Drown | 3 to 5 BOPS

Drown: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 27 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Andy Black, Jxckson, Mario, Sam Smith, and Syd.

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 27^th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with DROWN in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Andy Black, 🎙 Jxckson, 🎙 Mario, 🎙 Sam Smith, and 🎙 Syd. Okay, let’s get into it!

via GIPHY

1. Jxckson, “DROWNING”

🎵 “DROWNING” • 🏷 Jxckson Music • 🗓 2023

“I’m drowning / Waves crashing over me.” Don’t drown, 🎙 Jxckson – you are far too talented to let those waves consume you! The Austin, Texas independent alt-pop artist returned boldly and fiercely in 2023 with single 🎵 “DROWNING”. “DROWNING” marks his reintroduction, and that reintroduction is giving sheer excellence through and through. He describes the record as “the feeling of being both overwhelmed and numbed by the waves of emotions after a relationship and then trying to find a way to cope.” Jxckson sings, “I never knew I would need you this much / Lost forever, yea I was void of your touch.” Those pesky matters of the heart are the real cause for the drowning.  The end of a relationship can truly be overwhelming, something that is captured brilliantly throughout “DROWNING.” “I don’t feel anything / Why can’t I feel anything?” he asks, continuing, “All I have is me / My past is my only enemy.”  As always, he captivates with his playful vocals, showcasing plenty of personality.  That playfulness, personality, along with the authenticity captured within the songwriting and vocal performance itself, makes this dramatic, experimental pop track a triumph. Produced by 🎛 Boy Sim, Boy the sick beat and slick, dizzying synths provide the perfect fuel for Jxckson’s fire.

 Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: March 2023

2. Syd, “Drown In It”

💿 Fin • 🏷 The Internet / Columbia • 🗓 2017

“Tonight, I’m gonna / Swim in it / Dive in it / Drown in it / Hide in it, babe.” Oh, really, 🎙 Syd? It doesn’t take rocket science 🚀 👨‍🔬 to figure out that 🎵 “Drown In It” (💿 Fin, 2017) is about SEX! Sure, the R&B singer referencing swimming, but “Drown In It” is the farthest thing from watersports! In only one-minute and 10 seconds, she titillates the audience with her evening plans with her girlfriend. The action verbs go beyond the excerpted lyrics as well.  Even with a short duration, prior to the sex-filled chorus, there is a verse. The verse is less sensually charged, believe it or not.

“If you want me to / I’ll try to make it right,” Syd sings, adding, “Put it all aside for you love.”  Here, she addresses her lover, trying to put aside whatever barriers or disagreements may be inhibiting them.  Syd professes her love, seems to take responsibilities for wrongs (“It’s my pride”), and of course, ultimately prepares for, dare I say, lit makeup sex 😈 (again, the keyword is SEX). In addition to those sexy lyrics – particularly the chorus –  the backdrop is sweet and sensuous. Shout out producers 🎛 Anthony Kilhoffer and J Gramm for this satisfying ear candy.

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:

• Syd, “Drown In It”: Midnight Heat 🕛 🔥 26 (2023)

3. Andy Black, “Drown Me Out”

💿 The Shadow Side • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2016

“Another moment breaks, the shadow side of me / It’s like pulling thread until I fall apart.” Oh snap 🫰, Andy Black (Andy Biersack)! On 🎵 “Drown Me Out,” the eighth track from 💿 The Shadow Side (2016), rocker Black of 🎙 Black Veil Brides fame, shows incredible resolve, like 👊. Commentating on the song, Black asserts, “It’s just a song about finding the ‘fuck you’ voice and not wanting to be drowned out so to speak.” Ah, a song about finding a ‘fuck you’ voice – count me the F🤬CK in 😈! Black enthusiastically asserts, “And when I get the feeling / Let the damn walls break / DOWN!” WOO! He continues singing, in the chorus,  “Nothing’s gonna drown me out, nothing’s gonna drown me / Out! / From the top of the world to the bottom of the ocean / Screaming loud, screaming loud from the underground.” Clearly, nothing – NOTHING – is going to silence Black 🤘!

4. Mario, “Drowning”

💿 Dancing Shadows • 🏷 New Citizen LLC / EMPIRE • 📅 2018

What is the theme of 🎵 “Drowning” (💿 Dancing Shadows, 2018), by R&B singer, 🎙 Mario? Love and sex. Neither topic gets old of course, and he commences sexually, with a ‘bang’: “I never thought I’d be in between her legs / While I’m still thinking ‘bout you / And I’m in too deep to pull out now / She’s suffering while I feel good…” In the second verse, he remains in a bind (“‘Cause even with two queens in my hands / If I’m playing games I could still lose”). As much theater as Mario can construct, the better for making him sound exciting.  The chorus and post-chorus sections are silky smooth, thriving off a mean falsetto: “The closer I get to you baby / Your waters are rising / While her tears are falling / But I’m so close to you baby / Either way I’m thinking / I’m sinking, I’m not swimming.”  As expected, Mario is ‘drowning,’ but also opts for the alternate meaning of the word at the end – “Her tears won’t stop falling, and your body keeps calling / I’ll drown it out for now.”  Beyond the theme and lyrics, worth noting is the lush production and relatively slow tempos, both idiomatic of contemporary R&B. 

5. Sam Smith, “Drowning Shadows”

💿 In the Lonely Hour (Drowning Shadows Edition) • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2015

“Am I wrong to give in to the pressure? / ‘Cause I feel like the city’s got the better of me / Oh, this casual love isn’t what it seems / And I try to imagine something closer.” 🎙 Sam Smith knows where their ‘bread is buttered.’ The 🏆 award-winning, soulful British pop singer/songwriter is damn good at singing ballads.  Reflecting back to the original release of 💿 In the Lonely Hour, 🎵 “Stay with Me” and 🎵 “I’m Not the Only One” were both superb, mid-tempo ballads.  The reissued, expanded version of the album, Drowning Shadows Edition adds songs including  🎵 “Drowning Shadows”. “Drowning Shadows” gives Smith another excellent number that resides on the slower side of the metronome.  Matters of the heart continue to affect them (“Running ‘round, chasing hearts”), emotionally evidenced on the stunning chorus.  There’s also some drinking involved as well. “Go home to nothing or stay out for more? / Give in to someone or lock down my door?” Smith sings, adding, “Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before? / I’m drowning shadows once more.”

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Songs Where the Shadows Are Looming (2018)

Drown: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 27 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Capitol, The Internet / Columbia, Jxckson Music, New Citizen LLC / EMPIRE, Republic; Rex Joshua Alarcon America via Pexels]