14 He, She, Her, or Him Songs | Playlist

“14 He, She, Her, or Him Songs” features pronoun-loving songs courtesy of 5 Seconds of Summer, 6LACK, Arctic Monkeys, Cardi B, and Matt Fishel among others.

There is power in pronouns, or at least, I think so.  Sure, pronouns aren’t necessarily the ‘go-to’ when compiling an intriguing playlist for entertainment purposes, but in this case, they ‘fuel the fire.’ 14 He, She, Her, or Him Songs features songs focused on girls and boys or men and women in various capacities.  In most instances, the songs appearing on this list are attached to love and sex, with only one truly notable exception – looking at you Arctic Monkeys.  In addition to Arctic Monkeys, musicians providing the soundtrack for these pronoun-loving songs include 5 Seconds of Summer, 6LACK, Cardi B, and Matt Fishel among others.

1. Arctic Monkeys, “She Looks Like Fun”

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino • Domino • 2018

“Smile like you’ve got a straw in something tropical / I’ve got the party plugged right into my skull / Wayne Manor, what a memorable NYE.” K… Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino highlight “She Looks Like Fun” sounds suspect from the start. The titular lyric sounds like sexual innuendo, even if Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner isn’t saying anything particular sexual.  That’s part of the modus operandi, clearly, as the band makes a statement about the ills of social networking and the judgmental nature and insensitivity of some people.  On the second verse, Turner delivers the biting lyric, “There’s no limit to the length of the dickheads we can be.” There’s also a colorful bridge:

“No one’s on the streets
We move it all online as of March
I’m so full of shite
I need to spend less time stood around in bars
Waffling on to strangers all about martial arts...”

2. Tinashe, “He Don’t Want It”

Joyride • RCA • 2018

“Said I’m a faint lover / Oh, you need to just call me / Private show / He don’t, he don’t want it.” Okay then… “He Don’t Want It,” like many of the songs from Joyride, lacks depth lyrically.  Even so, R&B singer Tinashe delivers some of her best vocals, flaunting a beautiful, brilliant upper register.  Her coy, playful approach only amplifies the sickness of this sleek slow jam.

“I know what I got and I like what I like
Don’t come around with nothin’, and I’m whippin’ out of time
We just ain’t right, we just ain’t right, no
He don’t want it
Just ain’t right, we just ain’t right.”

3. 6LACK, “Let Her Go”

East Atlanta Love Letter • Interscope • 2018

“You know, you the main attraction / I can’t hit nobody else for the love, I need you for that action / And she like, ‘who you tryin’? I ain’t the only one that you been eyein’.” #Drama. Anyways, Grammy-nominated Atlanta rapper and singer 6LACK released his highly-anticipated sophomore album, East Atlanta Love Letter in 2018.  Among the 14-song track list is the song at hand, “Let Her Go,” where 6LACK seems to question the current status and future of his relationship. A tight record clocking in under three minutes in duration, the fourth track from East Atlanta Love Letter is definitely a relatable one.

“Yeah, if I let her go
Will I regret it? Will I forget it?
Well, it’s somethin’ I don’t know
It’s somethin’ I don’t know.”

4. Joji, “Will He”

In Tongues (Deluxe) • 88rising • 2018

“Will your tongue still remember the taste of my lips? / Will your shadow remember the swing of my hips? / Will your lover caress you the way that I did?” “Will He” opens In Tongues enigmatically. It’s melancholy, indulgent, and heavy.  Despite the weight carried by the sound and vibe, the sound is very beautiful and well-produced.  Joji delivers respectable vocals, singing the moody lyrics with passion and authenticity.  He successfully conveys his feelings and the narrative.  That narrative is ex-girl is with a new boy and it’s not him.  Although a bit indulgent, all in all, it’s a great start to In Tongues, and a welcome addition to this particular playlist.

“‘Cause I don’t need to know
I just want to make sure you’re okay
I don’t need to know
I just want to make sure you’re all safe.”

5. Cardi B, “She Bad”

Ft. YG

Invasion of Privacy • Atlantic • 2018

“Dat ass, dat ass, dat ass, dat ass… / She bad, she bad, she bad, she bad.” That’s some real lyrical depth right there… said no one ever.  Anyways, featured guest rapper YG brings some West Coast, Compton, Cali-style to the club-oriented Cardi B joint “She Bad.” Given the title, it’s no surprise that Cardi B herself is in incredibly raw, rare form.  Not only is she focused on money and shallow material things, sex plays a big part of her script.  “Damn daddy, you fine as hell / I hope your wallet got condoms in it,” she spits on the first verse.  Yep, she’s horny for sure. She’s even bolder come the second verse, spitting, “Weed blowin’, pussy boss, suck his dick through his drawers / Lick the balls just because, lil’ bitch, I eat balls / I’m a monsta, mouth open wide like opera / Face down, ass up, I got perfect posture (woo).” Indeed, “She Bad.”

6. Sam Smith, “HIM”

The Thrill of It All • Capitol • 2017 

“Holy father, we need to talk / I have a secret that I can’t keep / I’m not the boy that you thought you wanted / Please don’t get angry, have faith in me.” Much of The Thrill of It All sounds familiar in regards to Sam Smith establishing a sound and vibe.  “HIM” maintains that familiarity, but also exhibits a ‘different look.’  That different look goes beyond the high-flying, robust choral vocals backing him.  Smith is both spiritual, praying to God, and opens up about his sexuality. The message goes beyond Smith’s own status as a gay man; it’s all encompassing.  This is crystal clear on the chorus.

“Don’t you try and tell me that God doesn’t care for us
It is him I love, it is him I love.”

7. Camila Cabello, “She Loves Control”

Camila • Epic • 2018 

“Cold ‘cause she has been here before / She doesn’t cry anymore, no looking back / No, she doesn’t go to the bar / Too many lovers she’s scarred, and they want her back.” Awkward situation… Anyways, in the context of Camila, “She Loves Control” provides a spark and feistiness that “Never Be the Same” and “All These Years” misses. The Latin production cues play to the Camila Cabello’s strengths, much like the ubiquitous juggernaut that follows, “Havana”.

“She loves control, she wants it her way
And there’s no way she’ll ever stay unless you give it up
She loves control, she wants it her way
And all it takes is just one taste, you wanna give it up.”

8. G-Eazy & Halsey, “Him & I”

The Beautiful & Damned • RCA • 2017

“Cross my heart, hope to die / To my lover, I’d never lie / He said ‘be true,’ I swear I’ll try / In the end, it’s him and I.” So you say Halsey, so you say.  Bay Area rapper G-Eazy and the New Jersey-bred alt-pop artist join forces on “Him & I”. “Him & I” is a Bonnie and Clyde themed, rough-and-tumble relationship record.  The results are enjoyable, resulting in pleasant, no-frills vocals from Halsey, and agile rhymes from Eazy. The big message G-Eazy delivers throughout his verses center around love and commitment. Still, he serves up some salty language including f-bombs and the use of the word bitch ‘endearingly’.

“We turn up, mobbin’ ‘til the end of time
Only one who gets me, I’m a crazy fucking Gemini...
My funeral will be lit if I –
Ever go down or get caught, if they identify
My bitch was the most solid, nothing to solidify...”

9. Michael Ray, “Her World or Mine”

Amos • Warner Music Nashville • 2018

Who would’ve thought that buff, tatted, Florida country singer Michael Ray could show such an awesome, sensitive side like he does on “Her World or Mine”, a highlight from his sophomore album, Amos? Balladry is definitely one of Ray’s strong suits, evidenced by the song at hand. Beyond the sheer beauty of his pipes, he’s incredibly authentic; his performance is believable, relatable, and well-rounded.  Beyond the performance itself, the production (Scott Hendricks) is incredibly sophisticated and true to the country script in regards to sound and instrumentation. Also helping out Ray is well-crafted songwriting courtesy of Brett Beavers, Jamie Paulin, and Travis Denning.

“One of us moved on, one of us got stuck
One of us is drinkin’ just for fun, one of us drinkin’ to get drunk
One of us sleeps good, and one of us hates to face the night
Just depends if you’re talkin’ about her world or mine.”

10. James Arthur, “Can I Be Him”

Back from the Edge • Sony • 2017

“I swear that very word you sing / You wrote them for me / Like it was a private show / But I know you never saw me…” British pop singer James Arthur released his sophomore album, Back from the Edge in 2016.  Among the standouts from the album was single “Can I Be Him”, a well-written, polished record. Arthur showcases nice vocals throughout the course of “Can I Be Him,” sounding expressive, yearning, and flaunting the cracks in his voice.  The chorus – excerpted above and continued below – is one of the best moments of the record.

“...When the lights come on and I’m on my own
Will you be there to sing it again
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?”

11. Trent Harmon, “Her”

You Got ‘Em All • Big Machine • 2018

Trent Harmon won the final season of the original run of American Idol – when it was on Fox.  A talented singer, in some respects, the Mississippian pulled off somewhat of an upset beating another talented Mississippian, LaPorsha Renae.  Two years after being victorious, he finally released his full-length debut, You Got ‘Em All, to minimal commercial success. Nonetheless,

“Her,” the fourth track off of You Got ‘Em All, is a great example southern musical ear candy, if such a thing exists. The southern sensibilities on “Her” include a blend of country, rock, and soul.  The electric piano and organ add a churchy, soulful touch, not to mention the lilting, six-eight meter.

“You could be fine, you could be sweet
You could be everything that I need
Could be the fix, could be the cure, but whatever you are girl
One thing’s for sure, you’ll never be her, her, her, her
You’ll never be her, her, her.”

12. Matt Fishel, “I’m Totally Obsessed with Him”

M/F • Young Lust • 2018

“He’s in my heart, he’s in my lungs / He’s in everything that I touch / And I don’t know if I’m his salvation / But he feels like a savior to me.” That’s infatuation to the nth degree. Rock singer/songwriter Matt Fishel simply can’t stop thinking about this particular guy.  Throughout “I’m Totally Obsessed with Him,” he keeps his feelings 100.  On the first verse, Fishel asserts, “He wakes me up in a sweat on a Sunday morning / With the prettiest smile I think I’ve ever seen.” Later, in the same verse, he sings, “He’s just too beautiful to let out of my grip / That boy’s so damn perfect, all the other guys hate him.”

Expectedly, given the ‘obsession’, on the second verse, Fishel is even more descriptive, taking fan-boy to the next level.  “He’s got that chiseled jaw and cute freckles on both of his cheeks,’ he sings, continuing, “How I ache when he’s dressed in that chest-hugging vest with his guns out.” Despite as thirsty as Fishel feels, he surprisingly doesn’t cross the line.

13. Seconds of Summer, “She’s Kinda Hot”

Sounds Good Feels Good • Capitol • 2015

14.“She Looks So Perfect”

5 Seconds of Summer • Capitol • 2014

We close out this ‘he, she, him, or her’ playlist with Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer.  If you haven’t noticed, 5SOS have a couple of songs in their catalogue that features the pronoun, ‘she’. Because both of the songs are so great, it only seemed fitting to include both.  Starting with the most recent of the two, “She’s Kinda Hot” is an incredibly groovy, infectious record. Among the best lyrics besides the titular lyric, is the opening line: “My girlfriends bitching ‘cause I always sleep in.” Despite this, “She’s kinda hot though.”

A year earlier (2014), “She Looks So Perfect” gave 5SOS a breakout hit.  The best moment comes by way of the chorus, with a reference to American Apparel underwear leading the charge.  Random, but infectious.

“You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now that I’m so down
Your lipstick stain is a work of art
I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart
And I know now that I’m so down
Hey, hey.”

Photo Credits: 88rising, Atlantic, Big Machine, Capitol, Domino, Epic, Interscope, Pixabay, RCA, Sony, Warner Music Nashville, Young Lust