On the 101st edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with COUNTRIES in some form or fashion.
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elcome 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 101st edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with COUNTRIES in some form or fashion. Okay, let’s get into it!1. Roddy Ricch, “Thailand”
💿 LIVE LIFE FAST • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 2021
“Ayy, if I got the time, fuck her like a menace / Open her tonsils like she at the dentist.” Woo! 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Roddy Ricch has no shortage of confidence on 🎵 “Thailand”. “Thailand” is a banger appearing as the second track from his sophomore album, 💿 LIVE LIFE FAST. The big takeaway from this joint – flex, flex, and more flex. Essentially, Ricch talks a lot of sugar honey iced tea!
🎛 Southside gives the confident MC even more confidence with this slick production work – top-notch, baby! Roddy runs with it, bringing the heat to the chorus, the first section of “Thailand” we hear. “Flew my bitch out from Thailand, she do the most / My niggas hot like some cayenne, sittin’ in your throat,” he asserts, later adding, “Shawty gon’ call a nigga, ‘Your highness,’ ‘can we fuck on the low.” You get the premise – lots of cocky sugar honey icea tea! Mostly, Ricch focuses on sex (“Dwyane Wade how I kept the heat / Say she a squirter, it got wet on the seat”), drip (“Writin’ checks, had to work on my penmanship / What you got, I spent more on the fit, I spent more on my bitch”), and his come-up (“Got rich off ‘The Box’ how I box me a nigga”). “Thailand,” which has little to do with the Asian country 🇹🇭, is a surefire rap banger.
Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Roddy Ricch, “Thailand”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 No. 2
2. Big Sean, “Lithuania”
Ft. Travis Scott
💿 Detroit 2 • 🏷 Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. / Def Jam • 📅 2020
“I can’t even hold my baggage claim / Tryna snatch you home, my Lithuania.” Woo! Show some love for Lithuania 🇱🇹, y’all! How much you wanna bet that 💿 Detroit 2, the fifth studio album by rapper 🎙 Big Sean was an expensive undertaking? One reason? The guests are endless! On 🎵 “Lithuania,” Sean brings in 🎙 Travis Scott, who performs the excerpted lyrics from the chorus.
The sound and vibe are compelling on “Lithuania.” You can thank the production talents of 🎛 Hit-Boy and 🎛 Audio Anthem for that. Furthermore, one must shout out Travis Scott’s own unique style, +. On this Baltic state referencing joint, Sean takes a victory lap.
“And I’m prayin’ for my exes and my enemies (Straight up)
‘Cause they gon’ need all the help they can get if it isn’t me (I swear)
Success is a chain reaction, I’m the fuckin’ missin’ link (Uh-huh)
In the world where niggas would do anything for everything, damn.”
Damn indeed, Big Sean! Within the context of Detroit 2, “Lithuania” is consistent, consistent, consistent.
3. Luke Combs, “Moon Over Mexico”
💿 What You See is What You Get • 🏷 River House Artists LLC / Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 2019
The ascent of country singer 🎙 Luke Combs is amazing. Looks don’t dictate success and certainly not talent, but if you judged “the book by its cover,” Combs isn’t your prototypical male country artist. Perhaps that’s part of the charm with Combs, not to mention he has a sensational voice, seems to understand his artistic niche, and has a knack for writing some great songs. 🎵 “Moon Over Mexico,” which hails from his sophomore album, 💿 What You See is What You Get, is no exception to that rule.
“Moon Over Mexico” appears as the fifth track on Combs’ former no. 1 album. This is a gorgeous country ballad that finds Combs reminiscing on an unforgettable experience with a woman he felt some type away about. “I can still see your blue sky-blue eyes hangin’ on a mango kiss,” he sings on the opening line of the first verse. Later, on the second verse, he’s regretful, singing, “The second I left, I was kickin’ myself / ‘Cause I knew I should’ve stayed.” The centerpiece, of course, is the catchy, memorable, and well-sung chorus:
“Under a moon over Mexico 🇲🇽
Holdin’ onto you as the low tide rolls
Whatever that buzz was, I ain’t felt it since
But I can’t seem to let it go
And there was a shine in the dark, a flame from a spark
And a lime in a Pacifico
Under a moon over Mexico…”
Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 12 Unique Songs Loosely Associated with the Moon
4. Lauv, “Canada”
Ft. Alessia Cara
💿 ~how I’m feeling~ • 🏷 AWAL • 📅 2020
Oh, Canada 🇨🇦! On the pleasant 🎵 “Canada,” 🎙 Lauv (Ari Leff) collaborates with 🏆 Grammy-winning Canadian artist, 🎙 Alessia Cara. Fitting, right? RIGHT! This ‘Canadian’ performance appears on Leff’s debut studio album, 💿 ~how I’m feeling~.
On “Canada,” each artist sings their own respective verse. This begins with Lauv, singing, “Waking up in your bed / It’s almost like I’ve been here forever / I’m obsessed with your brain / And I’d unfold it if you let me.” Oh, those matters of the heart! Leff follows up by performing the chorus alone. From there, Cara delivers the second verse, closing out by asserting, “I guess we’re lucky that we don’t need much outside of us, do we?” They sing together for the first time on the chorus following Cara’s verse, showcasing magnificent chemistry. Ah, “Canada” never sounded so good!
“What if we move to Canada
And buy some things we don’t need?
Bring your mother’s dog
Your paintbrush and some candy
And when they talk about those
People who up and leave
That could be us
That could be you and me.”
5. Shawn Mendes, “Lost in Japan”
💿 Shawn Mendes • 🏷 Island • 📅 2018
“Let’s get lost tonight / Let’s get lost tonight / Baby, you and I can’t seem to get you off my mind.” 🎵 “Lost in Japan” gives 🎙 Shawn Mendes an impressive moment on his 2018 album, 💿 Shawn Mendes. “I could feel the tension / We could cut it with a knife,” the Canadian pop heartthrob sings, continuing, “I know it’s more than just a friendship / I can hear you think I’m right.”
First and foremost, Mendes flaunts his prodigious pipes. “Lost in Japan” has an alluring pop-soul sound. It’s a groovy, danceable joint, characterized by superb production comprised of cool synths, a robust bass line, and tasteful piano. The chorus is the best part of the record – the celebrated centerpiece.
“Do you got plans tonight?
I’m a couple hundred miles from Japan, and I
I was thinking I could fly to your hotel tonight
Cause I-I-I can’t get you off my mind.”
Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 11 Compelling Songs That Are Totally Lost
🔗 🎧 Japan 🗾: 5ive Songs No. 61 (2021)
🔗 🎧 11 Captivating Songs Associated with Japan 🗾
Countries: 5ive Songs No. 101 (2021) [📷: Atlantic, AWAL, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, Island, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, River House Artists LLC, Sony Music Entertainment]