15 Fantastic Songs Where You Just KNOW | Playlist 🎧

1. Whitney Houston, “How Will I Know”

💿 Whitney Houston • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1985

“There’s a boy I know, he’s the one I dream of /… When I wake from dreaming, tell me, is it really love?” 🎙 Whitney Houston earned a no. 1 hit with 🎵 “How Will I Know”, an awesome record 🎙 Janet Jackson passed up! “How Will I Know,” written by 🎼 ✍ George Merrill, Shannon Rubicam, and Narada Michael Walden (who also produces) is the quintessential 1980s record.  It successfully straddles pop and R&B, a place where Houston would often find tremendous success as well as an identity crisis.

This innocent record appears as the sixth track on Houston’s 1985 debut album, 💿 Whitney Houston.  It commences with an inescapable, electrifying groove. Bright and exuberant, this major key joint never grows old. The chorus is incredibly memorable, including Whitney’s own background vocals:

“How will I know if he really loves me?

I say a prayer with every heartbeat

I fall in love whenever we meet

I’m asking you what you know about these things

How will I know if he’s thinking of me?

I try to phone, but I’m too shy (Can’t speak)

Falling in love is so bittersweet

This love is strong, why do I feel weak?”

Houston sings like an angel, owning this memorable gem from the start. Also, like so many of the 80s songs, “How Will I Know” gives us a modulation – aka a key change.  Also, shout out to the music video 🎶📼 – #ICONIC!!!

Appears in 🔻:

• Whitney Houston, “How Will I Know”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 48 (2022)

2. Pusha T, “If You Know You Know”

💿 DAYTONA • 🏷 Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. / Def Jam • 🏷 2018

“‘Cause this boy been throwin’ that D like Rich Boy.” From the opening tip of 🎵 “If You Know You Know,” 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Pusha T drops some serious bars on the 💿 DAYTONA highlight.  His flow is agile, natural, and everything ‘feels right.’ Following the electrifying introduction, “If You Know You Know” only grows more profound, signaled by the recurrence of the titular line, distinct production, and confident, druggy rhymes from T.  “I predict snow, Al Roker.”  The centerpiece is the chorus, which is probably far catchier than it should be. “Bricklayers in ball shorts / Coaching from the side of the ball court (If you know you know),” he raps, continuing, “One stop like a Walmart / We got the tennis balls for the wrong sport (If you know you know).” Absolute and utter FIYA 🔥!

Appears in 🔻:

• 10 Songs Where You ‘Know’ Or ‘No’

3. Lana Del Rey, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd”

💿 Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd • 🏷 Interscope • 🏷 2023

Question: “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd?” If not, 🏆 Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter 🎙 Lana Del Rey fills us in. 🎵 “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” serves as the lead single and second track from Del Rey’s ninth studio album, 💿 Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, which arrives March 23, 2023. From the onset, this piano ballad feels like the quintessential Lana Del Rey song, and we would not have it any other way.

Lana Del Rey sings gorgeously – her tone is haunting and one-of-a-kind.  Lyrically, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” is incredibly poetic, characteristic of the singer/songwriter’s catalog. Del Rey penned this record alongside 🎼 ✍ Mike Hermosa (they also produce alongside  🎛 Drew Erickson, Jack Antonoff, and Zach Dawes). She sings about “Mosaic ceilings, painted tiles on the wall” in the first verse, mentions “a girl that sings ‘Hotel California’” in the second, not to mention the city, Camarillo.  In the third, Del Rey references the 🎙 Harry Nilsson classic, 🎵 “Don’t Forget Me”, which is also sampled. Besides Nilsson, John Lennon is referenced. As intriguing as the verses are, the chorus is the main attraction, intact with the f-bomb.

“When’s it gonna be my turn?

Don’t forget me

When’s it gonna be my turn?

Open me up, tell me you like it

Fuck me to death, love me until I love myself

There’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard.”

All told, Lana Del Rey sounds marvelous on this ballad, showcasing her distinct and expressive set of pipes.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: December 2022
• Know: 5ive Songs No. 81 (2022)

4. PNAU & Troye Sivan, “You Know What I Need”

🎵 “You Know What I Need” • 🏷 etcetc Music Pty Ltd • 🗓 2022

What happens when 🎙 PNAU and 🎙 Troye Sivan collaborate? Magic – sheer magic. PNAU taps Sivan for the fabulous single, 🎵 “You Know What I Need”.  This is the single that you need in your life during those cold, frigid winter months! PNAU and Sivan keep things short and sweet, clocking in just under three minutes in duration. An infectious groove from the onset sets the tone.  As always, Sivan serves up great vocals.  Beyond his awesome pipes, the vocal production is superb as well.  Sivan does the heavy lifting vocally, but he is also assisted by warm supporting vocals. The chorus is everything: the falsetto is ripe, the melody is tuneful, and the production is inviting.

“You’re all that I want

You’re all that I need

And if it hurts baby

I don’t want it.”

Beyond the chorus, the melody in the verses is also strong. So are the lyrics, which are love-centric (“But I’m thinkin’ lately / What’s so concernin’ / Soon as I leave you / I just keep on hurtin’.”). There is excellent contrast during the bridge section, which keeps “You Know What I Need” balanced. This is a superb dance-pop track that is a welcome addition to any winter 2022-23 playlist.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: December 2022
• Know: 5ive Songs No. 81 (2022)

5. Doja Cat, “Need to Know”

💿 Planet Her • 🏷 Kemosabe / RCA • 📅 2021

“I just been fantasizin’ (Size) / And we got a lotta time (Time) / Baby, come throw the pipe (Pipe).”  🎙 Doja Cat isn’t referencing a cigar! On 🎵 “Need to Know”, one of the best moments from 💿 Planet Her, Doja gives us a little bit of everything, singing often, while also dropping un-pitched rhymes on the second verse. The theme and topic of choice for Doja is SEX. What really sells this sexed-up joint is her big personality. Of course, SIZE matters in the bedroom: “What’s your size? (Size) / Add, subtract, divide (‘Vide).”

Furthermore, Doja wants her man to know, “I got a lotta new tricks for you, baby / Just sayin’ I’m flexible / I do what I can to get you off.” She doesn’t stop there, considering on the second verse she’s a magician: “Oh, wait, you a fan of magic? / Poof, pussy like an Alakazam.” Woo! The crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – is the memorable chorus:

“Wanna know what it’s like

Baby, show me what it’s like

I don’t really got no type

I just wanna fuck all night.”

A bonus? A music video 🎶📼 supplementing this sexed-up bop encompassing Doja’s abilities in the bedroom.  Also, can’t fail to mention that studly hottie in the video, Cameron Saffle 😍.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: June 2021
• Doja Cat, “Need to Know”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 10 (2021)
• 15 Steamy Songs Best Listened to After Dark
• Best Songs of 2021: Top 20
• 15 N Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2
• Know: 5ive Songs No. 81 (2022)

6. The Tony Rich Project, “Nobody Knows”

💿 Words • 🏷 LaFace • 📅 1996 

Remember, it only takes one song to make history.  For 🎙 The Tony Rich Project, that one song is the utterly stupendous, 🎵 “Nobody Knows”. “The nights are lonely, the days are so sad / And I just keep thinkin’ about / The love we had,” 🎙 Tony Rich sings in the chorus, continuing, “And I’m missin’ you / And nobody knows it but me.”  Those lyrics are absolutely stunning – just beautiful to the n^th degree! Rich won a 🏆 Grammy for 💿 Words, the 1996 album that the no. 2 Billboard Hot 100 appeared on.  Also, it is worth noting that “Nobody Knows” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Rich penned “Nobody Knows” alongside 🎼 ✍ Don DuBosé.  Furthermore, he produced the record, which ranks among the crème de la crème of the 1990s.  The theme of the record is heartbreak, often perfect fuel for a pop/R&B gem.  Rich reveals how much he misses her despite pretending outwardly he did not.  “I pretended I’m glad you went away / These four walls closin’ more every day,” he sings in the first verse, continuing, “And I’m dying inside / And nobody knows it but me.” Similarly, in the second verse, he sings, “I carry a smile while I’m broken in two / And I’m nobody without someone like you / I’m trembling inside / And nobody knows it but me.” The regret is strong, with Rich asking himself, “How could I let my angel get away,” declaring, “A million words couldn’t say just how I feel,” and asserting, “Tomorrow mornin’, I’m hitting the dusty road / Gonna find you wherever, ever you might go / I’m gonna unload my heart / And hope you come back to me.” His authenticity carries ample weight, as does his marvelous vocal performance, backed by a chill but potent backdrop. The five-minute-and-change juggernaut is a surefire masterpiece of the 1990s that never grows old.

Appears in 🔻:

• The Tony Rich Project, “Nobody Knows”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 132 (2022)
• 13 Notable Nobody, No One Songs
• Know: 5ive Songs No. 81 (2022)

7. Lil Pump, “She Know”

🎵 “She Know” • 🏷 Lil Pump / Soundcloud • 🗓 2022

“She know, she know / She know, she know, she know…” According to rapper 🎙 Lil Pump, “She knows she a problem.” Well, the first step is admitting you have one I suppose. After a lukewarm comeback single (🎵 “I’m Back”), admittedly, Pump steps up his game on 🎵 “She Know”.  One of the smartest moves he makes is getting the walking vibe himself, 🎙 Ty Dolla $ign, to guest.

Positives surrounding “She Know” includes the melodic approach. Lil Pump sounds chill and definitely softer – a kinder, gentler vibe. Pump does not serve up the most substance you have ever heard – what he says is cliché – but tracks about independent women that woo men often hit.  Moving on to Ty Dolla $ign, he appears in the second verse, where, so taken by this “I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T” woman that he “Tryna tap my bitch, so I hit without a condom.” Wow! The point is, this woman that both artists are swooning over is special, so much so she’s the cause of Ty Dolla $ign harmonies and unsafe sex.  Yeah, 🎵 “She Know”!!!

Appears in 🔻:

• Know: 5ive Songs No. 81 (2022)

8. Rapsody, “You Should Know” (Ft. Busta Rhymes)

💿 Laila’s Wisdom • 🏷 Jamla / Roc Nation • 📅 2017

North Carolina rapper 🎙 Rapsody is incredibly underrated. She should NOT be. She showcases her skill on 🎵 “You Should Know”, the promo single from her 🏆 Grammy-nominated third project, 💿 Laila’s Wisdom. The pros are ample. The production work provides Rapsody a soulful backdrop to spit over.  She has a marvelous flow and sensational rhymes.  Her tone is badass – she’s got a bite, toughness, and attitude.  The marriage of production and her rap skills is superb to the n^th degree.  Taking two verses for herself, she ensures that she’s the star of the show.

🎙 Busta Rhymes, who provides the assist,  is no slouch, himself.  He raps over the production switch, which remains soulful but with a kinder, gentler vibe.  It is a surprising change of pace for the rapper, known for his eccentricity and quick-paced, loud, and hard-hitting flow.  The departure is welcome, if surprising given the energy established by Rapsody initially. A six-minute track isn’t always easy to digest, but the quality is excellent in this particular instance.

9. Khalid, “Know Your Worth” (Ft. Disclosure)

🎵 “Know Your Worth” • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2020

“Gotta keep, gotta keep, gotta keep your head up.” That’s uplifting, 🎙 Khalid! In 2020, the 🏆Grammy-nominated R&B singer and 🏆 Grammy-nominated production duo 🎙 Disclosure linked up again! The result was the single, 🎵 “Know Your Worth”. Disclosure continues to impress with their bright, bubbly, and groove-driven production style – a fitting backdrop for Khalid. Regardless, he brings the heat on the chorus:

“You don’t know your worth

All the things I know that you deserve

Say it’s not real if it doesn’t hurt

Find someone you know will put you first

Find someone who loves you at your worst.”

All in all, Khalid delivers a respectable cut with “Know Your Worth.” It may not necessarily rank in the top echelon of his catalog but just KNOW it has its moments.

Appears in 🔻:

• 15 K Songs: No Rhyme or Reason

10. P!nk, “All I Know So Far”

💿 All I Know So Far: Setlist • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 2021

“You throw your head back and you spit in the wind / Let the walls crack, ‘cause it lets the light in,” 🏆 Grammy winning pop superstar 🎙 P!nk (Alecia Moore) sings in the chorus of 🎵 “All I Know So Far”, a single from her live album, 💿 All I Know So Far: Setlist (2021). She continues, “Let ‘em drag you through hell / They can’t tell you to change who you are / That’s all I know so far.” Moore showcases elite artistry on this joint written by Moore, 🎼✍ Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul, and produced by 🎛 Greg Kurstin. “All I Know So Far” commences with prominent rhythm guitar, which serves as the primary accompaniment for a while.  Later, drums enter the mix on the chorus, asserting themselves in the second verse where the production evolves more. From start to finish, the backdrop is fuel for the fire as we get gorgeous, nuanced vocals by the pop star.  Beyond production and the vocals, the lyrics are beautifully-penned – poetic and thoughtful throughout the course of the song.

Of course, there are a few salty words thrown in on “All I Know So Far” but they don’t take away from the excellence and generally refined nature of this song. The chorus is clearly the centerpiece, where P!nk is able to show just how elite she is vocally. The songwriting during the chorus (excerpted above) is particularly special, giving off those feels. Furthermore, I love when Moore further let’s loose in the post-chorus (refrain), backed by harmonized vocals and delivering some stellar ad-libs. The bridge provides fine contrast, as well as that signature f-bomb. “All I Know So Far” checks off every box.

Appears in 🔻:

• ‘A’ Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2
• Awesome Songs: May 2021

11. Mary J. Blige, “He Think I Don’t Know”

💿 No More Drama (Version 2) • 🏷 Geffen • 🗓 2001

“And he think I don’t know / He think I don’t know, oh.” What, 🎙 Mary J. Blige, does he think you don’t know? Hmm, well, he thinks she doesn’t know he’s unfaithful – HE’S A CHEATER! Mary’s anger and pain are our listening pleasure in 🎵 “He Think I Don’t Know”. She sings soulfully over a lush, minor key, 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Gerald Isaac production.  Isaac didn’t only produce it though – he wrote this 🏆 Grammy-winning gem.  That’s right, MJB won the 🏆 Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance for this marvelous, five-and-a-half-minute-plus slow jam at the 45^th Annual Grammy Awards.

“I don’t know what gets me more

‘Bout your two-hour trips to the store

How they never have what you went there for

Yet you say to trust you more.”

Yup, Mary is onto his adulterous ways! She’s a detective in the second verse, asserting, “On my way to work one night / As I made a left at the light / See, what I saw just wasn’t right / Guess what’s done in darkness gon’ come to light.” Of course, in the chorus, MJB keeps emphasizing how this no-good dude underestimates her intelligence: “And he think I don’t know / He must think I’m stupid.” Mary, girl, you’re anything but on this 💿 No More Drama (Version 2) gem that didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100!

Appears in 🔻:

• Mary J. Blige, “He Think I Don’t Know”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 42 (2022)
• Thought: 5ive Songs No. 30 (2022)

12. The 1975, “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”

💿 Notes on a Conditional Form  • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2020

🎵 “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” arrives as the seventh single that 🎙 The 1975 released in advance of their gargantuan album, 💿 Notes on a Conditional Form.  “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” feels like ‘lucky number seven’ – it’s accomplished in just about every facet. Instrumentally, it serves up decadent ear candy, styled in the 80s vain with its horns and keys complementing the guitars. One of the brightest spots musically comes by way of an electrifying saxophone solo. Vocally, 🎙 Matthew Healy is compelling, particularly given the subject matter: online dating.

“I see her online, all the time / I’m trying not to stare down there.” Hmm, maybe it’s sketchier than online dating. Regardless, Healy is particularly intrigued by her looks and the sexual potential more than an emotional connection.  In the second verse, he freakily adds, “I’ve been wearing nothing every time I call you / And I’m starting to feel weird about it…” Of course, the chorus is the crowning achievement:

“‘Maybe I would like you better if you took off your clothes

I’m not playing with you baby; I think that you should give it a go’

She said, ‘Maybe I would like you better if you took off your clothes

I wanna see and stop thinking if you’re too shy then let me –

Too shy then let me know.’”

Wow.  “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” is a fun, memorable cut – quite the bop thanks to its sound, energetic vocals, and theme & lyrics.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Superb Songs, Five Minutes or More

13. Sampha, “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano”

💿 Process • 🏷 Young Turks • 📅 2017

🎵 “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” (💿 Process, 2017) is an emotional, reflective gem that grips the listener from the jump.  A subtle record, the lyrics pack a punch, not to mention 🎙 Sampha’s personal, authentic vocal.  In a sense, he characterizes the piano in his mother’s home as his confidante – the sole person who understands his feelings, issues, and otherwise.  On the first verse, the focus seems to be solely on the piano.

The chorus, which follows, suggests that there’s more to the story. Verse two personalizes the centerpiece of the song:

“An angel by her side, all the times I knew we couldn’t cope

They said that it’s her time, no tears in sight, I kept the feelings close

And you took hold of me and never, never, never let me go…”

Sampha has returned home, not only for his beloved childhood piano. According to Genius, his return was due to the illness and eventual death of his mom.

Appears in 🔻:

• Piano 🎹: 5ive Songs No. 18 (2021)
• 11 Stellar Songs That Reference The Piano 🎹
• 13 Notable Nobody, No One Songs

14 .Stevie Wonder, “He’s Misstra Know-It-All”

💿 Innervisions • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1972

“He’s a man with a plan / Got a counterfeit dollar in his hand / He’s Misstra Know-It-All.” 💿 Innervisions is one of the greatest albums of all time. It marks one of three albums that soul legend 🎙 Stevie Wonder was awarded the highly coveted 🏆 Grammy for Album of the Year.  Innervisions features just nine songs but all nine are hits. Among my favorites is the closing cut, 🎵 “He’s Misstra Know-It-All”.

On “He’s Misstra Know-It-All,” Stevie Wonder has a ‘bone to pick’ with somebody – maybe an assortment of folks.  Arguably, the top candidate that this gospel-infused soul gem is purported to be written about is disgraced President Richard Nixon.  Regardless of whom he’s referencing, it’s clear that he finds this person or persons deceptive, untrustworthy, and self-serving:  “If he shakes on a bet / He’s the kind of dude that won’t pay his debt / Oh, He’s Misstra Know-It-All.” Notably, Wonder even drops profanity, albeit only a damn (“Give a hand to the man / You know damn well’s got the super plan / He’s Misstra Know-It-All”). Soulfully, Wonder continues to paint this individual as flawed (“He’s some kind of fella / Thinking of only himself / He’s Misstra Know-It-All”). Amazingly, the icon still makes a critical song like 🎵 “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” still sound bright, upbeat, and sunny. The energy and soul he infuses could easily make you mistake this classic as a gospel song.  Instead, he questions the morality of some individuals.

Appears in 🔻: 

• Stevie Wonder, “He’s Misstra Know-It-All”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 4 (2022)
• 13 Songs Featuring Pronouns Galore
• 15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 2

15. Whitney Houston, “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”

 💿 I Look To You • 🏷 Arista • 📅 2009

“I didn’t know my own strength / And I crashed down, and I tumbled, but I did not crumble / I got through all the pain,” the late, great 🎙 Whitney Houston sings on the resilient, uplifting ballad, 🎵 “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”.  She continues singing in the centerpiece, the chorus, “I didn’t know my own strength / Survived my darkest hour, my faith kept me alive / I picked myself back up, hold my head up high / I was not built to break.” Those are truly lovely, inspired words. “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” was penned by one of the greatest songwriters of all time, 🎼 ✍ Diane Warren.  Producer extraordinaire 🎛 David Foster produced this highlight from Houston’s final studio album, 💿 I Look To You. Strength is a synonym to energy in regard to power (the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task).

Despite adversity, Whitney Houston found a way to overcome the obstacles in her life.  Of course, this song doesn’t have to represent the iconic musician – it can represent any and everybody.  We’ve all “had nowhere to turn… nowhere to go” and “Lost sight of [our] dreams,” but that doesn’t mean it was the end or impossible to overcome.  Even if things seem their bleakest, “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” speaks about digging deeper – finding strength and a will to make it that we neglected to see before.  When you overcome that hurdle that lies before you, you’ll be able to testify, like Houston, that “I found the light to my life way out of the dark / Found all that I need, here inside of me.” R.I.P Queen!

Appears in 🔻:

• Whitney Houston, “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 24 (2022)
• Strong: 5ive Songs (2022)
• 13 Exceptional, Energetic, Energy Songs