Alive | 5ive Songs

In the 36^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with being ALIVE in some form or fashion.  

Welcome

to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff! There’s a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 36^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with ALIVE in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. Sia, “Alive”

💿 This Is Acting • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2016

“I was born in a thunderstorm / I grew up overnight,” 🏆 Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter🎙 Sia sings on 🎵 “Alive”. She adds, “I played alone, I played on my own / I survived.” Sigh, sometimes, we must fight through adversity.  “I saw my life in a stranger’s face,” she asserts in the second verse, “And it was mine.” Wow.  In this powerful highlight from 💿 This Is Acting (2016), Sia expresses her story of survival even with the odds stacked firmly against her (“I had a one-way ticket to a place where all the demons go / Where the wind don’t change / And noting in the ground can ever grow”). The authenticity is pronounced and quite relatable, all told.

Sia, known for her sharp pen, gets some assistance in the songwriting department.  She wrote this uplifting, second track from This Is Acting alongside 🎼 ✍ Adele (!) and 🎼 ✍ Tobias Jesso Jr.  From the production end of things, 🎛 Jesse Slatkin helps to construct a powerful backdrop fitting for Sia’s distinct, commanding pipes.  Those pipes shine brightest on the simple but fitting chorus.  Here, Sia asserts, “I’m still breathing, I’m still breathing / I’m alive, I’m alive.”  It’s this resilience, despite many misadventures, trials, and tribulations, that makes “Alive” so puissant.

Appears in 🔻:

• Sia, “Alive”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 No. 2 (2022)

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2. Kanye West, “Keep My Spirit Alive” (Ft. Westside Gunn, & Conway the Machine)

💿 Donda • 🏷 Def Jam • 🗓 2021

“More than anything / You can take it all, but the Lord on my side,” Kanye West sings in the chorus of 🎵 “Keep My Spirit Alive,” a welcome moment from his 10^th studio album, 💿 Donda. He continues, singing, “Spirit won’t die, die / Oh, oh, my life / Is in Hands, so I don’t stress, I pray and strategize.” “Keep My Spirit Alive” appears as the 16^th track on the 27-track juggernaut.  The 🏆 Grammy-winner is joined by two of his contemporaries: 🎙 Westside Gunn, and 🎙 Conway the Machine.

“Keep My Spirit Alive” is produced by West, with plenty additional cooks in the kitchen:  🎛 BoogzDaBeast, 🎛 Ojivolta, 🎛 FNZ, 🎛 Dem Jointz, 🎛 Rico Nichols, and 🎛 Darius Woodley – WOO! Westside Gunn (“Hundred-round drum didn’t jam when my shooter tried to spray it, thank God (Thank God)”) and Conway the Machine (“No weapon formed against me ‘cause I’m covered in the blood / Layin’ in the hospital when I got shot, fam”) don’t disappoint, dropping the first and second verses respectively. In addition to his melodic chorus, West appears in the third verse. During that verse, he alludes to 🎦 Black Panther and God’s mercy, omniscience, and wonder-working power (“Give it all to God and let Jesus reimburse you”). Amen!

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3. Andy Grammer, “Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)”

💿 Magazines or Novels [Deluxe] • 🏷 S-Curve • 📅 2015

“I’ve been grinding so long, been trying this shit for years / And I got nothing to show, just climbing this rope right here…” Okay, 🎙 Andy Grammer – dropping that s-bomb on us! What exactly is the shit that Grammer has been ‘trying’ on 🎵 “Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah),” from his 2015 album, 💿 Magazines or Novels [Deluxe]? How about a little background first before answering!

Prior to issuing the deluxe edition of Magazines or Novels, Andy Grammer had a surefire gem on his hands with 🎵 “Honey, I’m Good.” which clearly elevated his profile.  He would earn another hit, though less successful, with “Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah).” On “Good to Be Alive,” the production work is gimmicky though Grammer sounds utterly ebullient! He has good reason to sound ebullient.  Basically, he’s thankful for the success he’s achieved, asserting, “Feels good to be alive right about now.”  So, connecting it all together, that ‘shit he’d been trying’ – finding and carving out success.  Now that he’s finally achieved some, he’s thankful and it feels pretty sweet.

Appears in 🔻:

• 10 Secular Hallelujah Songs
• Thankful Songs 🙏🎶 11
• Thankful 🙏🎶 3: 5ive Songs No. 62
• Gratitude: 20 Gracious, Thankful Songs

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4. Bazzi, “Young & Alive”

🎵 “Young & Alive” • 📅 2020

“Ridin’ my bike like I’m too young to drive / Careless and free like it’s 2005 / Had to chill the fuck out, take a trip outside /To have fun with my friends like I’m young and alive.” In 2020, twenty-something pop artist 🎙 Bazzi (Andrew Bazzi) was feeling 🎵 “Young & Alive”. He lacks no swagger.  His melodic lines are rhythmic, influenced by hip-hop, incorporating a pop-rap sensibility.  Andrew casually throws in f-bombs that totally match the chill, youthful vibe.  The first utterance of fuck occurs in the chorus, at the top of the track.

The lyrics are reminiscent, as evidenced in various sections of the “Young & Alive.”  In the first verse, Bazzi sings, innocently, “We ain’t gotta fuck or nothing / We could hold hands or somethin’.” The same ‘innocence’ turns into more in the pre-chorus, as he sings, “But when the night gets late and we’re too fucked up / Please don’t tell your mom, don’t wanna mess this up.”  Beyond the colorful lyrics and easy-going performance, the backdrop supporting Bazzi is pretty strong, further bringing out the best of him – in a mellow sort of way.  Relatively simple, Bazzi doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, and that’s part of the charm.

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Songs Bound to Make You Feel Young Again

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5. Rae Sremmurd, “Look Alive”

💿 SremmLife 2 • 🏷 Universal Music • 🗓 2016

“I’m so far out of sight / Yeah that sounds about right / Kill this cup, not my vibe / Be the highlight of my night.” Need a chilled-out banger? 🎙 Rae Sremmurd tend to excel in this department, led by the mellow 🎙 Swae Lee.  Of course, his more assertive bro, 🎙 Slim Jxmmi deserves credit too.  Still, on 🎵 “Look Alive” from the 2014 album 💿 SremmLife 2, it is Lee’s hook that makes the gem.

The hook continues as follows:

“Look alive, look alive

We can start with something light

I can get you so right

I just need an invite.”

Slow and chill, that infectious hook that latches the first time you hear it – best part of the whole song. Adding to the allure is awesome production work courtesy of 🎛 Mike WiLL Made-It and 🎛 Shod. They definitely set the boys up for mad success.

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 LOOK Songs Totally Worth Listening To

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Alive: 5ive Songs No. 36 (2022) [📷: Andrea Piacquadio, Bazzi, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, Def Jam, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, RCA, S-Curve, Universal Music]

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