Breathe | 5ive Songs

1. H.E.R., “I Can’t Breathe”

🎵 “I Can’t Breathe” • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2020

“I can’t breathe / You’re taking my life from me / I can’t breathe / Will anyone fight for me?” Multi-Grammy award winning R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 H.E.R. earned one of the biggest awards at the 🏆 63^rd Annual Grammys winning Song of the Year for 🎵 “I Can’t Breathe.” Written alongside 🎼✍ Dernst “Dmile” Emile II (who also produces) and 🎼✍ Tiara Thomas, “I Can’t Breathe” tackles a history of racist injustice in America, specifically reignited by the murder of George Floyd.

As the aforementioned chorus lyrics suggest, “I Can’t Breathe” is a heavy record.  Set in a minor key, expectedly, H.E.R. desires for this record to be more reflective, somber, and thought provoking.  This isn’t a song you should listen to and not take something away from it. Always a great songwriter, this particular record is by far her most timely, given the troubling situations inspiring it. It’s truly special and deserving of recognition.

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2. Tame Impala, “Breathe Deeper”

💿 The Slow Rush • 🏷 Island • 📅 2020

The groovy 🎵 “Breathe Deeper” marks another cut on 💿 The Slow Rush that extends beyond six minutes in duration.  Whoa Nelly – hold TF up! Backtracking a bit, and providing some context, The Slow Rush marked the first new 🎙 Tame Impala album in nearly five years (💿 Currents, 2015). The record may run long, but it’s quite a glorious listen. It can’t be overstated how great Tame Impala is with neo-psychedelia – it’s definitely 🎙 Kevin Parker’s ‘thang.’

Yes, neo-psych is easily perceptible, but “Breathe Deeper” also manages to be quite soulful, with the ostinato keyboard passages and synths hearkening back to 70s funk, soul, and disco. Furthermore, it’s poppy too! The lyrics are simple, but potent, yielding a top-notch chorus, not to mention catchy verses too (“If you think I couldn’t hold my own, believe me, I can”).

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3. Playboi Carti, “Stop Breathing”

💿 Whole Lotta Red • 🏷 AWGE / Interscope • 📅 2020

In the gospel according to 🎙 Playboi Carti in the book of 💿 Whole Lotta Red: “I take my shirt off and all the hoes stop breathin’.” Phew, the rapper must be blessed with some sick pecs and washboard abs! I mean, if that’s what Carti is serving up, no wonder it’s a case of “Baby boy make me lose my breath”!

For as oddly as the Whole Lotta Red commences, listeners get a confident, enjoyable chorus out of the standout 🎵 “Stop Breathing.” Beyond the chorus, Carti is choked-full of energy on the verse – intense to the nth degree (“Ever since my brother died / I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout homicide/ … I got niggas in chain gang on my side”). Furthermore, we get banging production (🎛 F1thy, 🎛 Lukrative, and 🎛 ssort), with the hard-nosed beat leading the charge. 

4. Ariana Grande, “breathin”

💿 Sweetener • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2018

“Just keep breathin’ and breathin’ and breathin’ and breathin’!” That’s right! The power of respiration! 💿 Sweetener marks one of 🏆 Grammy-winning pop superstar 🎙 Ariana Grande’s best albums (arguably second only to 💿 thank u, next). Interestingly, it was Sweetener that earned Grande her first Grammy win, while thank u, next infamously secured zero Grammys (thanks to 🎙 Billie Eilish, of course).  Among the songs gracing Sweetener is none other than single, 🎵 “Breathin.”  The record is produced by one of pop’s “it” producers, 🎛 Ilya, who produced one of the best songs on the album, 🎵 “God is a Woman”.

Like much of Sweetener, there’s lots to heart about “Breathin.”  It starts with the vocals – Ariana Grande is a ‘beast.’  The aforementioned chorus, as to be expected, is the centerpiece, where Grande shows off her tremendous pipes the most.  Furthermore, Ilya definitely crafts a smooth, groovy backdrop. “Breathin” ends up being pleasant, totally worthwhile pop music even if it doesn’t necessarily take top honors as the best of the best of Sweetener.

5. Maroon 5, “Harder to Breathe”

💿 Songs About Jane • 🏷 A&M / Octone • 📅 2002

“You want to stay but you know very well I want you gone / Not fit to fuckin’ tread the ground that I am walking on.” Ooh wee! Day-ummm son! Could 🎙 Maroon 5 have delivered a better opening record on their 2002 debut album, 💿 Songs About Jane than 🎵 “Harder to Breathe”?

The answer to that question, my friends, is rhetorical. “Harder to Breathe” was definitely a fantastic introduction to the future 🏆 Grammy-winning pop collective.  This brief cut rocks hard – well – in a most pop sensible sort of way. 🎙 Adam Levine at his best, long before being 💿 Overexposed or experiencing those 💿 Red Pill Blues, not to mention moving beyond the pop/rock sound that catapulted the band to success.  The chorus, of course, marks the best moment of the song, even if the aforementioned f-bomb line also fulfills the ear.

“But when it gets cold outside, and you got nobody to love
You’ll understand what I mean when I say
‘There’s no way we’re gonna give up’ (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
And like a little girl cries in the face
Of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there?
‘Cause it’s getting harder and harder to breathe.”