Bible | 5ive Songs

In the 60^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the BIBLE 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.  On the 60^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the BIBLE in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Fivio Foreign, “B.I.B.L.E. Talk” (Ft. DJ Khaled)

💿 B.I.B.L.E • 🏷 RichFish, LLC / Columbia • 📅 2022 

“They try to finish us (Finish us) / They want us broke (Broke) / They want us unhappy (Unhappy) / They want us miserable (Miserable)…” Well, da-yum, that sounds damning! Those damning spoken words hail from 🎙 DJ Khaled, the featured artist on 🎵 “B.I.B.L.E. Talk.” “B.I.B.L.E. Talk” is the 12^th track on 💿 B.I.B.L.E., the 2022 studio album by drill rapper, 🎙 Fivio Foreign.  On this track, the B.I.B.L.E. talk is brief (under two minutes in duration) but potent.  

“B.I.B.L.E. Talk” features an energetic, inspired speech by DJ Khaled, including references to his 2022 album, 💿 GOD DID.  “They ain’t believe in us (Huh) / God did (God did, God did).” Yes, yes, yes! During this interlude of sorts, the 🏆 Grammy-winner and Fivio Foreign trade lines… well, sort of.  Mostly, Khaled provides the B.I.B.L.E. talk while Fivio Foreign witnesses with one-word or short phrases as responses.  It’s not often that you leave the heavy lifting to DJ Khaled, is it?

“You see, when you represent the light

You represent God, the most high

B.I.B.L.E. talk

We’re out here hustlin’, feedin’ our family

Makin’ sure our team is good

We upliftin’ the people

We inspirin’ the world

We makin’ anthems

We gettin’ money

B.I.B.L.E. talk…”

2. FLETCHER, “Her Body is Bible”

💿 Girl of My Dreams • 🏷 Snapback Entertainment LLC / UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2022

“I found God the moment that I put my lips on yours.” Wow, 🎙 FLETCHER (Cari Fletcher), I have no doubt that ministers everywhere are cringing and screaming, BLASPHEMY.  Does the pop artist give a flying fizzuck? Of course, she doesn’t: “One touch, sippin’ holy water now.” On 🎵 “Her Body is Bible”, a highlight from her 2022 debut album, 💿 Girl of My Dreams, FLETCHER leaves her Catholicism behind in favor of being true to herself, and embracing her sexuality.

“Amen, oh, her body is bible

The only heaven that I know.”

Yup, there’s nothing Catholic about that! The chorus is definitely praiseworthy, just not in the context of a church building! FLETCHER, indeed, “Saw the light,” but in a different context – “at 4 AM we’re dancin’ in the dark / I like your T Swift t-shirt on the ground.” She doesn’t stop there either, continuing to sing in the second verse, “Hold on tight, when the world gets hard, this shit’s like paradise / All night, you’re so hot, I’m freakin’ out.” Wow – that some electrifying love right there! 🎛 Malay and 🎛 Sly help her out with some epic production, highlighting this spiritual experience 🙌! This is a song about liberation, being true to self, and obviously, losing the traditional type of religion.

Appears in 🔻:

• FLETCHER, “Her Body is Bible”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 74 (2022)

3. Calum Scott, “Biblical”

💿 Bridges • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2022 

“Demons in my head get loud / I don’t know how you do it but you turn them down.” Aww! According to British pop singer 🎙 Calum Scott, “Your love is Biblical.” So, is he referring to God on 🎵 “Biblical”, which was released as a single in 2021, and ultimately appears on his 2022 album,  💿 Bridges?  Not necessarily but, this love of biblical proportions can potentially mean different things to different people. Scott penned the ballad with 🎼 ✍ Corey Sanders, 🎼 ✍ 🎛  Jon “MAGS” Maguire (who also produces), 🏆 Grammy-nominated musician 🎼 ✍ James Bay (!), and 🎼 ✍ Jon Green.  The results are absolutely breathtaking – stunning! 

This person, whom Calum Scott sings about, clearly makes him feel some type of way.  He sings with tender vocals in the first verse, sounding incredibly smooth, accompanied by radiant piano.  In the pre-chorus, where things begin to percolate, there’s the addition of strings (cello, performed by Nerys Clark).  Here, he sings, “I slip and wonder who I’d be / If I never found you and you never found me / Well I don’t wanna see.” More strings enter the picture during the magnificent chorus, in which Scott sings for the first time primarily in his upper register (falsetto). The melody is gorgeous!

“So, won’t you give me tonight

And the rest of your life?

I wanna have it all with you

And when you open your eyes

I’ll be there by your side

I wanna have it all with you.”

In the post-chorus, he professes the love to be Biblical – Thank ya!  The second verse is briefer yet more developed, with Scott giving more oomph, punch, and full-bodied vocals. He powers the second pre-chorus and chorus, ditching the falsetto, which sounds incredibly commanding, declaring his biblical love! I love when the choir enters the mix, accentuating the sheer excellence of Scott’s performance, and elevating “Biblical” to higher heights! Following the fever pitch, Scott brings things back down temporarily, before building things back up.  About “Biblical,” Scott comments, “I want to create something for people to feel seen, heard, and represented.” He easily outdoes himself in biblical proportions!

Appears in 🔻:

• Calum Scott, “Biblical”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 31 (2022)

4. Drake, “In The Bible” (Ft. Lil Durk & GIVĒON)

💿 Certified Lover Boy • 🏷 OVO / Republic • 🗓 2021

“Turn up every day, girl, it don’t say that in the Bible / Can’t give it up ‘cause you love the lifestyle.” Um, okay, 🎙 Drake…  It’s safe to say that 🎵 “In The Bible” from 2021’s  💿 Certified Lover Boy, is NOT biblical. Basically, what I’m saying is, don’t go into this shi† expecting scripture, let alone a sermon! The 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper doesn’t come off that devout…

That said, there are some interesting moments “In The Bible” – the song, not the holy book, in this case! A prime example is Drake essentially calling the ‘holier than thou’ woman a hypocrite – AMEN! It doesn’t stop there as 🎙 Lil Durk and 🎙 GIVĒON also appear on this quasi-at-best biblical gem.  Durk has the best verse, particularly when he references his faith (“It’s not in the Bible to wife off one girl / I’m Muslim, I go by Quran”), the late 🎙 King Von (R.I.P.), and his viral TikTok dance. It’s biblical, for sure… said no one ever!

5. Jake Wesley Rogers, “Jacob from the Bible”

💿 Spiritual (EP) • 🏷 Jake Wesley Rogers • 📅 2019

“Mama, help me understand / I don’t wanna be held down by a heavenly man…” 🎵 “Jacob from the Bible” serves as the opener from 💿 Spiritual, a five-track EP released by 🎙 Jake Wesley Rogers in 2019.  The talented musician, originally from Missouri, is authentic, honest, and vulnerable on this powerful track. He delivers brilliant, distinct vocals – it’s clear he’s a trained singer (theatre kid and Belmont alum).  The single commences enigmatically, with the instrumental embodying a spiritual feel, which is intentional. This conceptual record blends pop/rock, with some gospel elements.  The sound is elephantine on the chorus lyric, “But I’m no Jacob from the Bible.” Notably, sections in the song have similarities, but there are variations, which keep things from being predictable.

“He’s no Jacob from the bible

But damn, he made me pray

He might be my only rival

Holding me that way.”

So, what’s the premise of “Jacob from the Bible?” Clearly, Wesley Rogers references the Biblical figure, as he reflects on his own life.  Notably, he asks for forgiveness from his mom and confesses his sins and mistakes.  Wesley Rogers references his sexuality, a secret gay relationship, and thanks his mom for her support, despite his flaws (“Mama, help me carry on / They call me wrong / You call me strong”).  In a Music Mecca interview, when asked about it being difficult…while growing up being gay and going to church, Wesley Rogers responds:

There were definitely aspects of it that were hard, but I was grateful to have a close-knit group of friends who were very supportive… My family was very supportive, so I always had that, but that being said most of the people in my town were not supportive in those ways …I learned to hide myself in certain ways and that takes a long time to unpack and work through.

“Jacob in the Bible” is a brilliant musical commentary on real-life, particularly from the queer lens.  And Jake Wesley Rogers… your voice is angelic, celestial, and heavenly! Amen!

Appears in 🔻:

• Jake Wesley Rogers, “Jacob from the Bible”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 30 (2022)

Bible: 5ive Songs No. 60 (2022) [📷: Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, Columbia, Jake Wesley Rogers, Jeff Jacobs, Maicon Fonseca Zanco, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, OVO, Pixabay, Republic, RichFish, LLC, Snapback Entertainment LLC, UMG Recordings, Inc.]