15 Incredible Walk Songs | Playlist 🎧

6. The Black Keys, “Walk Across the Water”

💿 “Let’s Rock” • 🏷 Nonesuch • 📅 2019

“I wanna feel the one who has my love / … I put no one else above / Only one I’m dreaming of.” 🏆 Grammy-winning alternative/rock/blues band 🎙 The Black Keys had been missing in action for nearly five years.  Prior to the arrival of 💿 “Let’s Rock” (2019), the last time 🎙 Dan Auerbach and 🎙 Patrick Carney released an album was in May 2014, when the excellent divorce-fueled 💿 Turn Blue arrived. “Let’s Rock” marks a stellar, though underrated return. What earns the duo a spot on this walk-driven list is 🎵 “Walk Across the Water.”

“Rivers run into the ocean / Oceans run into the blue / Look around at all the commotion / Then I walk across the water for you.” “Walk Across the Water,” the fourth track from “Let’s Rock” doesn’t eclipse the trio of songs preceding it.  Even so, this walk-driven record remains pretty strong and certainly consistent, focused less on water and more on L-O-V-E (“Me and you together for the longest ride / From here to eternity / Feels just like a dream to me”).  The production is one of the selling points here, specifically the colorful, psychedelic organ sound.  The harmonic progression and extended instrumental section mark other notable pros.

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Wet Songs About Water, Water, Water!

7. Raphael Saadiq, “My Walk”

💿 Jimmy Lee • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2019 

🎵 “My Walk” appears on 💿 Jimmy Lee, the long-awaited, fifth studio album by 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B musician 🎙 Raphael Saadiq.  “My Walk” focuses on the physical walk (pathway) as well as the spiritual walk.  The sound of this record is distinct, with unique synths, and call and response vocals.

Interestingly, the call and response element of “My Walk” hearkens back to spirituals.  Furthermore, it is a characteristic of some jazz and gospel music.  “My Walk” isn’t a gospel song, but given the spiritual references that precede and follow, it doesn’t seem far-fetched that there’s a gospel sensibility.  The most intriguing lyrics arrive in the third verse:

“Very next mornin’ I had a horn in my hand

(On my walk)

I thought I was in the Southern marching band

(On my walk)

I love Jimmy but Jimmy smoke crack and sold my horn

(On my walk)

Jimmy shot heroin, he was my Mama’s son

(On my walk).”

An intriguing track from an intriguing, under appreciated album.

8. Miguel, “Sky Walker” (Ft. Travis Scott)

💿 War & Leisure • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2017

💿 War & Leisure, the fourth studio album by 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B musician 🎙 Miguel. In the highlight 🎵 “Sky Walker”, Miguel gets the assist from 🎙 Travis Scott.  Miguel delivers vocally, adding ample swagger into the mix as well (he’s a pretty cool dude). While “Sky Walker” is ‘quintessential’ Miguel, it also sounds slightly more modern compared to some of his records.

In regard to messaging, “Sky Walker” is all about denouncing and proving haters wrong, something that is made clear from the jump. Travis Scott handles the second verse, playing into the message and of course flexing lyrically.

“Cap and a stem, catch a wave on us (splish)

Take a shot, make a friend, just enjoy the moment

I’m Luke Skywalkin’ on these haters (splish)

Celebrate every day like a birthday…”

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Thrilling Songs About the Sky

9. DMX, “Walking in the Rain” (Ft. Nas, Exodus Simmons & dEnAun)

💿 Exodus • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2021

Sadly, the world lost a musical icon in 2021.  Earl Simmons, best known as gruff-voiced, East Coast rapper 🎙 DMX, passed away at the age of 50 on April 9, 2021.   Yes, Simmons was ‘rough around the edges,’ but the sheer talent and influence he brought to the game, as well as his tremendous faith, is undeniable.  With the release of 💿 Exodus, an album that was in the works prior to his tragic death, the world gets to hear him one final time. Among the best songs from the album is the thoughtful 🎵 “Walking in the Rain.”   

“Let the dirt you go through, change you (What?) / Don’t forget, even Satan was an angel.” The production (🎛 SHROOM, 🎛 Swizz Beatz, and 🎛 dEnAun) of “Walking in the Rain” is smooth, soulful, and jazzy – quite classy and refined. 🎙 Nas appears, joined by 🎙 Exodus Simmons and dEnAun.  Exodus performs in the intro (a prayer) and the outro (“Walkin’ in the rain”) with his dad.  dEnAun sings alongside DMX on the chorus, one of the nice touches of this particular record.

“Huh, walkin’ in the rain

Walkin’, walkin’, walkin’

Huh, walkin’ in the rain

Walkin’, walkin’, walkin’.”

Denaun also sings fabulously on the bridge (“I know we all got our share of trials and tribulations, yeah / But I done rode for some of y’all”).  Nas is true to self in the second verse, fitting perfectly over the ear catching backdrop.  Of course, it is X who is the main attraction, superbly reflecting on life and faith (“You can’t go through life walkin’ blind / Gotta not only speak your heart but talk your mind”).  RIP DMX.

10. Imagine Dragons, “Walking the Wire”

💿 Evolve • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2017

“Oh, the storm is ragin’ against us now /… If you’re afraid of falling, then don’t look down.” 🏆 Grammy-winning rock/pop/alternative band 🎙 Imagine Dragons are known for their beastly, ferocious sound – RAWR! There’s a big, robust quality, coupled with grit.  The grittiness isn’t malicious – 🎙 Dan Reynolds and company are clean-cut – but there’s assertiveness.  The fourth single from their third album (💿 Evolve, 2017), 🎵 “Walking the Wire”, possesses a tamer quality compared to the three singles preceding it. Regardless, there’s still oomph.  Calling it fundamentally different would be an overstatement, but in the verses, the band lets its foot off the gas pedal a bit.

Maybe the best way to describe the band’s approach is slightly tenderer.  The main reason is because of the subject matter: LOVE.  Reynolds and company explore the turbulence – the push and pull of the four-letter word.  Even with more care and restraint exhibited in the verse, the refrain remains as grandiose as ever.

“We’re walking the wire, love

We’re walking the wire, love

We’re gonna be higher, up

We’re walking the wire, wire, wire.”

All in all, it’s a respectable record.

11. Jagged Edge, “Walked Outta Heaven”

💿  Hard • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 2003 

Once upon a time, 🎙 Jagged Edge experienced their moment in R&B.  The collective has a pair of platinum albums and a pair of gold albums. 💿 Hard, released in Fall 2003, debuted at no. 3 on the Billboard 200 and went on to earn that gold plaque. The biggest single from Hard is undoubtedly 🎵 “Walked Outta Heaven”, a song that should’ve graced 13 Utterly Celestial Heaven Gems, sigh. It’s not surprising that the lushly produced (🎛 Bryan-Michael Cox), dynamic “Walked Outta Heaven” was hit, peaking at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent a respectable 27 weeks on the pop charts.

So, why did Jagged Edge “walk right out of heaven” exactly? Well, you can bet it involves the universal four-letter word: LOVE.  Like many secular heaven songs, the idea of the afterlife is secondary – not the main priority.  Heaven, in the case of “Walked Outta Heaven,” was this awesome relationship with this woman.  Now that she’s – they’re – gone, the men a scrambling because life is no longer heavenly but hellish 😈!  The verses do a fine job of expressing the lengths Jagged Edge is willing to go to get her back with prayer being option number one in the first verse (“Without my girl, I’ma lose it / I pray that he would just shed his grace on me”). Of course, the best moment of the song is the centerpiece – the tuneful, harmonious chorus:

“It feels like I just walked right out of Heaven

And it feels like I have damn near thrown my life away (Oh)

And I’m scared just like a child that’s lost at seven (I’m so scared)

Don’t know what to do to get back right with you (Yeah, oh, yeah).”

The bridge is also fantastic, where the ability to walk and talk has been stifled by this unfortunate loss of heaven.

Appears in 🔻:

• Jagged Edge, “Walked Outta Heaven”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 58 (2022)

12. Erin Avis, “Bad Bitch Walk”

🎵 “Bad Bitch Walk” • 🏷 Arctic Spell • 🗓 2020

“Some days I wish / I didn’t turn out like this / One month’s Pride doesn’t heal this slit / So you stonewall strong when you feel this shit.” Those clever, compelling, emotional, and thought-provoking lyrics appear on 🎵 “Bad Bitch Walk”. “Bad Bitch Walk” arrives at the hands of 🎙 Erin Avis, an artist whom I interviewed in 2020 (“I was very much swinging for the hip on that one. It was the last in a string of songs I wrote (and scrapped) over a span of a few months trying to capture that feeling”). During that interview, Avis provided ample insight into life, discussing trauma, mental health, and sexuality. Avis characterizes the record as “a very personal and vulnerable account of the feelings surrounding coming out as bisexual. It expresses the pain, anger, and spiteful confidence that grew as I started accepting myself.”  [Note: Nearly a year after interviewing Avis, they changed their name from Aaron to Erin.] It’s clear, listening to “Bad Bitch Walk,” that there are real, legit emotions being conveyed.

“Well, I guess the F word was wet in my drip

Fuck off, I’m beyond being pissed

I just laugh when I see straight cis

In the face straight sick, since the queer came in.”

The lyrics and theme represent the biggest selling points. Sexuality never tends to be a boring topic. Lyrically, Avis masterfully incorporates aspects of the queer world along with awesome wordplay. There are a number of ‘bullets’ including certain perceptions you might say:

“Not a pussy or a fag while the chest stays closed

I keep my legs dead straight

I hid my femme shake

I can def speak straight

That’s how we relate.”

Amazingly, that’s merely the first verse in a record with so much to unpack. Moving ahead, in the chorus is where we get the ‘bitching’ titular line, but not before Avis asserts, “Lord, don’t make me clean,” sigh.  The second verse is where we get overtness about coming out: “And dudes that you would hang out before you came out / Hardly can look at you the same now.”  Lyrically, “Bad Bitch Walk” is a surefire work of art.  Musically, it’s also pretty sick.  Avis is spot on when asserting “‘Bad Bitch Walk’ is heavily influenced by emo trap, pop, and gothic rock.” It’s in a minor key and features a rhythmic melodic line and some badass guitars. It’s definitely a vibe.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: April 2020
• Getting to Know… Erin Avis
• 20 Awesome LGBTQ+ Songs from 2020

13. Kanye West, “Jesus Walks”

💿 The College Dropout • 🏷 Roc-A-Fella • 📅 2004

“I walk through the valley of the Chi where death is / Top floor the view alone will leave you breathless…” 🎙 Kanye West made a huge statement when he released 🎵 “Jesus Walks,” arguably, the crowning achievement of his 2004 debut album, 💿 The College Dropout. It’s rare that rappers mention Jesus in the slightest in their raps, so West definitely goes against the grain.

Even with Ye acknowledging ‘The Most High,’ “Jesus Walks” isn’t quite appropriate for a church service. At least from my experience, the church frowns upon the use of nigga and shit.  Sure, rappers have done worse but honestly, Kanye, WWJD? Even though West is more attuned to church on 💿 JESUS IS KING, which arrived 15 years later, to an extent, the polarizing, 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper/producer affirms his faith. 

“(Jesus walk)

God show me the way because the Devil’s trying to break me down

(Jesus walk with me)

The only thing that I pray is that my feet don’t fail me now

(Jesus walk)

And I don’t think there’s nothin’ I can do now to right my wrongs

(Jesus walk with me)

I wanna talk to God but I’m afraid cause we ain’t spoke in so long.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Secular (or Not So Secular) Songs About Jesus 2.0
• 13 Songs That Show Relentless Faith

14. Run the Jewels, “walking in the snow”

💿 RTJ4 • 🏷 Jewel Runners LLC / BMG Rights Management • 📅 2020

“Just got done walkin’ in the snow / Goddamn, that motherfucker cold,” 🎙 Gangsta Boo spits on the memorable, incredibly potent, and powerful chorus on 🎵 “Walking in the Snow.”  “Walking on the Snow” ranks among the crème de la crème of 💿 RTJ4, the fourth studio album by 🎙 Run the Jewels. 🎙 El-P and 🎙 Killer Mike get socially conscious, specifically focusing on racial inequality.

El-P calls out hypocrisy on the first verse: “Pseudo-Christians, y’all indifferent, kids in prison ain’t a sin? Shit / If even one scrap of what Jesus taught connected, you’d feel different.” Killer Mike really goes in on the second verse, sporting contrasting production, spitting, “And you so numb, you watch the cops choke out a man like me / Until my voice goes from a shriek to a whisper, ‘I can’t breathe.’” A collaborative verse between the two rappers is nothing short of awesome.

Appears in 🔻:

• Snow ❄: 3BOPS No. 5 (2020)
• One Hella Cold List of Songs

15. Mighty Clouds of Joy, “Walk Around Heaven”

💿 Cloudburst • 🏷 Curb / Word Entertainment • 📅 1980

“One of these mornings, it won’t be long / You’ll look for me, and I’ll be gone.” Gospel classic 🎵 “Walk Around Heaven” which was penned and originally performed by 🎙 Cassietta George, a member of the legendary gospel collective, 🎙 The Caravans.  Sometimes referenced as 🎵 “Walk Around Heaven All Day”, the record has been performed by many gospel musicians including 🎙 Mighty Clouds of Joy on their 1980s album, 💿 Cloudburst.  The best version by the collective features the late, great 🎙 Michael Cook on lead vocals.

“I’m going to a place, I’ll have nothing to do / But just walk around heaven all day,” the first verse continues, radiantly.  Cook sadly passed away at 46. A member of Mighty Clouds of Joy for more than  20 years, he left an incredible mark with his ripe, falsetto vocals.  He is the perfect lead for this record, which is escapist, reflecting on the glory of what an afterlife in heaven holds. “When I get to heaven, I’ll sing and shout / Nobody will be able to put me out,” Cook sings in the second verse, continuing, “My mother will be waiting / and my father too / And we’ll walk around heaven all day.”  In order to get to heaven, you must live right, something the bridge section speaks to.  Cook emphasizes encouragement from God to keep on pressing on and doing the right things.  As the song progresses, there’s an emphasis on the sanctity of the Sabbath Day, and living as a Christian ought.  The ultimate reward is in heaven: “Then he’ll say well done / And my race, my race will be won / And I’ll walk around heaven all day.” Even if you’re not a believer, you should be able to appreciate the sincerity and gorgeousness of this inspiring record.

 Appears in 🔻:

• Mighty Clouds of Joy, “Walk Around Heaven All Day”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 1 (2022)