Go Away | 3 or 4 BOPS

On the 15^th edition of 3 or 4 BOPS (2022), we select awesome songs that GO AWAY… somehow… somewhere…

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h, sometimes it’s better to keep things lite on the fat and calories 💪! That’s the goal of the miniature playlists gracing The Musical Hype.  On 3 or 4 BOPS, we select a topic or theme, choose three or four relevant songs, and provide a lit 🔥, electrifying blurb.  3 or 4 BOPS shouldn’t take too much time to consume – typically 5 minutes or less! On the 15^th edition of 3 or 4 BOPS (2022), we select awesome songs that GO AWAY, somehow.  Without further ado, let the BOPS begin!

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 1. Tate McRae, “Go Away”

💿 I used to think I could fly • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2022

In 2022, Canadian teen pop singer 🎙 Tate McRae released her debut album, 💿 I used to think I could fly.  Despite building some buzz, particularly through TikTok, the Gen-Z-er debuted modestly at no. 13 on the Billboard 200.  Despite the fact that album number one hasn’t electrified the pop charts, McRae delivered a respectable, enjoyable debut with some worthwhile bops. What I’m saying is, I don’t believe that McRae will just 🎵 “go away” – ha!

On the penultimate record, notably, we the album’s titular lyric shows up in the first verse: “You know, I used to think I could fly, now I’m just holding on.” What’s the context on this 🎛 Blake Harnage-produced number? Chronic heartbreak.  Tate regrets being wooed in, asserting, “Shouldn’t have played in your game of fun / Now I don’t think I’m okay, you never go away.” Oh, the plight of love.  Sigh, it’s truly a female dog!

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2. Omar Apollo, “Go Away”

💿 Ivory • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2022

🎙 Omar Apollo (Omar Velasco) is a special artist. The Mexican American musician is one of the young, rising stars.  Velasco shines on the three-and-a-half-minute-long 🎵 “Go Away”, an early single from his 2022 full-length, debut album, 💿 Ivory. Omar produced “Go Away” alongside 🎛 Carter Lang and 🎛 Chromeo. There are ample selling points including the gift of groove.  Listening to it, it makes you want to move your body. Next, and most importantly, are the vocals. Velasco gives us a range of sounds, including middle register, falsetto, and some smooth, heavenly harmonies.

Apollo’s best moments lie in the memorable, shimmering chorus:

“But if you had to go away again

I just don’t see you enough

I wish I saw you enough

It’s something in the way I feel your skin

I just don’t see you enough

I wish I saw you enough.”

With a talented team behind the boards, it’s not surprising that the backdrop is sweet.  Characterized as alternative, “Go Away” sounds and feels more alt-R&B or pop. In addition to the chorus, the lyrics are effective, selling a theme of L-O-V-E.  With such high-quality music, Omar Apollo certainly won’t be ‘going away’ anytime soon!

Appears in 🔽:

• Awesome Songs: July 2021
• 11 Terrific AWAY Songs

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3. Brian McKnight, “Every Time You Go Away”

💿 Gemini • 🏷 Motown • 📅 2005

“Every time that I’m with you girl / Can’t believe you share my world / But it’s real,” 🎙 Brian McKnight proclaims in 🎵 “Every Time You Go Away”. “Every Time You Go Away” is a gem from McKnight’s 2005 album, 💿 Gemini, among his last to make some noise commercially.  On this ultra-smooth, grown-folks R&B ballad, McKnight expresses his dedication to her and doesn’t care what anybody else says: “See, I don’t give a damn / What my homies say / Don’t matter anyway / See I never felt this way before / You leave a brother wanting more.” Woo!

Of course, the centerpiece in “Every Time You Go Away” is the chorus which is magnificent.  McKnight sings expressively:

“I hate to see you go even though

I know when you’re coming back

It’s hard to breathe without you girl

And baby that’s a fact

I know sometimes you have to leave

But I wish that you could stay

Every time you go away.”

Wow, he’s infatuated with her! On the bridge, he goes on to express his feels, calling her “the sunshine of my day” and acknowledging, “You take a piece of me with you.” The best moment of the record are the closing iterations of the chorus, intact with soulful ad-libs by Brian. No reason to shy away from this gem!

Appears in 🔻:

• Brian McKnight, “Every Time You Go Away”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 25 (2022)
• Away: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2022)
• Every: 5ive Songs No. 13 (2022)

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Go Away: 3 or 4 BOPS No. 15 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, Motown, The Musical Hype, Warner, Wilson Blanco from Pixabay]

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