15 F Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 | Playlist 🎧

1. Jack Harlow, “First Class”

💿 Come Home The Kids Miss You • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 🗓 2022

“I been a (G), throw up the (L), sex in the (A.M.), uh-huh / (O-R-O-U-S, yeah).” It’s 🎙 Jack Harlow season! The 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper knows how to make a hit – a no. 1 hit for that matter!  He packs a serious punch with 🎵 “First Class”, the crowd-pleasing single from 💿 Come Home the Kids Miss You.

Harlow’s delivery is chill and laid back. He rides a 🎙 Fergie sample (🎵 “Glamorous”) like a boss. In the chorus, he lets Fergie do some of the heavy lifting 💪! Still, he gets his point across, involving S-E-X.  There’s also surefire confidence and drip involved too (“Uh, I got plaques in thе mail, peak season”), but we know exactly what Harlow has in mind with “Pineapple juice, I give her sweet, sweet, semen.” Of course, he must be aware how much these women are ‘in love with him,’ so, why not play it off? “First Class” features production from 🎛 Angel “BabeTruth” Lopez, 🎛 Charlie Handsome, 🎛 Jasper Harris, 🎛 Nickie Jono Pabón, and 🎛 Rogét Chahayed.  Well, at least the product is high quality! On “First Class” Jack’s cool as a cucumber yet potent.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: April 2022
• 1^st: 5ive Songs No. 23 (2022)
• 30 Best Songs of 2022 (So Far)
• 13 Compelling 1^st, 2^nd + two 3^rds’ Songs

2. Mary J. Blige, “Failing in Love”

💿 Good Morning Gorgeous • 🏷 Mary Jane Productions Inc. / 300 Entertainment • 🗓 2022 

“So close to givin’ up / When you stay, you’re fuckin’ up.” Da-yum! Love plagues the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, 🎙 Mary J. Blige, throughout her 14^th (or 15^th, depending on how you count) album, 💿 Good Morning Gorgeous. Among the truly elite moments – the crème de la crème – is 🎵 “Failing in Love.”  I see what you did there, MJB! Of course, how could love work out considering that “From a boy to a man, still never grew up.” That’s a problem!

Producer extraordinaire 🎛 London on da Track and 🎛 Slimwav set up Blige for surefire success, NO CAP.  Here, MJB wants to find success in the love department but continues failing time and time again. “Not gettin’ any rest,” she asserts in the second verse, continuing, “‘Cause this love has been a headache /… It used to be fun /…. Now it’s just aa mess.” Her pain, of course, is our listening pleasure on this incredibly relatable number.  In the pre-chorus, she admits to being ‘in’ and ‘out,’ including the urge to commit arson: “Ooh, I’m passin’ your house / Got me wantin’ to burn it to the ground.” Mercy!

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 More Songs Filled with Considerable Love

3. GIVĒON, “For Tonight”

💿 Give or Take • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2022 

🎵 “For Tonight” arrived in 2021 as an early promo single for 💿 Give or Take, the debut album by 🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B artist, 🎙 GIVĒON (Giveon Evans). Mr. Evans’ celestial, one-of-a-kind voice, remains intact here, which is a big-time selling point.  Evans wrote “For Tonight” alongside 🎼 ✍ Marcus Semaj, 🎼 ✍ Sevn Thomas, and 🎼 ✍ Tony Dixon.

The songwriting on “For Tonight” is well-rounded, setting up GIVĒON to enjoy her, though solely “For Tonight,” as the title implies.  “For tonight, I’m yours,” he sings on the tuneful chorus, continuing, “So deny the truth / We’ll stay behind closed doors / ‘Cause all I wanna do is lie with you / Even though it’s wrong to lie with you.” Sure, we’ve heard this scenario time and time again, and yet, it never gets old.  Evans does it justice. Helping him out beside a strong pen is the production, crafted by Sevn alongside 🎛 Jahaan Sweet and 🎛 Akeel Henry. “For Tonight” sounds modern enough for an R&B record, but also reminisces on the R&B of the past. I appreciate the soulful sounds, which complement the commanding, nuanced, soulful vocals of Evans.

4. Tate McRae, “Feel Like Shit”

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

“Usually never cry at all /… But it’s been a couple weeks now and I still feel stuck in my lungs.” 🎙 Tate McRae feels like a four-letter word on her 2021 single, 🤩 🎵 “feel like shit,” which ultimately appears on her debut album, 💿 I used to think I could fly. Why does she feel like sugar honey iced tea?  Well, it’s the lyrics: “Usually go out on nights / And not think of you once / But if they start playin’ that song / I can’t help but to think about us…” As you’d expect, it’s because of a boy!

On this heartbroken, ‘s-bomb’ ballad penned by McRae, 🎼 ✍ Jacob Kasher Hindlin, 🎼 ✍  🎛 Russell Chell, and 🎼 ✍  Victoria Zaro, she’s struggling to get over him. Right now, she just feels awful.  In the second verse, she attempts to atone for the breakup – losing him: “So, I kissed somebody else / Just to see how it felt.” Unfortunately, the kiss did nothing to rid of the great memories she had while she was with him. She simply can’t forget about him, something crystal clear in the chorus, where she hopes eventually to “get used to it.”  Giving her a lift is the warm, modern production work by Chell and 🎛 Jasper Harris.

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Delightful “Sugar Honey Iced Tea” Songs
• 13 Feeling Songs That Make U Feel Some Type of Way

5. Father John Misty, “Funny Girl”

💿 Chloë and the Next 20^th Century • 🏷 Sub Pop • 🗓 2022

When it comes to singer/songwriter extraordinaire 🎙 Father John Misty (Josh Tillman), there’s NEVER a dull moment.  Tillman is an unpredictable songwriter in many ways, which is part of his charm.  In January 2022, Mr. Tillman returned with 🎵 “Funny Girl”, an unexpected single from 💿 Chloë and the Next 20^th Century.

“Funny Girl” sounds like a long-lost torch song – easy listening or traditional pop. Based upon much of the music he’s released as Father John Misty in the past, this is a stark contrast.  Here, Tillman is accompanied by a sophisticated, lush backdrop including dreamy strings, upright bass, piano, and wind instruments.  One of my favorite moments of the record is the instrumental section which features the ‘big-band’ winds contrasting with pizzicato strings.  Despite the surprising sound, the songwriting is tried-and-true Tillman. “Funny girl, you look so unassuming,” he commences the first verse, continuing, “Right up until the room you’re captivating / Starts to fill with gut-busting laughter / And you’re transformed into a five-foot Cleopatra.” What a killer allusion! Ultimately, “Funny Girl” is an utterly sublime way to kick off his 💿 Chloë and the Next 20^th Century era, not to mention January 2022!

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: January 2022

6. Florence + The Machine, “Free”

💿 Dance Fever • 🏷 Universal Music Operations Limited • 🗓 2022

🎙 Florence + The Machine suffers from a case of 💿 Dance Fever on their fifth studio album. While 🎙 Florence Welch’s 🎵 “Choreomania” (dancing yourself to death) may be disturbing, much of what Welch does throughout Dance Fever is use imagery, allusions, and an assortment of references to other things to illustrate her own personal thoughts and situations.  One of the best moments from the LP is the second track, 🎵 “Free.

In the context of Dance Fever,  “Free” picks up the pace.  The groove makes you want to get up and dance, matching the album title.  Working with the one and only 🎛 Jack Antonoff, the results are positive, with the sound being idiomatic of alternative pop with a dash of 80s.  “Free” is catchy, particularly the refrain, where Welch exhibits no shortage of personality: “As it picks me up, puts me down / … A hundred times a day.” Likewise, the chorus is strong too: “But I hear the music, I feel the beat / And for a moment, when I’m dancing, I am free.” To that, I say, WOO!

7. Lucky Daye, “Feels Like”

💿 Candydrip • 🏷 Keep Cool / RCA • 📅 2022 

“Manipulate me, baby / Make me do what you want me to.” Oh, sugar honey iced tea! 🎵 “Feels Like” is a vibe from the start.  The record is a highlight from 💿 Candydrip, the 2022, underrated album by 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer, 🎙 Lucky Daye. “Feels Like” commences abruptly without introduction. Daye enters confidently, delivering sensual, ripe falsetto vocals (“So complicated / This should be plain and simple, yeah”) 😍.  The modus operandi is – you guessed it – LOVE: “Don’t have to say shit, hush / ‘Round and ‘round and ‘round we go / At my tempo.” Well, perhaps I should’ve said SEX!

During the course of “Feels Like,” Lucky Daye is supported by awesome production work (🎛 D’Mile). There’s a soulful groove and of course, colorful keyboard/synth work.  Shifting back to the singing and focusing on form, the best section of the song is the simple but potent, catchy chorus:

“It should feel like love whenever we touch

But we can’t get stuck in the color of lust

Don’t it feel like love, love?

Feels like love, love.”

Notably, there’s a unique change of pace in the final minute-and-a-half of the song in the third verse. Here, Daye moves away from the lit falsetto to deeper rapped and spoken word vocals. All told, “Feels Like” is a marvelous R&B record.

Appears in 🔻:

• Lucky Daye, “Feels Like”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 45 (2022)
• 13 Feeling Songs That Make U Feel Some Type of Way

8. Kendrick Lamar, “Father Time” (Ft. Sampha)

💿 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers • 🏷 Aftermath / Interscope / pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment • 🗓 2022

“You really need some therapy /… Yeah, you really need to talk to somebody / Reach out to Eckhart.” 🎵 “Father Time” marks one of many highlights from 💿 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, the 2022 comeback album from 🎙 Kendrick Lamar.  🏆 The Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner brings in 🎙 Sampha, which always seems to be a power move.  Of course, Sampha sounds superb in the chorus, with his instantly recognizable tone.

In “Father Time,” Kendrick focuses on daddy issues, exploring how he responded to them in both verses.  One of his best lines:

“I love my father for tellin’ me to take off the gloves

‘Cause everything, he didn’t want was everything I was.”

Wow! That said, how often is that indeed the case? How about an even better lyric: “… Let’s give the women a break, grown men with daddy issues.” Coping is hard for the victim of such issues, but also, it affects others associated with that person, such as a significant other.

9. Alex Angelo, “Four Letter Words”

🎵 “Four Letter Words” • 🏷 IGAG Productions LLC • 📅 2022

Cleveland-bred, Nashville-based pop singer, songwriter, and producer 🎙 Alex Angelo brings more maturity and edge to his entertaining, well-rounded single, 🎵 “Four Letter Words”.  Not only does “Four Letter Words” encompass the universal three-letter word sex, but it also adds a couple of f-bombs 💣 💥! If I had to characterize Angelo’s performance on “Four Letter Words” using four-letter words, it’s damn good.  Also, I’d go a step further and say this gifted 21-year-old is serving up some excellent sugar honey iced tea – WOO!

What makes “Four Letter Words” fire 🔥 is the vocals, the production, and theme and lyrics.  Vocally, Angelo sings well, serving up a cool but soulful brand of pop vocals. He dips into the contemporary R&B playbook – an awesome sound for him.  Likewise, his production embraces this R&B vibe –lush, slick, sleek, and modern.  There’s no question that Angelo has the 2020s sound on lock.  The theme and lyrics solidify the excellence.  There are blurred lines between two related four-letter words – love and fuck.  Alex seems to struggle to differentiate between the two.  What is clear, however, is that he’s into her something fierce.  My favorite section is the chorus, where we get that f-bomb in all its naughty glory! “Four Letter Words” = #LIT 🔥!!!

Appears in 🔻:

• 21 Songs About the Universal, 3-Letter Word, SEX
• Awesome Songs: January 2022

10. ROLE MODEL, “forever&more”

💿 Rx • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2022 

“Can’t pick myself up off the floor / That’s something new, I’m stuck with you.” Oh my, 🎙 ROLE MODEL (Tucker Pillsbury)! On 🎵 “forever&more,” a highlight from his debut album, 💿 Rx (2022), Pillsbury has found an awesome girl that’s got him thinking the f-word. No, not the f-bomb, you dirty-minded peeps, but rather, FOREVER.

In the catchy pre-chorus, Tucker asserts, “Ooh, I bet the boys back home are mad / I found an angel wearing plaid.” In the chorus, he places the emphasis on forever.  While it’s clear the relationship is serious, Pillsbury is playful, referencing their time together including, you guessed it, S-E-X.  Released as a single in the summer of 2021, “forever&more” remains potent.

11. Bankrol Hayden, “Fuck Love”

🎵 “Fuck Love” • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 2022

“What? Make a love song, like about us, like, long distance.” That is how the blunt 🎵 “Fuck Love” commences.  When there’s an f-bomb in the title, the expectation is a lack of refinement.  That said, this brief 🎙 Bankrol Hayden single isn’t as ‘unrefined’ as you might expect. Sure, we prejudge it with that unapologetic title but honestly, it’s a chill, enjoyable melodic rap joint.

As you expect, love is the culprit here. Or, arguably, the lifestyle that Bankrol Hayden lives.  Regardless, they aren’t going to make it, period.  In the pre-chorus, Hayden highlights this: “So, I go away / We live miles part / We knew this from the start / So, I’ll go, can’t stay / I can’t change who you are / You knew this from the start.” Woo! That’s a lot! Of course, it leads to the tuneful chorus where that damning bomb is unleashed: “Fuck love, what’s love? Fuck love, enough.” By the second verse, Hayden is cussing like a sailor, spitting about the frustrations of love and their relationship. “I didn’t mean to give up when times are frustratin’,” he asserts, adding, “I’ve been doin’ me, I got a dream that I’ve been chasin’.” So, with the pursuit of fame, he’s been sacrificing love.  That’s a conundrum, indeed. Despite his hardship with love, Bankrol Hayden gives us an enjoyable, melodic rap record. As Bankrol so elegantly puts it, “Fuck Love!”

12. Conan Gray, “Family Line”

💿 Superache • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2022 

🎵 “Family Line” has a strong argument for the crowning achievement from 💿 Superache, the 2022 sophomore album by 🎙 Conan Gray. This is a very personal track about his childhood and family. “Family Line” commences with a swell, chill instrumental intro. It’s followed by a subtle sound in the first verse, featuring guitar accompaniment, and soft but vulnerable vocals by Gray.

Gray is naturally more assertive during the chorus, where the sheer radiance of his instrument shines brightest:

“Scattered ‘cross my family line

I’m so good at telling lies

That came from my mother’s side

Told a million to survive

Scattered ‘cross my family line

God, I have my father’s eyes

But my sister’s when I cry

I can run, but I can’t hide

From my family line.”

Aside from the chorus, the bridge is incredibly powerful. Of the record, Gray told Apple Music:

It’s about watching generations of hurt people pass their pain onto their kids, and then their kids pass them onto their kids. In my childhood, I felt like I was told that I was going to end up living this very specific life and that I wasn’t going to have a bright future because of my past. ‘Family Line’ is me saying, ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter. I can be whatever I want to be.’ I was so scared to put it out; that was the reason why I needed to put it out.

13. Elton John & Stevie Wonder, “Finish Line” 

💿 The Lockdown Sessions • 🏷 Mercury • 🗓 2021

Two highly decorated, iconic musicians – 🎙 Elton John and 🎙 Stevie Wonder – make sweet music together on the spirit, ear catching 🎵 “Finish Line”.  “Finish Line” appears on John’s 32^nd studio album, 💿 The Lockdown Sessions.  John penned this compelling record with 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Andrew Wotman aka Watt (who also produces), 🎼 ✍ Ali Tamposi, and 🎼 ✍  Roman Campolo). The record commences with soulful keys – acoustic and electric – before a slick groove kicks in.  John ‘takes first blood,’ singing expressively with his full-bodied, mature vocals.  Following a fab verse, he delivers the centerpiece, the chorus, backed by gospel choir. As expected, the spirit is high, and the ears perked up with the throwback vibes.

The icing on the cake? The second verse performed by Wonder, who sounds as youthful as he did back in his heyday.  His marvelous tenor brings contrast, and helps to drive “Finish Line,” well, onward to the finish line.  He meshes well with John and choir on the chorus following his verse.  Amplifying the spirit and musicianship even more is his harmonica solo.  The finish line of “Finish Line” itself is eventful with John, Wonder, choir, and an unnamed soloist making all listeners want to witness – hallelujah!

Appears in 🔻:

• Finish: 3BOPS No. 65 (2021)
• Awesome Songs: October 2021
• Best Songs of 2021: 35-21

14. Badflower, “Family”

💿 This is How the World Ends • 🏷 Big Machine / John Varvatos • 🗓 2021

L.A. alternative rock band 🎙 Badflower kills it on 🎵 “Family”, the promo single from their sophomore album, 💿 This is How the World Ends.  “Family” is a complete, well-rounded alternative rock record.  There are several components that make it stellar.  For one, this is a ‘musical’ track.  Early on, the band pulls back rather than showcasing the full deck of cards. Frontman 🎙 Josh Katz initially sings with poise while still holding the audience’s attention.  He tells an authentic, personal story about family, that leads to a huge climax.

On the magnificent peak, Katz, and band kick things up considerably.  Gone is all sense of poise and control in favor of aggressive, bad ass, hard rock.

“‘Cause I let you down

And I lost my fucking mind

Then everything got messy

And everyone got angry

I cursed my blood tonight

It happens all the time

Is everyone against me?

Has everyone goddamned me?

What happened to this family?”

Katz ‘brings it down’ after that gargantuan burst of aggression, again showing awesome musicianship. “Family” is epic to the nth degree.  This is a fabulous rock record that features great vocals, personal songwriting, and superb attention to detail from the band musically.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: July 2021
• An Alphabet of Random Songs
• Best Songs of 2021: Honorable Mentions

15. Matt Jaffe, “Favorite Song on Repeat”

🎵 “Favorite Song on Repeat” • 🏷 Matt Jaffe • 🗓 2022 

Question: did you know, “You are my favorite song on repeat?” Just think about how authentic, poetic, and truly dedicated that statement is.  It’s so incredibly romantic! Well, incredibly talented, independent singer/songwriter 🎙 Matt Jaffe delivers those sensational words on his latest single, 🎵 “Favorite Song on Repeat”. “Favorite Song on Repeat” commences with a ravishing intro which sets the tone for the rest of the record.  It is clear, merely from the instrumental that the song feels dedicated.  That indeed proves to be the case lyrically and thematically as Matt Jaffe embraces L-O-V-E.  He brings alluring, tender lead vocals to the table.  He’s compelling without dare over-singing, performing with incredible ease and expression.  The verses are incredibly melodic – tuneful to the ear the first time you hear the music.

A lovely melody isn’t simply reserved for the verses. Like the verses, the chorus is gorgeous and also incredibly tuneful.  Furthermore, some of the most memorable songwriting appears during the centerpiece:

“When I breathe, I know the rhythm matches up with your heartbeat,

Still, you are my favorite song on repeat

I believe, that if I listen long enough, I’ll be complete

Still, you are my favorite song on repeat.”

Those lyrics aren’t the only ones that resonate.  “Like a book of poems, we read each other’s mind / until the rhyme is lost beyond repair,” he sings poetically during the second verse, continuing, “We exchange our thoughts until they’re so entwined / The telepathic verses fill the air.” Now those are mic-drop-worthy lyrics! Anytime telepathy can be incorporated, you know the song is special! One final note that is worth mentioning is the stellar contrast provided during the bridge. Despite the contrast, Jaffe also makes it clear that the bridge and chorus are related.  The bridge maintains the dreamy, romantic aesthetic that has been a fixture from the onset. All told, Jaffe delivers an absolutely stunning record – the perfect way to cap off 🎧 15 F Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2.