙 Berlin are most renowned for one song: 🎵 “Take My Breath Away.”  “Take My Breath Away” is the quintessential 80s record, and I dare you argue against that!  Recognizable from the opening tip thanks to those warm, colorful synths, Berlin never needed to record another song. Of course, they had other hits, but the former no. 1 hit is their most beloved, most requested song.  

“Take My Breath Away” famously appears on the 💿 Top Gun soundtrack.  Notably, the song 🏆 won an Oscar, rightfully so.  In addition to being the signature song from Top Gun, it also appears on the band’s 1986 album, 💿 Count Three & Pray.  The theme is an always relatable one: LOVE.  “Take my breath away / My love, take my breath away,” 🎙 Terri Nunn sings elegantly on the simple yet unforgettable chorus.  “Take My Breath Away” was famously produced by 🎛 Giorgio Moroder.  Worth noting, 🎙 Jessica Simpson covers “Take My Breath Away” on her 2003 album, 💿 In This Skin.   

Appears in 🔻:  

• 13 Breathe Songs That Leave You Totally Breathless 

• Away: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2022) 

---

9. John Mayer, “Carry Me Away” 

💿 Sob Rock • 🏷 Columbia • 🗓 2021 

“I’m such a bore, I’m such a bummer / There must be more behind the summer / I want someone to make some trouble.”  Yeah, me too 🎙 John Mayer! After a four-year-hiatus, one of the biggest stars of the 00s returned in 2021 with his eighth studio album, 💿 Sob Rock. Sob Rock is an appropriate title given the loneliness, regret, and sadness that Mayer exhibits.  Specifically, we examine the ninth track from the LP, 🎵 “Carry Me Away.” 

 

Mayer keeps things short but sweet on “Carry Me Away.” Here, the 🏆 Grammy-award winning artist longs for a love to sweep him off his feet, essentially. “So, come on over and wake me up,” he sings in the second verse, continuing, “Put some tequila in my coffee cup / You know I need you … / You’re just the kinda crazy I’ve been lookin’ for…” Characterizing himself as a boring, he wants more – he wants to feel, live and, of course, fall in love.  For those of us who are getting older and haven’t attained that dream relationship, this penultimate cut speaks volumes.   

  

---

10. James Blake, “Put That Away and Talk to Me” 

💿 The Colour in Anything • 🏷 Polydor • 🗓 2016

“Put that away and talk to me / I’m not the one with a fantasy / As lonely as you feel right now / Put that away and talk to me.” Alternative/electronic (and generally genre-bending) musician 🎙 James Blake is one of the most creative artists in the music business – that’s NOT up for debate. Furthermore, he’s among the most distinct, with his unique vocals and his approach to production.  Among the best songs on his 2016 album, 💿 The Colour in Anything is 🎵 “Put That Away and Talk to Me.”  

“I’m in a waiting after every inhalation,” Blake sings on the second verse, continuing, “They’re keeping me full today / Where is my beautiful life?” Say what? “Put That Away and Talk to Me” is nothing short of a trip. That said, the ‘trip’ part is literal, considering Blake has admitted, the song is about smoking too much weed. Makes sense – the high seems to permeate.   The music is minimalist but brilliant, mysterious, and a bit trippy.  He embraces his falsetto, always a win, as well as autotune. All in all, his high is also high-flying for listeners everywhere.  

 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Small Talk + More Songs Worth Talking About 
• Away: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2022) 

---

11. Marsha Ambrosius, “Far Away” 

💿 Late Nights & Early Mornings • 🏷 J • 📅 2011

Lyrically, “Far Away” (💿 Late Nights & Early Mornings) tackles suicide.  In the context of the song, there aren’t any direct references to homosexuality. What the listener takes away is that 🎙 Marsha Ambrosius is heartbroken after her friend commits suicide.  As sad as the situation is, “Far Away” finds Ambrosius depicting her emotions in the aftermath. The accompanying music video takes things a step further, incorporating homosexuality and homophobia.   

The homophobic component drives the male to commit suicide.  

“If I had known Sunday morning, that you would be gone 

I would’ve never come home 

I wouldn’t have answered my phone to hear the voice had a tone 

I knew that something was wrong 

The cop’s the one who had told me that you were alone inside 

An empty room 

Identified you as my baby 

Oh, my baby, so far away.”  

What further amplifies the significance of the video is the use of black characters.  Homophobia is more pronounced in the black community, so Ambrosius took a bigger risk with “Far Away” given the storyline and social implications.  A Think Progress article (from February 2016) by Zack Ford suggests black homophobia is a myth, based on a Public Religion Research Institute survey.  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Songs Centered Around or Referencing Suicide, Vol. 1 
• A Compendium Comprised of 100 Notable LGBTQ+ Songs 
• 13 Songs That Explore Mortality (In Some Form or Fashion) 

---

12. Brian McKnight, “Every Time You Go Away” 

💿 Gemini • 🏷 Motown • 📅 2005 

“Every time that I’m with you girl / Can’t believe you share my world / But it’s real,” 🎙 Brian McKnight proclaims in 🎵 “Every Time You Go Away.” “Every Time You Go Away” is a gem from McKnight’s 2005 album, 💿 Gemini, among his last to make some noise commercially.  On this ultra-smooth, grown-folks R&B ballad, McKnight expresses his dedication to her and doesn’t care what anybody else says: “See, I don’t give a damn / What my homies say / Don’t matter anyway / See I never felt this way before / You leave a brother wanting more.” Woo!  

Of course, the centerpiece in “Every Time You Go Away” is the chorus which is magnificent.  McKnight sings expressively:   

“I hate to see you go even though 

I know when you’re coming back 

It’s hard to breathe without you girl 

And baby that’s a fact 

I know sometimes you have to leave 

But I wish that you could stay 

Every time you go away.” 

Wow, he’s infatuated with her! On the bridge, he goes on to express his feels, calling her “the sunshine of my day” and acknowledging, “You take a piece of me with you.” The best moment of the record are the closing iterations of the chorus, intact with soulful ad-libs by Brian. No reason to shy away from this gem! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Brian McKnight, “Every Time You Go Away”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 25 (2022) 
• Away: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2022) 
• Every: 5ive Songs No. 13 (2022) 

---

13. Dobie Gray, “Drift Away” 

💿 Ultimate Collection: Dobie Gray • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2001

“Oh, give me the beat boys, and free my soul / I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away.” 🎵 “Drift Away” is one of the greatest songs of the 1970s, period.  A crossover hit of sorts, “Drift Away” could be labeled as R&B/soul, pop, or rock. Covered by everybody and his brother, the most famous and commercially successful version of “Drift Away” is by soul singer, 🎙 Dobie Gray (1940 – 2011).  It’s those nuanced pipes that helped take “Drift Away” to no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Later, as the featured guest to 🎙 Uncle Kracker, he’d return to the top 10 covering the staple (no. 9).  

So, besides his awesome vocals, what makes “Drift Away” epic? The songwriting by 🎼✍ 🎛 Mentor Williams – who also produces – is a giant selling point.  The gist of the song? The power of music, and how therapeutic it can be.  Gray does a marvelous job bringing the thoughtful lyrics to life, such as the bridge:   

“And when my mind is free 

You know a melody can move me 

And when I’m feelin’ blue 

The guitar’s comin’ through to soothe me.”

Incredible! Those verses are superb too, highlighting the motivation of music.  In verse three, Gray is thankful to the nth degree: “Thanks for the joy that you’ve given me / I want you to know I believe in your song / And rhythm and rhyme, and harmony / You’ve helped me along / Makin’ me strong.” Of course, nothing ‘takes the cake’ more than the chorus.  It ranks among the most memorable of all time, at least in my book.  🎵 “Drift Away” might’ve arrived in the 70s, but there’s a reason it’s a song we still mention far beyond its heyday.   

Appears in 🔻:  

• Dobie Gray, “Drift Away”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 15 (2022) 

---

13 Terrific AWAY Songs [📷: Artist Partner Group, Brent Faulkner, Columbia, Dương Nhân, Fueled By Ramen, Gustavo Fring, Interscope, J, Ketut Subiyanto, LVRN, Michael Burrows, Monstera, Motown, The Musical Hype, Olya Kobruseva, Ono Kosuki, Polydor, RCA, Trân Long, UMG Recordings, Inc., Warner] 

---