Gold | 5ive Songs

On the 4^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with GOLD 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 4^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with GOLD in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. Harry Styles, “Golden”

Fine Line • Columbia • 2019 

“Golden, golden, golden as I open my eyes / Hold it, focus, hoping, take me back to the light.” Woo! “Golden” commences Fine Line, the sophomore album by Harry Styles, in a bright and spirited fashion.  In the first verse, Styles makes it clear that he’s less than his former lover, who was, well, “golden,” of course: “I know you were way too bright for me / I’m hopeless, broken, so you wait or me in the sky.”  The love or lack thereof is complex in the second verse too: “I don’t wanna be alone / But I can feel it take a hold / I can feel you take control / Of who I am, and all I’ve ever known / Lovin’ you’s the antidote / Golden.”

Incredibly sunny, set in a major key, the record puts a smile on your face as listen – a perfect album opener.  The Grammy-winning pop sensation delivers a respectable, balanced vocal performance, never over-singing nor underwhelming.  The chorus is simple but ultimately effective and quite memorable.

“You’re so golden

I’m out of my head, and I know that you’re scared

Because hearts get broken.”

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2. Billie Eilish, “GOLDWING”

Happier Than Ever • Darkroom / Interscope • 2021

“You better keep your head down-down / Da-da-down-down, da-da-down-down.” Um, okay… “GOLDWING” keeps Happier Than Ever, the sophomore album by Grammy winner Billie Eilish, on the up-and-up. It marks one of the best songs, NO CAP.  As always, Eilish’s gifted brother, FINNEAS, deserves ample credit for his work behind the boards.  Safe to say, Billie and Finneas make a formidable team.

On “GOLDWING,” Eilish advises a nameless young woman who is ‘angelic’ in the sense they have NOT been traumatized (yet). “Gold-winged angel / Go home, don’t tell / Anyone what you are,” Eilish sings, adding, “You’re sacred and they’re starved / And their art is getting’ dark / And there you are to tear apart.” It’s a thoughtful, wise message. Furthermore, she delivers the two-and-a-half-minute gem gorgeously. Among many selling points is the celestial sound of the intro vocals.

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3. Taylor Swift, “gold rush”

Evermore • Taylor Swift • 2020

According to Grammy-winning musician extraordinaire Taylor Swift, “I don’t like a gold rush, gold rush / I don’t like anticipatin’ my face in a red flush.” Well now! Those lyrics hail from the chorus of “gold rush,” a fine record from evermore, Swift’s second surprise album from 2020 (she was prolific during the pandemic).  In the chorus, she continues singing, “I don’t like that anyone would die to feel your touch / Everybody wants you / Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you / … But I don’t like a gold rush.” Essentially, she is seeking to eschew liking this person whom everyone wants to be with.   

In the context of evermore, “gold rush” continues the glorious vibes established early on.  I love the rhythmic nature of the verses and the refrain sections.  “What it must be like to grow up that beautiful?” Swift sings in the first verse.  In the refrain, she gets saltier, adding, “At dinner parties, I call you out on your contrarian shit / And the coastal town we wandered ‘round had never seen a love as pure as it.” As always, the songwriting is top-notch, particularly the catchy chorus previously explored. Adding to the radiance of this ‘golden’ cut is the outro, featuring delightful, lush vocals (“Gleaming, twinkling / Eyes like sinking ships on waters”).

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4. Rick Ross, “Gold Roses” (Ft. Drake)

Port of Miami 2 • Epic • 2019

Back  in 2018, it looked like Grammy-nominated rapper  Rick Ross was in serious trouble – the fight for his life.  Thankfully, Ross pulled through and returned in 2019 with his tenth studio album,  Port of Miami 2.  The song that fits the criteria for this gold-driven list is  “Gold Roses” featuring  Drake.

“Before I’m gone outta this place, yeah / Put some flowers in my face, won’t you / Let me know that I did okay, yeah / Don’t wait ‘til some other day, no, no.” Those lyrics, sung by Drake, based upon the saying “Give me my flowers while I’m can still smell them,” serve as the centerpiece of the album closer.  Drizzy gets the honors of the most important, pivotal lyrics of the record, but he’s made for the role. No worries, though.  With no shortage of song, there’s still plenty of Rick Ross. Ross asserts his ‘boss status,’ commencing the second verse with the memorable lyrics, “I was nominated, never won a Grammy / But I understand, they’ll never understand me.”  That’s key because it complements the ‘flower’ sentiment.  Throughout much of the rest of the verse, he raps about drip but also about that special lady in his life – “Money come and go, I’ma keep you forever / Slip-on glass slippers and tickle with feathers…” WOO!

Appears in :
13 Marvelous Songs About Roses

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5. The Clark Sisters, “Pure Gold”

Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love • RCA • 2018

“The rock of salvation / A sure foundation / steadfast unmovable / Strong as Mt. Zion / fit for the Master’s plan / We know all things work together.” Amen, hallelujah ! Grammy-nominated rapper Snoop Dogg released a compilation of religious songs in 2018 – Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love.  Notably, Bible of Love features a classic by iconic gospel collective The Clark Sisters, “Pure Gold”. The Clark Sisters are known for their high-flying vocal harmonies and anointed pipes.  The Clark Sisters was founded by their mother, the legendary Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, an innovator in harmony in gospel choirs.

“Though we’re tried in the fire, we come / Out as pure gold / Lord make us whole.” “Pure Gold” originally appeared on The Clark Sisters’ 1985 album, Is My Living in Vain? “Pure Gold” certainly represents the innovative spirit the iconic group and Dr. Clark brought to contemporary gospel music (gotta love the songwriting, harmonic scheme, and form).  That said, what most stands out is how the record affects you while listening – how it touches the spirit! The sisters, led by Karen Clark Sheard, speak of being molded into pure gold.  The Christian walk is one that isn’t rosy but has its fair share of hills and bumps in the road.  After going through ‘the ringer’ in some cases, if we are faithful believe, and stay the course, we’ll come out better, stronger, and like pure gold thanks to God.

“We’re casted then melted

Like brass, tin, and iron

We become like a stone

We’re carved, scraped, and shaven

Like rock, wood, and metal

We become like a stone.”

This 80s gospel classic still hits hard in 2022.  The spiritual refresh is real!

 

Appears in :

The Clark Sisters, “Pure Gold”:  Sunday Refresh No. 4 (2022)

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Gold: 5ive Songs No. 4 (2022) [: Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, Columbia, Darkroom, Epic, Interscope, Kier In Sight on Unsplash , The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, RCA, Taylor Swift]

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