13 Utterly Friend-tastic Friend Songs | Playlist 🎧

13 Utterly Friend-tastic Friend Songs features music courtesy of Conan Gray, Eddie Kendricks, Saint Levant, Sam Smith, and Shania Twain.  

February is a month where friendship (and beyond) thrives… supposedly! Regardless of whether it is February, or another time of the year, 🎧 13 Utterly Friend-tastic Friend Songs has FRIEND, FRIENDS, and FRIENDSHIP in mind! On The Musical Hype, there have been numerous miniature and full-fledge playlists devoted to the F-R-I-E-N-D (S), including the gargantuan 🎧 25 Songs That Celebrate Friendship… Well, Some of Them (2020).  Since then, the bite-sized 🎧 Friend: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 1 (2023) whetted palates in advance of the latest friendship fueled musical compendium!  🎧 13 Utterly Friend-tastic Friend Songs features intriguing tunes courtesy of 🎙 Conan Gray, 🎙 Eddie Kendricks, 🎙 Saint Levant, 🎙 Sam Smith, and 🎙 Shania Twain among others. So, grab your bestie, or maybe, even your intimate friend, and dive right into 🎧 13 Utterly Friend-tastic Friend Songs!

1. Sam Smith, “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” (Ft. Calvin Harris & Jessie Reyez)

💿 Gloria • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2023

On their fourth studio album, 💿 Gloria, 🏆 Academy- and Grammy-award winning, nonbinary and genderqueer musician 🎙 Sam Smith keeps things brief. Despite the brevity, there are no shortage of hits, including the contemporary disco smash, 🎵 “I’m Not Here To Make Friends.” “…Friends” features 🎙 Calvin Harris and 🎙 Jessie Reyez.  The groove is electrifying, thanks to work behind the boards by Smith, Napes, and the key ingredient, Harris, of course! Of course, the grandeur comes down to more besides the beat – those strings make this “the whole damn meal”, to quote the goddess better known as Lizzo! Even though Reyez contributes, Smith is the star on “I’m Not Here To Make Friends.”  “Put your aura into mine / Don’t be scared if you like it,” they assert in the pre-chorus, dropping the titular lyric in the chorus (“I’m not here to make friends / I need a lover”).  I love how commanding Smith sounds, delivering some incredible runs.

2. Shania Twain, “Best Friend”

💿 Queen of Me • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2023

“Just remember who you got / When you feel a little lost, I’ll find you.” Ah, what is better than an ode to a best friend? “When I trip, you pick me up / When you know I’ve had too much / You’re the one to call my mom.” That is what country music superstar 🎙 Shania Twain serves up on 🎵 “Best Friend,” the fourth track on her 2023 LP, 💿 Queen of Me. Twain penned “Best Friend” alongside 🎼 ✍ Dan Priddy, Mark Crew, and Ton Mann, with Crew and Mann also producing.  A feel-good, fun joint, Twain never seems to break a sweat vocally, as she speaks endearing of her friend.  “We both made the same mistakes / Waking up in the wrong places wasted,” Twain sings in the second verse, continuing, “Naked, that’s who we are / Yeah, we’re best friends, that’s who we are.” If you’ve got a best friend who’s got your back through thick and thin, you’ll really relate to and enjoy the potent vibe that is “Best Friend.”

3. Saint Levant, “Very Few Friends”

🎵 “Very Few Friends” • 🏷 Saint Levant • 🗓 2022

“I wanna take you to Paris and spoil you / I wanna go to Marseille and enjoy you / I want those guys in your DM’s who talk to themselves / And then tell all their friends that they know you.” Woo! 🎙 Saint Levant (Marwan Abdelhamid) serves up good vibes – better yet, sexy vibes – on his single, 🎵 “Very Few Friends”.  The brief “Very Few Friends” showcases the appeal, talent, and versatility of Abdelhamid.  This handsome musician with a diverse background (Palestinian/French/Algerian/Serbian) raps in multiple languages: English, French, and Arabic.  To characterize it as ear-catching would be an understatement.

Saint Levant never gets too high while performing “Very Few Friends.” The smooth backdrop gives off love-oriented, romantic, R&B vibes.  Abdelhamid raps smoothly, supporting romantic sensibilities.  After dropping some Arabic rhymes, he continues spitting in the first verse, “Love boy Levant back in the building.” He goes on to drop  French as well.  Even if you’re not proficient at Arabic or French, English lines like, “We have designer sex in the morning / Expensive when you moanin’,” as well as the memorable closing lyric, “When we come together it’s a fuckin’ problem” makes it clear what Abdelhamid has in mind. The chorus is a highlight: “I have very few friends / I’m focused on very few friends.” 🎵 “Very Few Friends” gives a terrific snapshot of Saint Levant, showing his versatility. Furthermore, it will easily enhance your playlist, particularly when it comes to matters of the bedroom.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: November 2022
• Friend: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 1 (2023)
• 13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs (2023)

4. Saweetie, “Best Friend” (Ft. Doja Cat)

🎵 “Best Friend” • 🏷 ICY / Warner • 📅 2021

Rapper 🎙 Saweetie, assisted by 🏆 Grammy-nominated female rapper, 🎙 Doja Cat, brings the heat (and friendship) on the enjoyable 🎵 “Best Friend”. Despite running just two-and-a-half-minute, that’s enough time for Saweetie and Doja to be unapologetic! With numerous songwriters on deck, it’s 🎛 Dr. Luke and Rocco Did It Again that do work behind the boards.  They give the rappers a minimalist backdrop: 808s/trap drums and a minor key synth.  It’s perfect fuel for the fire as we’re made aware of the ‘bad bitch’ status from the jump.

The centerpiece is the chorus:

“That my best friend, she a real bad bitch

Got her own money, she don’t need no nig’

On the dance floor, she had two, three drinks

Now she twerkin’, she throw it out and come back in…”

Each rapper has their own one-liners whether it’s “I hit her phone with the tea, like ‘Bitch, guess what? / All the rich-ass boys wanna fuck on us!” (Saweetie) or “That’s my best friend, if you need a freak / I ain’t dumb, but motherfucker, she my Tweedledee” (Doja Cat).  With these two on the track, the expectation was a banger, and that’s the result, PERIOD!

Appears in 🔻:

• Best: 5ive Songs No. 91 (2021)
• Friend: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 1 (2023)

5. Drake, “No Friends in the Industry”

💿 Certified Lover Boy • 🏷 OVO / Republic • 📅 2021

“No friends in the industry / My brothers been my brothers, man, you niggas ain’t no kin to me, a fact.” On 🎵 “No Friends in the Industry,” from the formerly, 🏆 Grammy-nominated 💿 Certified Lover Boy, 🎙 Drake delivers a banger. Here, Aubrey has no love whatsoever for the haters – woo!  “Niggas love to start the beef, don’t wanna keep it rap,” he proclaims, adding, “Yeah, he hit us up and now we owe you something back.” Oh, snap 🫰! Notably, of course, Drizzy has been involved in no shortage of feuds, which he alludes to.  According to him, “I was young angel, but these niggas turned me evil.” Honestly, what more needs to be said?

Appears in 🔻:

• Friend: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 1 (2023)

6. The Isley Brothers, “Friends & Family

💿 Make Me Say It Again, Girl • 🏷 RI Top Ten • 📅 2022

Iconic R&B collective 🎙 The Isley Brothers (🎙 Ron Isley and 🎙 Ernie Isley) shine on their classy, feel-good, soulful comeback single, 🎵 “Friends & Family”. “Friends & Family,” which appeared on the long-awaited, 2022 album, 💿 Make Me Say It Again, Girl, screams barbeque and cookout vibes.  The record appeals to lovers of old-school R&B. It hearkens back to a previous era of contemporary R&B – think 💿 Chocolate Factory era 🎙 R. Kelly (aughts).  This sound is a sweet spot for Ron Isley; he’s able to show off that silky smooth tenor and compel with a ripe falsetto.

The record is incredibly feel-good, groovy, and clean-cut.  Even 🎙 Snoop Dogg keeps things classy and ‘classic,’ riding the beat with ease.  Ultimately, we get refined songwriting, awesome vocals (Ron is 80) and fine production (robust bass line, horns, keys). Can you say #Vibes!

Appears in 🔻:

• An Engaging, Unorthodox Soundtrack to Spring (2021)
• Awesome Songs: April 2021
• 40 Best Songs of 2021 (So Far)
• Best Songs of 2021: Honorable Mentions
• Friend: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 1 (2023)

7. Mary Mary, “Superfriend”

💿 The Sound • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 2008

“They’re here now, but then they’re gone / Where they at? I don’t know.” Where’s who at, 🎙 Mary Mary? Why, those so-called friends, of course! The contemporary gospel duo goes on to sing in the chorus of 🎵 “Superfriend” that “Ay, oh, they hit the door / That kinda friend, I gotta let go.”  A friend who is not going to fulfill the role is a friend that is not needed, nor fits the definition of a true friend.  Thankfully and mercifully, the duo – and all who believe – have a much better option.  The chorus of this gem from 💿 The Sound continues: “A super friend, a super friend / Yes sir, I got me one of them / A super friend, a super friend / I got me a super friend.”

That super friend is God,  the ultimate friend. 🎙 Erica Campbell goes on to sing in the verse, “No sir, there’s no halfway about him / This world could be nothing without him.” The Campbell sisters get a lift from an unexpected guest, 🎙 David Banner.  Banner keeps it clean long enough to tout the goodness of God in the second verse:

“And in the church, Lord I’m looked at as Satan

‘Cause in my music I curse

But I’m tryin’ to do better and that’s the thing that really hurts

All this sex and the drugs in my life mean nothin’

When my super friend hugs me at night, tears come rushin’

…So, stuntin’ is a habit when I’m grippin’ this mic

Y’all thinkin’ I’m a pimp but I’m trying to be like Christ

In real life, yeah.”

Banner talks about how he’s perceived by the church/church folk as an explicit rapper.  Even though he’s admittedly imperfect, he is a God-fearing man.  Regardless, Banner contributes to just how awesome God, the ultimate friend – a super friend – is. That, right there, is uplifting if I do say so myself!

Appears in 🔻:

• Mary Mary, “Superfriend”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 23 (2022)
• Friend: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 1 (2023)

8. Machine Gun Kelly & blackbear, “my ex’s best friend”

💿 Tickets to My Downfall • 🏷 Bad Boy / Interscope • 📅 2020

On his 2020 album, 💿 Tickets to My Downfall, 🎙 Machine Gun Kelly did an ‘about face’ shifting from rap to pop-punk.  All in all, it wasn’t a far-fetched shift considering Kells looks the part and has always had a rock star aesthetic.  Furthermore, Tickets to My Downfall has some intriguing moments including 🎵 “My ex’s best friend” featuring 🎙 blackbear. Naturally, him and blackbear are a perfect match.  Both possess that rock energy (and ample tattoos). The listener, additionally, is treated to a rad chorus:

“I swear to God, I never fall in love

Then you showed up and I can’t get enough of it

I swear to God, I never fall in love

I never fall in love, but I can’t get enough of it.”

While I’ve emphasized the rock lane, this song does feature some hip-hop, particularly during bear’s verse.  Those drums – NOT ROCK, that’s for sure! Furthermore, bear’s melody is rhythmic, like rap and melodic rap.  Ultimately, the results of this sub-two-and-a-half-minute joint are successful.

Appears in 🔻:

• Best: 5ive Songs No. 91 (2021)
• Ex-: 5ive Songs No. 94 (2021)

9. The Weeknd, “Best Friends”

💿 Dawn FM • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2022

“Don’t try to take it further / Focus on the friendship…” On 🎵 “Best Friends,” the ninth track from 💿 Dawn FM, 🎙 The Weeknd distances himself from love – sort of.  On this modern R&B joint, he asserts he’s become best friends with this girl but doesn’t want anything deeper emotionally.  Why? He believes he’ll mess it up (“‘Cause I’ll get clumsy and tear it apart / I love you so (oh yeah), but we can’t get close”).

Still, the singer is enjoying sex with her (FWB), but she’s doesn’t seem to approve of it, per the pre-chorus: “Oh, friends no more / Sex as friends no more / You don’t wanna have sex as friends no more.”  That seems to prompt the question, 🎵 “Is There Someone Else?” Hmm!

10. Conan Gray, “Best Friend”

💿 Superache • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2022

As you’d expect the 🎙 Conan Gray song, 🎵 “Best Friend” (💿 Superache, 2022), is about friendship.  In Conan’s hands, the friend(s) aren’t just his ‘best friend,’ but his “fucking best friend, that’s my fucking right hand.” Gray is profane AF, serving up no shortage of f-bombs. A prime example: “Remember when you broke up with your fucking ex? … God, I swear that bitch was such a narcissist.” Woo! Is the profanity necessary? Eh, probably not, but I find the contrast of a relatively low-key performance with the bite of swearing intriguing, like #F*CK YEAH! Compared to the verses, the chorus is more energetic without being overblown.

 11. VINCINT, “The Friend”

💿 There Will Be Tears • 🏷 Vincint Cannady • 📅 2021

“Do I have to take, a picture in your favourite sweater / To get you to talk to me?” 🎙 VINCINT asks in the first verse of 🎵 “The Friend”. “The Friend” appears as the fourth track on his 2021 album, 💿 There Will Be Tears. He continues the first verse, singing, “Cause you know I hate, when I don’t hear from you, and it’s been forever / And there’s a lot going on with me.” VINCINT wrote “The Friend” alongside 🎼 ✍ Betty Who and Johnny Shorr. Shorr produced the brief record.

So, what is VINCINT getting at on “The Friend?” Well, clearly, he’s in the friend zone, big time. Ugh!  He never experiences anything more than friendship as he’s “Never the one with the kiss in the rain and the happy end.”  Hmm, I can relate… lots of people can for that matter.  Despite trying to be happy, it is hard when “You’re holding him, he’s loving you, and he’s not the only one.” Indeed! Hopefully, despite always being the friend, perhaps, one day, VINCINT will be THE ONE.  It should be worth noting, you do NOT have to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community to relate to this one!  Also, VINCINT has a truly radiant, expressive voice that shines on this authentic, mid-tempo modern pop record. 

Appears in 🔻:

• VINCINT, “The Friend”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 5 (2023)

12. Eddie Kendricks, “Intimate Friends”

💿 Slick • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1977

“Your love, takes me higher / My life, you inspire / Fill me with love and desire / Your love takes me higher.” For legendary soul singer, 🎙 Eddie Kendricks, his relationship with his lover is lit 🔥.  Clearly, the former Temptations standout is I-N-F-A-T-U-A-T-E-D on 🎵 “Intimate Friends”, which graces his 1977 album, 💿 Slick. ‘Slick’ “Intimate Friends” is in numerous ways.  For one, the production by 🎛Leonard Caston and David Van dePitte is soulful to the n^th degree.  It is worth noting, in 2005, 🎙 Alicia Ke ys reminded us how awesome the instrumental from this song is, sampling it in her 🏆 Grammy-nominated hit, 🎵 “Unbreakable”.  “Intimate Friends” is also slick considering the theme and lyrics.  🎼 ✍ Gary Glenn composed a gem which Kendricks does a fabulous job of bring to life.  Intimate friends feels like something more than platonic friends.

To his credit, Kendrick never mentions the word sex. That said, does he need to? Intimacy can mean different things, but it is easy to infer that making love is part of the script.  In the second verse, Eddie sings, “Our love shines brighter, than the morning sun / Two hearts together becoming as one.” Yes, they are in a long-term, committed relationship.  Also, they seem to be, ‘making to do’ as well. The big takeaway, however, is that this is terrific soul classic, one that doesn’t earn the same acclaim as the bigger, better known hits, including his own no. 1 hit, 🎵 “Keep On Truckin’”.

Appears in 🔻:

• Eddie Kendricks, “Intimate Friends”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 23 (2023)

13. Dionne Warwick & Friends, “That’s What Friends Are For”

💿 Platinum & Gold Collection • 🏷 Sony Legacy • 🗓 2003

Sometimes, the cover version of a song ends up being the definitive version.  This occurs because the covering musician (1) does a more memorable take or (2) the original isn’t considered to be universal classic.  As mentioned earlier, 🎙 Rod Stewart originally recorded the 🎼 ✍ Burt Bacharach (RIP) and 🎼 ✍ Carole Bayer Sager, 🎵 “That’s What Friends Are For”; he does a respectable job, all told.  That said, no disrespect to Rod, but the best and most successful rendition of the song is performed by 🎙 Dionne Warwick, 🎙 Elton John, 🎙 Gladys Knight, and 🎙 Stevie Wonder – aka 🎙 Dionne & Friends.

Dionne & Friends took “That’s What Friends Are For” to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. Just the addition of Stevie Wonder’s harmonica is enough to declare this 🏆 Grammy-winning performance as the definitive take.  The record from Warwick’s album, 💿 Friends, finds her taking the reins first in the first verse.  Her voice is easygoing – pleasant and radiant. Elton John joins her for the final lyric, duetting with her on select lines in the beloved, friendly chorus!

“Keep smiling, keep shining

Knowing you can always count on me for sure

That’s what friends are for

In good times, in bad times

I’ll be on your side forevermore

Oh, that’s what friends are for.”

Wonder arrives in the second verse, showing off incredibly impressive vocals.  He brings more grit than Dionne and is joined by Elton John in the second half. These two have remarkable chemistry. During the chorus, it’s all Stevie, who sets up an equally powerful chorus by Gladys Knight.  That rich alto has rarely been matched.  Finally, John gets his biggest moments, showing off his own soulful, unrivaled vocals on the final chorus, with the return of Dionne and the rest of the friends. 

Appears in 🔻:

• Dionne & Friends, “That’s What Friends Are For”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 55 (2022)
• Rod Stewart vs. Dionne Warwick: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 26 (2022)
• 15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 2 (2022)

13 Utterly Friend-tastic Friend Songs [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Capitol, ICY, Interscope, OVO, Republic, RI Top Ten, Saint Levant, Sony Legacy, Sony Music Entertainment, UMG Recordings, Inc., Vincent Cannady, Warner; Andrea Piacquadio, Armin Rimoldi, juan idier Alba Enriquez, Kampus Production, Monstera, Vanessa Loring, William Fortunato via Pexels]