15 Blind Songs That Totally Stand Out | Playlist 🎧

1. The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”

💿 After Hours • 🏷 Republic • 🗓 2020

The best song from 💿 After Hours, as well as the best song of 2020, is 🎵 “Blinding Lights”.  The former Billboard Hot 100 no. 1 hit is an epic pop song by 🏆 Grammy-winning, Canadian R&B artist, 🎙 The Weeknd (🎙 Abel Tesfaye).  Shockingly, “Blinding Lights” and After Hours, arguably The Weeknd’s best work to date was snubbed by the Grammys.  Of course, you can’t cry over spilled milk, so, let’s continue to rave over this musical excellence despite the fact it was WRONGED. “Blinding Lights”  commences enigmatically with a minor key (eventually settling into major) and moody synths.  This is before the groove settles in, one of the biggest selling points. There’s plenty to ❤ about this single, starting with its pop/pop-rock vibe. 🎛 Max Martin and 🎛 Oscar Holter produce alongside Tesfaye.

“Blinding Lights” features beautiful vocals, the form is straightforward, while the centerpiece should come as no surprise – the chorus:

“I said, ooh, I’m blinded by the lights

No, I can’t sleep until I feel your touch

I said, ooh, I’m drowning in the night
Oh, when I’m like this, you’re the one I trust

Hey, hey hey.”

Thematically, The Weekend focuses on love, relationships, and sex – predictable, but always effective. All in all, “Blinding Lights” is superb, showing his versatility on this sick, utterly infectious, pop record.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Awesome Songs: December 2019
• 51 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far): Year in Review
• 100 BEST SONGS OF 2020
• The Weeknd, After Hours: 4GEMZ 💎 4 (2021)
• Light: 5ive Songs No. 75 (2021)
• Blind: 5ive Songs No. 46 (2022)
• The Weeknd vs. All Time Low: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 33 (2022)

2. Emily Weisband, “Blind”

🎵 “Blind” • 🏷 WeisOne • 📅 2022 

“I see you and me tryna fake happy / I see all the reasons why it ended badly,” 🎙 Emily Weisband sings on here 2022 single, 🎵 “Blind.” Clearly, matters of the heart are messing with Weisband’s vision: “I see I’m better alone, I see all of that, I know / Then I see your name come up on my phone…” Yep, reopening past relationships and flames 🔥 is a surefire way to lead to blindness!

“And I go blind again (I-I-I, I-I-I)

And I don’t mind again (I-I-I, I-I-I)

Yeah, I’m not gonna lie

No, I’m not gonna lie

Baby, I see you and all of a sudden, I

I’m blind again.”

Well, clearly, Weisband is willing to open herself up to a loss of eyesight 😏. At least the fact that she’s in her feelings is our utmost listening pleasure. “Blind” was produced by 🎛 Sam Ellis, who gives Weisband an exceptional backdrop. It commences with a lovely piano introduction with more thoughtful, awesome production touches following. Weisband delivers beautiful vocals. She never over sings yet convincingly conveys the reasons for her blindness. The excerpted chorus is tuneful and memorable. Furthermore, the brief, contrasting bridge ‘lowers the temperature’ before it ascends once more in the final, blinding chorus.

3. EST Gee, “Love is Blind”

🎵 “Love is Blind” • 🏷 CMG / Interscope • 📅 2022 

“Come take a trip down memory lane with a gravedigger / A made nigga, poppin’ painkillers don’t make me think different.” Woo! Following a brief intro on 🎵 “Love is Blind”,  rapper 🎙 EST Gee jumps right in, turned all the way up! “Love is Blind,” which clocks in well under three minutes in duration, packs a punch, nonetheless. It features a banging, malicious trap beat, produced by 🎛 FOREVEROLLING and 🎛 Marko Lenz. Besides the banging beat, I love the dark, synth horns as well as the piano ostinato, which brings some classiness to this grimy, gritty rap banger.

“Bossed up, I bought all my whips with cash, it came with paper tags / Three kilos and one five hundred grams, all my Cubans dance.” And again, we all say, WOO! EST Gee drops unapologetic, agile rhymes. He flexes like a B-O-S-S. There’s one big verse, with the rapper talking his sheee-it. Unsurprisingly, “Love is Blind” is set in a minor key, further cementing its hard-nosed, menacing nature.

“Riata Drive, whoever tryna collide, know it’s suicide

Love is blind, so is my left eye, so fuck the other side.”

Appears in 🔻:

• EST Gee, “Love is Blind”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 19 (2022)
• Awesome Songs: August 2022

4. Kelis, “Blindfold Me” (Ft. Nas)

💿 Kelis Was Here • 🏷 LaFace • 🗓 2006

“When he want it he blindfolds me / Then I get sexy on him, get sexy on him.” Now that’s a day-um quote, 🎙 Kelis.  On 🎵 “Blindfold Me” from her 2006 album, 💿 Kelis Was Here, the sex is pronounced.  She’s not shy about how it goes down, coming off incredibly assertive when it comes to ‘making it do.’ “Had to show him what a pro I was,” she sings in the first verse, continuing, “I was headed for the light, he refused to take a bite / Till I put my blindfolders on.” That’s some kinky 💩 right there, but that’s how she wants it… In the second verse, she describes his performance, and well, it’s safe to say it’s breathtaking (“Bout the third or fourth time you ain’t had to do that”).

Worth noting, her ex-husband, 🎙 Nas, arrives as the featured guest in the third verse.  Of course, it’s sexed-up: “The bed is the Bentley, I’m doing the steering.” And, fittingly, there’s a BSDM element in play:

“Though you fine, I like to cover up half your face

If you blind and can’t see what I’m ‘bout to do

The suspense so intense won’t allow you to move

Gonna surprise you, like Hugh Grant in 8 and a half weeks…”

Expectedly, the music video is sexy. That said, being released in 2006 and not the 2010s or 2020s, it’s not extremely explicit – more suggestive.  Don’t get it twisted though – still titillating! It’s safe to say that Kelis likes it freaky, baby!

Appears in 🔻:

• Kelis, “Blindfold Me”: After Dark No. 18
• Blind: 5ive Songs No. 46 (2022)

5. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded By The Light”

💿 The Roaring Silence • 🏷 East Central One Limited • 📅 1976

“Blinded by the light / Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night.” Classic English rock band 🎙 Manfred Mann’s Earth Band is renowned for one particular record: 🎵 “Blinded By The Light.” Something that should be noted about “Blinded By The Light” is it’s a Bruce Springsteen cover. That said, 🎙 Manfred Mann and company hold the rare distinction of transforming and usurping the original! “Blinded By The Light” appears in their 1976 album, 💿 The Roaring Silence.

“And go-kart Mozart was checkin’ out the weather chart

To see if it was safe outside

And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly

And asked me if I needed a ride

Asked me if I needed a ride!”

Okay! On The Roaring Silence, there are two versions of “Blinded By The Light.” The LP commences with the seven-minute-plus version. It concludes with a more accessible, sub-four-minute single edit.  Besides the elite songwriting of Mr. Springsteen (“Some brimstone, baritone, anticyclone, rolling stone

preacher from the east…”), what else makes “Blinded By The Light” a surefire vibe? How about colorful production and a palette of sounds including backing vocals, guitars, keys, fat bass line, etc.? Throughout the course of the epic seven-minute original, the listener is blessed by superb lead vocals, an epic groove, which arrives at the beginning, and fantastic guitar riffs and soloing. If this record blinds you, it blinds you with its greatness!

Appears in 🔻:

• Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded By The Light”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 79 (2022)

6. As I Lay Dying, “Blinded”

💿 Shaped by Fire • 🏷 Nuclear Blast • 📅 2019

“Have you ever been blinded by the pain? / Blinded, blinded by the pain.” If you ever need a ‘blind’ song that rocks hard as hell, well, 🎙 As I Lay Dying have one for you, courtesy of 🎵 “Blinded.” “Blinded” appears on the long-time, heavy metal band’s 2019 album, 💿 Shaped by Fire.  Controversial frontman 🎙 Tim Lambesis handles the majority of the vocals, though bassist and clean vocalist 🎙 Josh Gilbert joins him on the chorus section, providing a more melodic sound.

From the jump, you could describe “Blinded” as an ‘adrenaline rush.’ The tempo is lightening quick, while the energy is on another level. Some characterizing factors include jagged, totally badass guitars, pummeling drums, and of course, shouted, angst-filled vocals (Lambesis).  The spirit of rock and roll is alive and well. After an initial, ‘manic as hell’ burst, As I Lay Dying, as suggested earlier, the listener is able to ‘catch their breath’ temporarily on the more melodic chorus.

“Have you ever been blinded by the pain?

Losing yourself inside the heartache.”

Even so, Lambesis is ‘turned the F’ up throughout the course of the record.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs That Are Blind to a Certain Degree

7. Gucci Mane, “Blind” (Ft. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie)

💿 Delusions of Grandeur • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2019

“Bitch, it’s President’s Day, I’m the president.” Good to know 🎙 Gucci Mane, good to know.  The ever-prolific southern rapper is known to release multiple projects in the same year.  💿 Delusions of Grandeur marked his first album of 2019, featuring a song that fits this blind-centric playlist.  Guess what the name of that joint is? 🎵 “Blind” of course and Gucci enlists another ubiquitous rapper for the assist, 🎙 A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.

Focusing on “Blind,” Gucci Mane and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie have a hella smooth backdrop to work with.  That’s exactly what you get with 🎛 Zaytoven behind the boards.  Zay fuels Gucci’s fire, as he shows off an excellent flow, sounding relatively agile with a clear delivery. Of course, the man is drippy AF – “I need a towel ‘cause I’m drippin’ colder, Klondike Bear (Well damn).” As for A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, he first brings his uniqueness to the chorus:

“Hah, she know my pockets is swollen

She worried ‘bout the wrong things, yeah

Ninety-nine pair of Balmains, yeah

And she be actin’ like she know me…”

Beyond the chorus, Hoodie SZN continues on the second verse, in all its quirkiness. Boogie opts for his pitched, melodic approach, which works well on this particular record. That said, we’re almost ‘blinded’ by him – it’s a hearty helping of ABWDH to say the least. He dominates the record following the compelling performance by Gucci Mane initially.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs That Are Blind to a Certain Degree

8. Thomas Dolby, “She Blinded Me with Science”

💿 The Golden Age of Wireless • 🏷 The Echo Label Limited • 📅 1982

“It’s poetry in motion / She turned her tender eyes to me / As deep as any ocean / As sweet as any harmony.” English musician 🎙Thomas Dolby is the most famous for the song at hand, 🎵 “She Blinded Me with Science”. “She Blinded me with Science” serves as the opener on his 1982 album, 💿 The Golden Age of Wireless. It’s safe to say, “She Blinded Me With Science” is an infectious record from the start!

“But she blinded me with science / (She blinded me with science!) / Failed me in biology, hey, huh, huh!” “She Blinded Me with Science” makes exceptional use of rhythm.  Furthermore, there is an assortment of cool vocal effects and spoken word lines. This record sounds idiomatic of the 80s with its boxy drum programming, rhythmic guitars, whacky synths, and keyboards. This entertaining record sounds distinct, somewhat weird, and definitely ear-catching. This is a unique listening experience from the get-go. It’s very tongue-in-cheek lyrically (“Ha, it’s poetry in motion / Now she’s making love to me / The spheres are in commotion / The elements in harmony”).  Even so, there are some truly fantastic melodic moments. “Poetry in motion,” indeed!

Appears in 🔻:

• Thomas Dolby, “She Blinded Me with Science”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 80 (2022)

9. Niall Horan, “Seeing Blind” (Ft. Maren Morris)

💿 Flicker • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2017

🎙 Niall Horan.  Horan released his debut album, 💿 Flicker, in 2017, buoyed by the success of  singles 🎵 “This Town” and 🎵 “Slow Hands”.  Sadly, neither of those highlights matches the blinding parameters of 🎧 15 Blind Songs That Totally Stand Out.  Luckily, another song from Flicker DOES meet the criteria.  That would be 🎵 “Seeing Blind,” featuring 🏆 Grammy-winning country musician, 🎙 Maren Morris.

“I have seen, seen it all in paper dreams / Watched it unfold on the screen / But I never understood…” Ah, matters of the heart – love.  From a cursory listen, at the onset, “Seeing Blind” seems destined for success.  The production is driven by an acoustic sound, treading light as opposed to being heavy. The sound is heavier in the chorus, which is more intense and thrilling.

“Oh, my, my, you just took me by surprise

And I can’t believe my eyes

Oh, I. must be seein’ blind

Oh, no I, you’re too good to be all mine

Now I’m lookin’ in your eyes

Oh, I must be seein’ blind.”

While Maren Morris is an unexpected collaborator for Horan, she ends up being a ‘match made in heaven.’  “Seeing Blind” is folk-pop, and honestly, not too far-fetched from country, particularly given the songwriting.

Appears in 🔻:

• Songs That Require Sharp Sight to See, Vol. 2
• 11 Songs That Are Blind to a Certain Degree

10. ROLE MODEL, “blind”

💿 our little angel – EP • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2020

“I haven’t felt a thing this year / And I’m only tryin’ to be sincere.” 🎙 ROLE MODEL, the tatted, pop singer from Maine, references a girl that’s eliminated numbness on 🎵 “blind” (💿 our little angel – EP). From the start, ROLE MODEL sets the tone of “blind,” painting a portrait of the most gorgeous girl you’ve ever seen.  “She got the gold hoops, Prada fit / I’m in love with all of it,” he sings, longing for this specimen.  For good measure, at the end of the first verse, he adds, “You make everyone look like they aren’t anyone.” In the second verse, he points out how this nameless, Prada girl is similar to him, particularly when it comes to that thing known as the plight of love:

“I stay pretty numb, never fell for anyone

You seem similar, always end up getting hurt.”

Between the verses, following the pre-chorus, we get to the biggest moment, the irresistibly delicious chorus, where ROLE MODEL professes his feelings.  Ultimately, he states, “I think I’m going blind; I hope it doesn’t change / ‘Cause I’ve never seen something quite like you.” Regardless of whether he’s found true love or the latest flavor of the month, only time will tell, but what he sings about is quite relatable, period.

Appears in 🔻:

• Blind: 5ive Songs No. 46 (2022)

11. AB6IX, “Blind for Love”

💿 6IXENSE • 🏷 BRANDNEW MUSIC • 📅 2019 

🎵 “Blind for Love” appears as the second song off of 💿 6IXENSE, the 2019 album by 🎙 AB6IX.  Who is AB6IX? Great question! AB6IX is one of many South Korean groups (K-pop) to bow in 2019.  This particular K-pop group is comprised of five members: 🎙 Youngmin, 🎙 Woong, 🎙 Donghyun, 🎙 Woojin, and 🎙 Daehwi.  As is the case for the majority of K-Pop, “Blind for Love” is exclusively in Korean, with select phrases in English.  Yeah, we may not completely understand the full impact of the blindness, but we definitely feel the vibe… or something like that!

“Blind for Love” is an incredibly groovy joint, characterized by energetic, rhythmic, hard-hitting drum programming.  The production is quite ornate – as sleek as they come.  As for the vocals, as is the expectation for any boy band or K-pop collective, they’re smooth, further aided by superb vocal production.  Every note is accounted for, to say the least! In addition to some sick pop vocals (intact with falsetto), there’s some impressive rapping as well, characteristic of modern pop and of course, K-Pop.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs That Are Blind to a Certain Degree

12. DaBaby, “Blind” (Ft. Young Thug)

💿 BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE) • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2020

🎵 “BLIND,” which appears on 💿 BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE), is the first song from the deluxe version that feels like there’s hit potential.  Here, 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 DaBaby gets the assist from fellow 🏆 Grammy nominee, 🎙 Young Thug, who always brings intrigue and quirkiness to the track. “BLIND” doesn’t ‘go hard’ like the opening trio of the deluxe, opting for more of a pop, contemporary R&B vibe. Even so, we get the same energy from Baby – animated, in-your-face rhymes.

DaBaby’s best moment comes by way of the chorus, which is an instant hit:

“I just got the key, they let me in, no ID

Doors openin’ up for me and now I see

I’ve been blind for a while now

I’ve been blind for a while now.”

Young Thug gets in on this chorus too, after he drops a colorful, honest second verse (“I’ve been quarantined, livin’ with my kiddies / Tryna teach me how to cha-cha, whoa”).  Never change, Thugga, never change.

Appears in 🔻:

• Blind: 5ive Songs No. 46 (2022)

13. Atreyu, “Blind Deaf & Dumb”

💿 In Our Wake • 🏷 Spinefarm • 📅 2018 

“This shit’s contagious like a fucking disease / Infecting every stupid person that’s in front of me / Goddamn / How blind are we / To only see the differences in everything?” Explicit, explicit, explicit!  That said, it seems like 🎙 Alex Varkatzas has a legitimate point!  In 2018, Varkatzas, the former lead vocalist of the Californian metalcore band, dropped their seventh studio album, 💿 In Our Wake.  Among the songs appearing on that album and certainly pertinent to this particular list, is 🎵 “Blind Deaf & Dumb.”

Besides the liberal profanity, there are plenty of other things that make “Blind Deaf & Dumb” stand out. First and foremost is the energy, which is incredibly infectious. Varkatzas takes us on a ride, and it is pretty R-A-D to say the least. The aforementioned excerpt from the first verse is a perfect example of the epic nature of this joint from In Our Wake.  ‘The second verse is like unto it,’ with Alex keeping it 100 – brutal honesty:

“Your ignorance, it isn’t a gift

But you keep it, love it, nurture it

…It feels like the end, are you sick of it?”

The best part of the song, in addition to the hard-hitting, kickass, guitar-fueled backdrop is the chorus, which is as intense AF:

“Blind, deaf, and dumb

Hopeless and happily numb

Wearing a smile as we create our own hell

We’re at an all-time low

Can you get that through your skull?

How can we fix the world if you can’t fix yourself?”

Quite a sermon Alex, quite a sermon, indeed!

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs That Are Blind to a Certain Degree

14. Korn, “Blind”

💿 Korn • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 1994

Among the most famous blind songs arrives courtesy of 🎙 Korn.  🎵 “Blind” serves as the opener from 💿 Korn, the 1994, debut album by the nu-metal collective. “Blind” is a marvelous introduction to 🎙 Jonathan Davis and company.  Things commence with the enigmatic use of ride at the onset.  Next, unique distorted, disjointed guitar riffs enter, providing an awesome, truly ear catching effect.  The band takes its time building up the groove, eventually creating a record that sounds hellish and malicious.

Once “Blind” settles in, Davis provides a terrific vocal performance.  Generally, it’s mostly even keel, with some of it sung in an undertone or whisper.  Even so, there are some more assertive, grittier moments. Among the grittier moments arrives towards the end, as Davis sings,  “I can see, I can see, I can see I’m going blind.” Woo! Something else that’s incredibly cool about “Blind” is how the tempo fluctuates between sections – quite creative! One of the best takeaways from this record is how much contrast Korn brings to the table.  To reiterate, “Blind” serves as a marvelous introduction to Korn.

“Another place I find

To escape the pain inside

You don’t know the chances

What if I should die?

A place inside my brain

Another kind of pain

You don’t know the chances

I’m so blind.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Korn, “Blind”: Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 No. 13 (2022)

15. Etta James, “I’d Rather Go Blind”

💿 Tell Mama • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1968

“I would rather, I would rather go blind boy / Than to see you walk away from me child.”  Those lyrics hail from the timeless, 🎙 Etta James classic, 🎵 “I’d Rather Go Blind”.  The late, great blues and R&B musician earned a surefire hit with this gem from her 1968 album, 💿 Tell Mama. “Something deep down in my soul said, ‘Cry girl,’ / When I saw you and that girl, walking around.” Intriguing.  James sings with incredible expression and nuance. Furthermore, the music – the arrangement and production – are simply beautiful.  The vintage soul aesthetic is idiomatic of 1960s blues/soul.

From my perspective, thematically, “I’d Rather Go Blind” appears to be about a defunct romantic relationship.  Early on, all indications suggest that that’s the direction Etta James (and her songwriters) were opting for.  “Something told me it was over,” she sings in the first line of the first verse, continuing, “When I saw you and her talking.” That adds up perfectly to an ended relationship.  However, throwing in lyrics like child and even the repeated use of boy open up “I’d Rather Go Blind” to a potentially different interpretation. This is owed to the clever nature of the lyrics.  The other interpretation is perhaps a mother is losing her son and that’s what’s made her feel sad.  I find it to be a slight stretch but songs like “I’d Rather Go Blind” that offer multiple possibilities are truly brilliant.

Appears in 🔻:

• Etta James, “I’d Rather Go Blind”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 75 (2022)
• Blind: 5ive Songs No. 46 (2022)