Cruise | 3 to 5 BOPS

Cruise: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 22 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Durand Jones & The Indications, Florida Georgia Line, Logic, Mariah Carey & Smokey Robinson.

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 22^nd edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with CRUISE in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Durand Jones & The Indications, 🎙 Florida Georgia Line, 🎙 Logic, 🎙 Mariah Carey, and 🎙 Smokey Robinson. Okay, let’s get into it!

via GIPHY

1. Logic, “Cruisin’ Through the Universe” (Ft. RZA)

💿 College Park • 🏷 Three Oh One Productions, LLC / BMG Rights Management (US) • 📅 2023

“Cruisin’ through the universe in my spaceship / ‘Cause Earth girls nowadays too basic / Face it, look in the mirror, embrace it / You’re a thot.” O… K… 💿 College Park, the 2023 album by 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper, 🎙 Logic, commences with 🎵 “Cruisin’ Through the Universe,” which sets the tone.  Produced by 🎛 6ix and Keanu Beats, the sound is one of the big selling points.  The rhythmic electric guitar, synthesizer, and old-school groove pack a sizable punch.  Furthermore, Logic shines in the melodic hook (the intro), and intrigues on his spacy, pitch-shifted verse (“Shimmy, shimmy, ya, shimmy,  yam, I don’t give a damn”). 🎙 RZA is the credited featured guest on the second verse, the longest and most accomplished of the two (“Claustrophobic, they tried to bound me in COVID / But my strand of DNA, it cannot be decoded”).  Also, making “Cruisin’ Through the Universe” unique is the outro, which  marks one of many interludes/skits that paint the nostalgic vibes of College Park, an album where the MC revisits the beginnings of his career, specifically a career-defining show in 2011.

2. Mariah Carey, “Cruise Control” (Ft. Damian Marley)

💿 E=MC2  • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2008

“2008, watch it!” Well, that’s one way to 🎵 “Put a Date On It”! After scoring a tremendous comeback with 💿 The Emancipation of Mimi in 2005, 🎙 Mariah Carey kept the momentum of her resurgence going on 💿 E=MC2, released in 2008 (the intro confirms such).  The groovy 🎵 “Cruise Control” appears as the third track on the album. Carey enlists the services of 🎙 Damian Marley, who contributes some tropical, reggae flavor of the record (“And right ya now you cruise control it is my nemesis / Just come again and stop and start just like a genesis”).  Of course, Carey, who produces with 🎛 Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, create a hella groovy, slick backdrop. The star, of course, is Mariah, who sings like an angel, as always.  So, what’s “Cruise Control” about thematically? Well: “Can’t get him outta my mind / Can’t explain it, but it’s somethin ‘bout him makin’ me high / Like a motor revin’ over and over, it don’t stop / He cruised beside me, now I’m flyin’, drivin’.” Sure, there’s mention of a car, but Mimi is really singing about a man! #C-R-U-I-S-E CONTROL!

3. Durand Jones & The Indications, “Cruisin’ to the Park”

🎵 “Cruisin’ to the Park” • 🏷 Dead Oceans • 📅 2019

“Let’s go crusin’ to the park / Cruisin’ after dark, let’s go out.” 🎙 Durand Jones & The Indications do an awesome job of preserving the sanctity of soul.  On their chill 2019 single, 🎵 “Cruisin’ to the Park,” the soul oozes, led by the warm, high tenor vocals of 🎙 Aaron Frazer.  The record is sensual in sound yet doesn’t cross the lines – it’s innocent enough. “Slow it down: where’s the hurry? /We’ll float through these streets,” Frazier sings in the second verse, adding, “Bring the sun, leave the worry / Sail upon the breeze.” #BIG MOOD! Just like the lyrics suggest, Aaron seems to be in no rush as he sings, allowing his vocals to glide along.  “Cruisin’” is best listened to as opposed to analyzed extensively – it speaks for itself.

4. Florida Georgia Line, “Cruise”

💿 Here’s To The Good Times • 🏷 Big Machine • 📅 2012

Once upon a time, there was a sub-genre of country referred to as bro country.  A polarizing movement in the 2010s, bro country did yield some hits.  One of the biggest hits, 🎵 “Cruise,” arrived in 2012 courtesy of 🎙 Florida Georgia Line. “Cruise” graced the now defunct duo’s debut album, 💿 Here’s To The Good Times.  Ultimately, the single would become a pop hit, peaking at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Lyrically and thematically, “Cruise” isn’t the least bit deep – an understatement.

“Yeah, when I first saw that bikini top on her / She’s poppin’ right out of the South Georgia water,” 🎙 Tyler Hubbard sings in the first verse, against an obnoxious guitar-banjo-fueled backdrop.  He continues, singing, “Thought, ‘Oh, good lord, she had them long tanned legs’ / Couldn’t help myself, so I walked up and said.” Basically, it’s bro’d TF out.  The second verse, performed by 🎙 Brian Kelley, keeps it bro too: “She hopped right up into the cab of my truck and said / ‘Fire it up, let’s go get this thing stuck.’” Of course, the biggest attraction is the chorus, where the boys inform her, “Baby, you a song / You make me wanna roll my windows down and” – wait for it – “CRUISE.” It’s worth noting, that the “Cruise (Remix)” adds versatile Midwest pop rap extraordinaire, 🎙 Nelly, to the bro’d up mix.

5. Smokey Robinson, “Cruisin’”

💿 Where There’s Smoke… • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1979 

“Let the music take your mind / Just release and you will find.”  🎙 Smokey Robinson is a legend – period. The soul icon is one of Motown’s most important artists and songwriters with no shortage of hits.  In 1979, Robinson struck gold with another big-time hit, 🎵 “Cruisin’”, which graced his album, 💿 Where There’s Smoke… The chill, smooth soul joint was a pop hit, peaking at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980. “Crusin’” was nominated for a 🏆 Grammy at the 22^nd Annual Grammy Awards, but ultimately lost.  Robinson would win his sole Grammy at the 30^th Annual Grammy Awards.

So, what makes “Cruisin’” the vibe that it is? Smokey Robinson’s potent but silky smooth vocals play a sizable role.  He never breaks a sweat as he proposes this sensual cruise.  “Baby, let’s cruise, away from here / Don’t be confused, the way is clear,” he asserts in the first verse, continuing, “And if you want it, you got it, forever / This is not a one night stand, baby.” Woo! Well, at least he’s clear about his intentions! The verses (three in total) are incredibly sweet.  That said, we all know the centerpiece – the crowning achievement – is the chorus, in all its glory:

“You’re gonna fly away

Glad you’re going my way

I love it when we’re cruisin’ together

The music is played for love

Cruisin’ is made for love

I love it when you’re cruisin’ together.”

Robinson wrote 🎵 “Cruisin’” with 🎼 ✍ Marv Tarplin. He produced it himself 💪. #ICONIC!

via GIPHY 

Appears in 🔻:

• Smokey Robinson, “Cruisin’”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 42 (2023)

Cruise: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 22 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Big Machine, Dead Oceans, Motown, Three Oh One Productions, LLC / BMG Rights Management (US); ]