15 Epic Songs Regarding The World | Playlist 🎧

1. Whitney Houston & The Georgia Mass Choir, “Joy to the World”

💿 The Preacher’s Wife (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1996

“Joy to the world / The lord is come / Let Earth receive her king.” There are many awesome, spiritually savvy renditions of the Christmas carol, 🎵 “Joy to the World”.  The lyrics naturally proclaim the birth of a Savior, who’d ultimately die for our sins.  One of the best renditions comes courtesy of 🎙 Whitney Houston alongside 🎙 The Georgia Mass Choir.  Famously, the ‘Whitney’ version appears on 💿 The Preacher’s Wife Soundtrack, one of my personal favorite albums of the 90s. “Joy to the World” doesn’t need to be tweaked, but tweak it right, and you have a surefire masterpiece! Houston and The Georgia Mass Choir spice things up, giving the traditional carol more of a contemporary gospel spin, following a smooth, playful intro by Houston.  The sound is bright and energetic, masterfully celebrating J-E-S-U-S.  Houston’s vocals are at their peak.  She exhibits composure and poise, yet knows when to ‘let ‘em rip,’ taking the spirit next level.  The Georgia Mass Choir is there to provide a lift, and this ‘gospelized’ version plays directly to their strengths. Add in a vamp/breakdown section, and we get a hint of contemporary R&B ala the 90s.  Ultimately, this spirited take is one you’ll not only want to refresh you during Christmas, but into New Years and beyond.

Appears in 🔻: 

• Whitney Houston, “Joy to the World”: Sunday Refresh 🙏 30 (2021)
• Mariah Carey Whitney Houston: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 40 (2021)
• 13 Merry Christmas 🎄 Gems (Newer & Older) (2021)

2. Kendrick Lamar, “Worldwide Steppers”

💿 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2022

The controversial 🎙 Kodak Black introduces one of the best songs from the long awaited 🎙 Kendrick Lamar album, 💿 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers: 🎵 “Worldwide Steppers.” Despite Black’s appearance, Kendrick is the main attraction of this intense, minimally produced gem (🎛 Tae Beast, J.LBS, and Sounwave). Lamar nails the chorus, which references the viciousness of cancel culture: “I’m a killer, he’s a killer, she’s a killer, bitch / We some killers, walkin’ zombies, tryna scratch that itch…” Kendrick has plenty to say throughout the verses, with one of his more intriguing subjects being his infidelity, including having sex with white women (“Whitney asked did I have a problem / I said, ‘I might be racist’ / Ancestors watchin’ me fuck was like retaliation”).  Lamar is always thought-provoking and “Worldwide Steppers” ranks among the most interesting records of 2022.

Appears in 🔻: 

• Awesome Songs: May 2022
• 50 Best Songs of 2022
• World: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 12 (2023)

3. Rihanna, “Only Girl (In The World)”

💿 Loud • 🏷 EMI Records Ltd • 🗓 2010

“I want you to love me / Like I’m a hot ride.” Woo! 🎙 Rihanna has had no shortage of hits throughout her career – FACTS. One such hit came on her 🏆 Grammy-nominated, 2010 album, 💿 Loud: 🎵 “Only Girl (In The World)”.  Desiring to be treated like a queen – like the head B, you might say – she asserts in the tuneful chorus, “Want you to make me feel / Like I’m the only girl in the world / Like I’m the only one that you’ll ever love / Like I’m the only one who knows your heart.” The dedication, the expectations, and perhaps, most importantly, the monogamous sensibilities are lit to the n^th degree. Clearly, her man betta NOT be acting like there’s any other “girl in the world,” if he knows what’s good for him, phew! “Want you to take it / Like a thief in the night / Hold me like a pillow / Make me feel right.” Hell to the yeah!

4. John Lennon, “Woman Is The N****r Of The World”

💿 Sometime In New York City • 🏷 EMI Records Ltd • 🗓 1972

“Woman is the nigger of the world / Yes she is, think about it.” It doesn’t take much thought to see why the 🎙 John Lennon song, 🎵 “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World” (💿 Sometime In New York City) has earned its fair share of controversy. First and foremost, any time the hard n-word is used – the racial epithet of all racial epithets – controversy is sure to ensue.  Here, Lennon compares the plight of women to that of blacks, which conjures up a fair share of debate.  After all, for years, many blacks were enslaved, beaten, lynched, and treated as if they weren’t human.  Even after slavery ended, for a long time, it wasn’t smooth sailing in the least for people with more melanin in their skin.  At the same time, Lennon makes a good point about how woman have been treated unfairly compared to men worldwide.  That is very true, and Mr. Lennon makes it crystal clear he is very much a feminist.

“Woman is the nigger of the world,” he continues in the brief but powerful chorus, “Think about it, do something about it.” It is a controversial yet potent call to action. Lennon provides more evidence of how unfairly women have been treated on the verses.  “We make her paint her face and dance,” he sings in the first verse, “If she won’t be a slave, we say that she don’t love us.” Slave, again, is a controversial choice of word for Lennon, but, at the same time, it makes his point crystal clear.  Many men, even to this day, expect a degree of submission from their girlfriends and wives which is unfair and reduces them.  The second verse offers more: “We make her bear and raise our children /… We tell her home is the only place she should be.” As for the third, “We insult her every day on TV” and, “When she’s young, we kill her will to be free.”  It is easy to see why 🎵 “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World” raises eyebrows – the hard n-word is never an easy pill to swallow, speaking as a man of color.  That said, Lennon doesn’t come off as racist even if you wished he’d found a much less polarizing word.  It all about feminism on this thought-provoking record.

Appears in 🔻:

• John Lennon, “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 1 (2023)

5. Demi Lovato, “Mad World”

💿 Dancing with the Devil… The Art of Starting Over • 🏷 Island • 📅 2021

“All around me are familiar faces / Worn-out places, worn-out faces / Bright and early for their daily races / Going nowhere, going nowhere.” Ah, such beautiful, descriptive, and thoughtful lyrics – timeless! Interestingly, late on her seventh studio album, 💿 Dancing with the Devil… The Art of Starting Over, 🎙 Demi Lovato throws us a curveball.  After numerous originals, she drops a 🎙 Tears for Fears cover via 🎙 Gary Jules, 🎵 “Mad World.” The results are awesome, finding Demi singing expressively but also exhibiting the right amount of poise. As a record that doesn’t require gospel histrionics to be highly effective, Lovato shines with her modesty.  The centerpiece, of course, is the marvelous chorus, which is excerpted below.

“I find it hard to tell you, ‘cause I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It’s a very, very

Mad world.”

Appears in 🔻:

• 15 Ear Catching Covers (2021)

6. Jordan Davis, “What My World Spins Around”

💿 Bluebird Days • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2023

“I love a first cast when the water’s glass and the line starts to run / Or that first sip of a cold beer when the working week’s done.” Yep, that’s country to the core! Despite the country clichés, on 🎵 “What My World Spins Around” (💿 Bluebird Days, 2023), 🎙 Jordan Davis shares his dedication to that special somebody in his life; his focus is on HER. He penned “What My World Spins Around” alongside 🎼✍ Matt Dragstrem and Ryan Hurd, with  🎛 Paul DiGiovanni handling the production. Notably, during the chorus, the record grows more dynamic – gargantuan in scope. At the end of the first verse, after sharing all things he loves, he asserts, “But girl, that don’t even come close /… [you’re] what my world spins around.” During the chorus, he highlights the things he loves about her – she’s the most important thing to him in the world.  The sentiment is sweet. There’s just something about the profession of love, no matter what genre of music it is, that hits different!

Appears in 🔻:

• World: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 12 (2023)

7. JP Saxe, “If The World Was Ending” (Ft. Julia Michaels)

💿 Dangerous Levels of Introspection • 🏷 Arista • 📅 2021 

“But if the world was ending, you’d come over, right?” That is the question Canadian singer/songwriter 🎙 JP Saxe and American singer/songwriter 🎙 Julia Michaels pose on the single, 🎵 “If The World Was Ending”. Eventually, this sweet, thoughtfully penned, 🏆 Grammy-nominated song appeared on Saxe’s 2021 debut LP, 💿 Dangerous Levels of Introspection.  Notably, the lyrics refer to an earthquake in Los Angeles which occurred prior to recording the record.  Throw in a relationship aspect (defunct, mind you), alongside a potential lifechanging natural disaster, and you have the perfect theme for a pop song.  “I was distracted and in traffic / I didn’t feel the earthquake when it happened,” Saxe sings in the first verse, continuing, “But it really got me thinkin’, were you out drinkin’ / Were you in the living room, chillin’, watchin’ television.” Where was she? Michaels, who plays the role of ex-girlfriend, offers similar sentiments in the second verse, closing out by singing, “Ah, it’s been a year now, think I’ve figured out how / How to think about you without it rippin’ my heart out.” Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, where the feels all seem to come back:

“But if the world was ending, you’d come over, right?

You’d come over and you’d stay the night

Would you love me for the hell of it?

All our fears would be irrelevant.”

“If The World Was Ending” is a splendid song, performed and penned superbly by both Saxe and Michaels.

8. Brent Faiyaz, “Fuck the World (Summer in London)”

💿 Fuck the World • 🏷 Lost Kids • 📅 2020

“Wanna fuck the world, I’m a walkin’ erection…” Wow – what a ‘fucking’ opening lyric! Furthermore, the song at hand, 🎵 “Fuck the World (Summer in London),” serves as the title track of 🎙 Brent Faiyaz’s (Christopher Brent Wood) 2020 EP. 💿 Fuck the World definitely is NOT a family-friendly album/song title, but makes a clear, unapologetic point.  The opening line is not only the opening line of the song, but also the opening line of the chorus, which perfectly captures the essence of FTW:

“Wanna fuck the world, I’m a walkin’ erection

Spend without a thought, we do it reckless

Your nigga caught us texting

You said, ‘Baby, don’t be mad, you know how Brent is.’”

The chorus is only part of the goodness of “Fuck the World.” Faiyaz definitely ‘talks his shit,’ keeping it 100, coming over as cocky and confident throughout. His focus? All kinds of girls are sexually attracted to him, but just because it ‘goes down’ doesn’t mean it moves beyond temporary pleasure. As to where London comes into play on this unique sounding R&B record, per Brent, “Took a trip to London just to hear how they talk.” Fair enough – the British accent is pretty cool.

Appears in 🔻:

• 25 Colorful Songs, Clearly For Under Consent [of the] King (2020)
• World: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 12 (2023)

9. Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”

💿 Song From The Big Chair • 🏷 Mercury • 📅 1985 

“Welcome to your life / There’s no turning back / Even while we sleep / We will find you.” Oh, my 👀 😬! When you earn a no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, you have solidified a spot in history 💪! 🎙 Tears For Fears – 🎙 Roland Orzabal and 🎙 Curt Smith – earned two no. 1 hits.  Furthermore, both songs hailed from their 1985 album, 💿 Song From The Big Chair, which eventually reached no. 1 on the Billboard 200.  For our intents and purposes, we focus only on 🎵 “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, among the truly beloved tracks of the 1980s. Notably, the band did earn a 🏆 Grammy nomination, but not for this song nor album – bummer!

Curt Smith sounds utterly fantastic on “Everybody Wants to Rule The World.” The verses are short, sweet, and relatively simple.  The same can be said of the chorus, which is variable, but always concludes with the powerful, titular lyric, “Everybody Wants to Rule The World.”  One of the reasons why this song is stellar is because the melody is incredibly tuneful, particularly the chorus.  Furthermore, the overall sound (keys, programming, guitars) and production (🎛 Chris Hughes) – the aesthetic, overall – is M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S!  “I can’t stand this indecision / Married with a lack of vision / Everybody wants to rule the – ” Woo! 🎵 “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is a vibe that endures well beyond the 80s!

 Appears in 🔻:

• Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 34 (2023)

10. AJR, “World’s Smallest Violin”

💿 OK ORCHESTRA• 🏷 BMG Rights Management • 📅 2021

“I should move ‘cause New York is gettin’ muddy out / There’s L.A. but it’s always kinda sunny out / And I don’t wanna hurt no more / So, I set my bar real low.” Give 🎙 AJR credit for being self-aware of the bigger problems that lie in the world on 🎵 “World’s Smallest Violin” (💿 OK ORCHESTRA). Of course, there’s violin 🎻 on the track 😏. The record is a unique mix of cabaret and folk, with the results being novel. The pre-chorus is catchy to say the least, with facts being spit on the line, “Next to them, my shit don’t feel so grand.” ‘Course, 🎙 Jack Met goes on to say “But I can’t help myself from feeling bad…” So millennial! If nothing else, world’s smallest violin is definitely a discussion piece, though the cartoonish sound arguably ‘gets in the way.’

Appears in 🔻:

• World: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 12 (2023)

11. Giveon, “World We Created”

💿 When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time • 🏷 Epic / With Not So Fast LLC • 🗓 2021

“Layin’ by your side as you wakin’ up / Losin’ track of time, as our feelings touched…” Ooh la la, GIVĒON! Please, continue 😍 ! “We fall deep into the bed, we become the threads / Intertwinin’.” Yes, yes, yes! Giveon Evans blesses the listener with his robust, emotional baritone on 🎵 “World We Created,” which originally appeared as the second track on his EP, 💿 Take Time (2020) and reappears on the expanded 💿 When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time, from 2021.  Besides his own sublime performance, the record is chill and soulful – a vibe.  Lyrically, Evans focuses on a relationship, one that he believes is truly unbreakable (“Ain’t nothing or nobody that’s ever gonna break us”). He wants her to know he’s locked-in!  In the chorus, he speaks about this world we created, asserting, “I just wanna stay in the world we created / I just wanna sink in the plans that we makin’ / When I leave I’m not lookin’ for a replacement for what I got.” That’s lit 🔥! This smooth, melodic number was produced by 🎛 Yakob, Maneesh, and Sevn Thomas. Yes, it’s a surefire V-I-B-E!

12. Steve Lacy, “Give You the World”

💿 Gemini Rights • 🏷 L-M / RCA • 📅 2022

“Baby, I want a chance to get you close, right next to me / Said, ‘Girl, I’ll be patient and slow / ‘Cause I got time, shit, maybe forever’.” 🎵 “Give You the World” concludes 💿 Gemini Rights, the 🏆 Grammy-winning album by 🎙 Steve Lacy, differently than the album began. On the opener, 🎵 “Static,” Lacy seemed bitter and clearly perturbed about the end of a relationship. On this lush cut, he is repentant, desiring a reset – a second chance.  “But I’ll give you the world,” he sings in an authentic, nuanced fashion in the chorus.  The outro, in particular, shows a changed Steve, who vows, “This time I’m gonna love you like you would do / And when I love you I’m gonna / Kiss you goodbye.”  All told, it’s a great closer on a very, very strong album. Lacy sounds stupendous!

13. Nas, “The World Is Yours”

💿 Illmatic • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 1994

“Whose world is this? / The world is yours, the world is yours / It’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine…” 💪 Sadly, it only took an entire career for iconic rapper, 🎙 Nas, to earn his first 🏆 Grammy 😏 (💿 King’s Disease, 2020). Looking back through an illustrious catalog, including the 1994 album, 💿 Illmatic, and the question is, why did it take so long? Furthermore, even if you neglect Illmatic, for whatever reason, how can you neglect the gold-certified song, 🎵 “The World Is Yours”? “The World Is Yours” is classic hip-hop at its finest, featuring production by 🎛 Pete Rock. The sampling choices – 🎙 Ahmad Jamal Trio, 🎙 T La Rock & Jazzy Jay, and 🎙 Jimmy Gordon & His Jazznpops Band – give “The World Is Yours” both an distinct East Coast sound coupled with jazz/jazz rap sensibilities.    Furthermore, how about Pete Rock singing on the unforgettable chorus?

Pete Rock plays a pivotal role on “The World Is Yours.” Still, the star of the show is the young don himself, Nas. Nas has been serving up those bars for years, all the while deserving more credit than he’s received.  There are endless bars, delivered with a conscious mentality, that catch the ear. An entire essay could be written analyzing and deciphering his rhymes. Honestly, he starts off fast, asserting at the beginning of the first verse, “I sip the Dom P, watchin’ Ghandi ‘til I’m changed, then / Writin’ in my book of rhymes, all the words past the margin / To hold the mic I’m throbbin’, mechanical movement / Understandable smooth shit that murderers move with.” Woo! He closes the verse, spitting, “I’m out for dead presidents to represent me” [INSERTS show me the money GIF here]. There are some intriguing spiritual lines in the second verse, which seem to reference the MC’s son: “My strength, my son, the star will be my resurrection / Born in correction, all the wrong shit I did, he’ll lead in right direction.” In the third verse, in the line, “Picturin’ my peeps not eatin’ can make my heartbeat skip” is a prime example of social consciousness.  It does hit differently, doesn’t it?  The big takeaway is, 🎵 “The World Is Yours” is one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time.  It never, NEVER grows old.

Appears in 🔻:

• Nas, “The World Is Yours”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 8 (2023)

14. The Stylistics, “People Make The World Go Round”

💿 The Stylistics – The Original Debut Album • 🏷 Amherst • 🗓 1971

“But that’s what makes the world go round / The ups and downs, a carousel.” True, 🎙 The Stylistics – you’ve got a legitimate point on 🎵 “People Make The World Go Round”. “People Make The World Go Round” appears as the seventh track on the epic 💿 The Stylistics – The Original Debut Album.  Although The Stylistics featured bigger, more renowned hits, this gem highlighting a turbulent world – “Buses on strike want a raise in fare / So they can help pollute the air” – still managed to peak at no. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

🎼 ✍ Thom Bell ( R.I.P. ) and 🎼 ✍ Linda Creed are responsible for composing this utterly terrific gem (Bell also produces). Musically, it is impressive from the start. First, there is an enigmatic introduction which sets the tone for the record.  Soon enough, electric keys establish a groove, with a hi-hat heavy groove delivered by the drums later.  Of course, the orchestration is breathtaking as well.  The listener is spoiled with tremendous ear candy: ripe falsetto lead vocals by 🎙 Russell Thompkins, Jr., strings, horns, and a tight rhythm section.  Honestly, what isn’t there to love about this late single from The Stylistics?

Appears in 🔻:

• The Stylistics, People Make The World Go Round: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 6 (2023)
• World: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 12 (2023)
• 15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 8 (2023)

15. Sam Cooke, “(What A) Wonderful World”

💿 The Man Who Invented Soul  • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2000 

Apparently, the late, great 🎙 Sam Cooke didn’t know much about various things – academics specifically. See Exhibit A 🔎: “Don’t know much about history / Don’t know much biology / Don’t know much about a science book / Don’t know much about the French I took.”  So, is the iconic soul musician totally inept on 🎵 “(What A) Wonderful World”? Absolutely not! While the soulful Cooke may not be well-versed in the things mentioned throughout this highlight, he probably isn’t interested in learning either. Why? The focus is love.  Why? The focus is love.

See Exhibit B 🔎:

“But I do know that I love you

And I know that if you love me, too

What a wonderful world this would be.”

Yes, Cooke makes it clear that he is no genius, but he understands the power of love above all! Ultimately, “(What A) Wonderful World” is a bright, optimistic sounding vintage soul classic.  It has a simplistic vibe and sensibility yet feels potent to the n^th degree. The lyrics are memorable and catch, while  the backdrop is terrific, too.  Cooke penned “(What A) Wonderful World” alongside 🎼 ✍ Lou Adler and Herb Alpert – yeah, that Herb Alpert!  This gem would peak at no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1960, among Cooke’s highest charting hits.

Appears in 🔻:

• Sam Cooke, “(What A) Wonderful World”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 7 (2023)
• 11 Songs That Are Wonderful Through & Through (2023)
• 15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 8 (2023)