Belong | 3 to 5 BOPS

Belong: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 66 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of BROCKHAMPTON, Joe Cocker, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, and Why Don’t We.

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less.  3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 66th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with BELONG in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 BROCKHAMPTON, 🎙 Joe Cocker, 🎙 Mariah Carey, 🎙 Taylor Swift, and 🎙 Why Don’t We. Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Taylor Swift, “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)”

💿 Fearless (Taylor’s Version) • 🏷 Taylor Swift • 📅 2021

“‘Cause she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts / She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers.” Yup, it can only be one song and one song only: 🎵 “You Belong With Me.” Honestly, this was the song that truly solidified 🎙 Taylor Swift’s status as a pop star, even within the confines of country (at the time).  Yes, “Teardrops on My Guitar” was a big deal, but “You Belong With Me” was even bigger. In 2021, Swift re-recorded her 🏆 Grammy-winning sophomore album as 💿 Fearless (Taylor’s Version).  As to be expected, the re-recorded 🎵 “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” is faithful to the original. 

Swift has become an even more elite songwriter since her “You Belong With Me” days. That said, revisiting it, even if it was overplayed (and it was), you can’t deny how catchy, infectious, and memorable it is.  “And you’ve got a smile that could light up this whole town,” Swift sings in the second verse, continuing, “I haven’t seen it in a while since she brought you down.” Oh, the nostalgia of a T. Swift song about a boy! The centerpiece of the original no. 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit and the no. 75 peaking re-record is none other than the chorus.  Sing it with me:

“If you could see that I’m the one who understands you

Been here all along, so why can’t you see?

You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door

All this time how could you not know, baby?

You belong with me, you belong with me.”  

🎵 “You Belong With Me” is one of the most memorable and tuneful songs of aughts hands down.

Appears in 🔻:

• Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version): FIERCE Pop + Rock 🔥🤘 35 (2023)

2. BROCKHAMPTON, “Heaven Belongs to You” 

💿 GINGER • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2019

Disbanded hip-hop boy band 🎙 BROCKHAMPTON keeps things brief on 🎵 “Heaven Belongs to You” (💿 GINGER, 2019).  The record is produced by 🎛 Jabari Manwa and Romil Hemnani (members of the sizable collective) but doesn’t feature any members of BROCKHAMPTON in a performance role.  The voice heard on “Heaven Belongs to You” is controversial rapper, 🎙 slowthai 🤯.  “Heaven Belongs to You” is compelling, connected with the single, 🎵 “If You Pray Right”. Here,  slowthai reflects on God and religion, which, you can expect, isn’t incredibly Christian! He’s inspired by Tupac (“Like God can’t judge me, but only God can see / I ain’t bein’ judged, no one judgin’ me”), which is cool.  That said, anytime one utters “Fuck God,” well, it’s going to raise some eyebrows (“Fuck God, I’m a dog backwards / Backwards, I don’t smoke Backwoods / What you sayin’? Why you prayin’ for forgiveness? / When you wanna get money, get them riches”).  

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Utterly Celestial Heaven Gems (2022)

3. Why Don’t We & Macklemore, “I Don’t Belong in This Club”

🎵 “I Don’t Belong in This Club” • 🏷  Signature Entertainment / Atlantic • 📅  2019

“Save me, can’t take it / I don’t belong in this club / One dance, no chance / ‘Cause I’m feeling awkward as (oh)…” Boy band 🎙 Why Don’t We (🎙 Corbyn Besson, 🎙 Daniel Seavey, 🎙 Zach Herron, 🎙 Jonah Marais, and 🎙 Jack Avery) tapped 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper 🎙 Macklemore for their ‘totally awkward,’ surefire bop, 🎵 “I Don’t Belong in This Club”. From a production standpoint, the pop collective has a record that’s incredibly sleek, idiomatic of urban pop to the nth degree.  The drum programming screams hip-hop, the synths are bright and edgy, and all in all, it feels like a suitable backdrop for a contemporary, modern-day boy band.  Beyond the production, the singing is on-point; the guys deliver, particularly on the robust, crowd-pleasing, sing-along chorus.   

Speaking of the chorus – and the songwriting in general – it’s relatable, particularly for the crowd that finds clubbing “awkward as (oh).”  Excerpted above, it continues as follows:  “I was waiting in line for an hour / Just to get in, now I wanna get out ‘cause / I’m jaded, can’t fake it / I don’t belong in this club.” Of course, “I Don’t Belong in This Club” has another piece – Macklemore.   The rapper brings some swagger, beginning his verse amped-up: “Hopped out of the Uber / I was feelin’ myself / Had the polo with the bolo / With some eel on the belt.” But, like Why Don’t We, he becomes jaded himself, with awkwardness killing the vibe. He concludes his verse by spitting:  

“‘Bout to pull that Irish goodbye, grab my stuff, ‘bout to cut  

And the DJ yells, ‘Macklemore in the house tonight’ 

Ah, fuck.”  

All in all, Why Don’t We and Macklemore secure a surefire hit with “I Don’t Belong in This Club,” which previously graced the playlist. 

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Songs About Buildings, Real or Imagined (2019)
• 11 Compelling Songs That Reference Da Club (2020)

4. Mariah Carey, “We Belong Together” 

💿 The Emancipation of Mimi • 🏷 Island Def Jam • 📅 2005   

“Who else am I gonna lean on when times get rough? / Who’s gonna talk to me on the phone ‘til the sun comes up / Who’s gonna take your place? There ain’t nobody better / Oh, baby, baby, we belong together.” Really, is there any introduction needed? 🎙 Mariah Carey was everywhere in 2005, experiencing a resurgence in popularity that many music artists only dream could happen. 🎵 “We Belong Together” was a big reason for that, spending 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.  💿 The Emancipation of Mimi gave Carey her biggest critical and commercial triumph in years. 

“When you left, I lost a part of me / It’s still so hard to believe / Come back, baby, please / ‘Cause we belong together.” “We Belong Together” is simply an enjoyable, well-rounded R&B break-up song.  Mariah Carey misses her man and begs him to come back because, in her eyes, they “belong together.” It’s well-produced (Carey, 🎛 Jermaine Dupri, and Manuel Seal) without being incredibly flashy. The production does get a lift from two samples – 🎵 “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” (🎙 Bobby Womack) and 🎵 “Two Occasions” (🎙 The Deele featuring 🎙 Babyface). Its simplicity and straightforwardness serve it well.    The biggest selling point? The voice – “marvelous darling!”  

Appears in 🔻:   

• 15 Songs Where We are in This Together! (2020) 
• 15 Compelling Songs About WE (2022) 
• Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1 (2023)

5. Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, “Up Where We Belong”

💿 Ultimate Collection • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2004

“Love lift us up where we belong / Where the eagles cry, on a mountain high.” Ah, 🎵 “Up Where We Belong”, one of the great pop classics from the 1980s.  “Up Where We Belong” enlisted the talents of the late, great English singer 🎙 Joe Cocker (1944 – 2014) and 🎙 Jennifer Warnes (1947 – ).  The chorus continues, in all its glory, “Love lift us up where we belong / Far from the world below, up where the clear winds blow.” Who penned this highlight from the 💿 An Office and a Gentleman Soundtrack (1982)? That would be 🎼 ✍ Bernard Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie.  Kudos to them!

It should come as no surprise that “Up Where We Belong” is a decorated classic.  First of all, it peaked at no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Secondly, it won the 🏆 Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals, the sole Grammy win by Cocker (Warnes would win a second 🏆 Grammy).  Songwriters Nitzsche and Sainte-Marie would be awarded the highly coveted 🏆 Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1983. “Up Where We Belong” was THAT song.  Besides the catchy chorus, where the chemistry between Cocker and Warnes is incredible, the other sections of the song, and the respective solo vocals are sweet too.  Jennifer starts things off, setting the tone: “Who knows what tomorrow brings / In a world few hearts survive.” Sigh.  Of course, the always distinct and expressive Cocker puts his stamp on the song, singing the second half of the first verse, as well as the following refrain (or pre-chorus if you will). In the second verse, Cocker sings first, followed by Warnes. Beyond the love-driven songwriting, and elite vocal performance, and tuneful melodies, the production shines with its palette of keys shining particularly bright. 🎵 “Up Where We Belong” is a timeless classic that speaks for itself.  

Appears in 🔻:

• Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, Up Where We Belong: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 121 (2023)

Belong: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 66 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Island Def Jam,  Signature Entertainment / Atlantic, Taylor Swift, UMG Recordings, Inc.; cottonbro studio from Pexels ; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]