Champion | 5ive Songs

1. DaBaby, “CHAMPION”

💿 BLAME IT ON BABY • 🏷 Interscope • 🗓 2020

🎙 DaBaby is definitely a confident guy to say the least – understatement! The rapper takes a victory lap on 🎵 “Champion,” which appears no his 2020 studio album, 💿 BLAME IT ON BABY.  The ‘winning’ number is anchored by massive drums courtesy of 🎙 DJ Kid and 🎙 Tom French. All of the production is quite lovely, with ‘Kirk’ feeling himself.  He asserts at one point, “I provide with the mic off dancin’ (Like Mike) / I’m a star and I’m moonwalkin’.” Give him some credit for the “R.I.P. Kobe” 🏀 line, if nothing else.

2. Carrie Underwood, “The Champion”

Ft. Ludacris

💿 Cry Pretty • 🏷 Capitol Nashville • 🗓 2018

“I am invincible, unbreakable / Unstoppable, unshakeable / They knock me down, I get up again / I am the champion, you’re gon’ know my name.” Grammy-winning country artist 🎙 Carrie Underwood returned “invincible, unbreakable, unstoppable, unshakable” on the energetic, uplifting pop record, 🎵 “The Champion” (💿 Cry Pretty).  She doesn’t do it all by herself – she’s assisted by Grammy-winning rapper, 🎙 Ludacris.  The first thing that listeners will notice is the attitude and grit exhibited vocally. Underwood exhibits utmost feistiness and intensity.  Rather than being smooth, she’s resolute, proven on the epic chorus (excerpted above). 🎙 Jim Jonsin does an awesome job with the urban-infused-pop production. Ludacris adds some southern rap on the third verse, keeping things clean, positive, and tasteful.  Perhaps the record is a bit sappy, but the good vibes and uplifting, winning message is undeniable.

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Champions Only: 9 Songs That Are #Winning

3. Fall Out Boy, “Champion”

💿 MANIA • 🏷 Island • 🗓 2018

“Champion, champion / And I can do anything!” That’s that winning spirit 🎙 Fall Out Boy! 🎵 “Champion”, the second advance single from 💿 MANIA, wasn’t quite a God-save for Fall Out Boy following the odd and sketchy 🎵 “Young and Menace”.  That said, the record is better-rounded and more enjoyable. 🎙 Patrick Stump delivers a more understated, thoughtful approach to the vocals on the verse. Naturally, he powers through on the chorus, which is catchy, despite a lack of deep or flashy lyrics: “If I can live through this / I can do anything!” The production is strong, focused on guitars as opposed to synths – a plus for the band.

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Champions Only: 9 Songs That Are #Winning

4. Rance Allen Group, “Champion”

💿 Celebrate • 🏷 Tyscot Music & Entertainment • 🗓 2014

“If God is for you then you are the winner / Champion, champion, champion!” That is definitely an inspiring line from the late, great 🎙 Bishop Rance Allen and 🎙 The Rance Allen Group.  The gospel icon sadly passed away on October 31, 2020.  He is best known for his anointed vocals on the Kirk Franklin hit, “Something About the Name Jesus”, where he nails a high Ab with incredible ease.  On 🎵 “Champion” from the group’s 2014 album, 💿 Celebrate, he emphasizes how powerful God is and if he is on your side, there is no way that you don’t come out as a champion.  “If God is with you, then who can stand against you?”  As always, Allen delivers awesome, gritty vocals, chocked full of soul and spirit over a dynamic, contemporary gospel backdrop.

5. Queen, “We Are the Champions”

💿 News of the World • 🏷 Hollywood • 🗓 1977

“We are the champions, my friends / And we’ll keep on fighting, ‘til the end / We are the champions, we are the champions!” Indeed, 🎙 Queen, indeed! The championship aspirations are legit on 🎵 “We Are the Champions,” among the all-time great songs by the iconic rock band.  Furthermore, “We Are the Champions” ranks among the greatest songs of all time, regardless of band or genre.  Truly, there is “No time for losers,” because EVERYBODY embraces that championship-winning spirit listening to 🎙 Freddie Mercury’s epic vocals on this certified masterpiece.