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Prepare to get golden! ‘Golden Songs, Vol. 1’ features 20 songs that feature the world ‘gold’ in some form or fashion within their respective song title.

Gold. Golden. Goldie. Whatever else you can come up with! It doesn’t matter the form of the word as the premise of this playlist is basic.  Any song featured on this list has to feature the word gold in some form or fashion within the song title.  The results are quite interesting and sometimes eclectic – there are songs from a variety of genres. Expectedly, there are numerous songs that feature gold in some form and fashion.  The 20 songs featured on Golden Songs, Vol. 1 “only scratch the surface.” Without further ado, let’s get golden!

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1. EDEN, “Gold”

vertigo • Astralwerks • 2018

“No more, call it what you want / Call it what you want but I call it growing up and I’m done.”  Alternative-electro musician EDEN (Johnathon Ng) delivers honest, passionate vocals on “gold”, a highlight from his 2018 album, vertigo. Initially a guitar-driven, singer-songwriter love song, eventually, electronic production cues transform “gold” into something even grander – better yet, more golden.

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2. Vance Joy, “Like Gold”

Nation of Two • Atlantic • 2018

Up-and-coming Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy delivers a thoughtful record,“Like Gold”, which appears on his 2018 sophomore album, Nation of Two. “Like Gold” finds Joy reminiscing on a past relationship.

“If I wait ‘til it feels right
I’ll be waiting my whole life
Closing my eyes, remember how we were like.”

Throughout the course of the record, his lyrics pack a punch.  The best moment of “Like Gold” is the chorus, which is catchy and well-written.

“Gold, when you see me
Hi, if you need me
Babe, that’s the way it was
That’s the history
Blue, how we used to roar
Like an open fire
That’s the way it was
But that’s history.”

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3. BROCKHAMPTON, “GOLD”

SATURATION • EMPIRE • 2017

“Keep a gold chain on my neck / Fly as a jet, boy, better treat me with respect.” Left-field, hip-hop boyband band BROCKHAMPTON had quite the year in 2017, releasing their first three albums: SATURATION, SATURATION II, and SATURATION III.  Their golden song, “GOLD” appears as the second song on the first of their three albums, SATURATION.  The best way to describe this joint is as a flex-fest to the nth degree. “Rick James, I get glitter on my eyelids.”

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4. Foo Fighters, “Concrete and Gold”

Concrete and Gold • RCA, 2017

“Concrete and Gold” plays the role of title track from the 2017 Foo Fighters studio album.  “Concrete and Gold” concludes the effort heavily and intensely.  Dave Grohl sings in an undertone, yet at the same time, he doesn’t lack oomph.  The tempo is slow while the song, as a whole, sounds unhurried; relaxed, yet tense.  Ultimately, it’s a fitting close given the many different ideas Foo Fighters offer up throughout Concrete and Gold.

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5. Machine Gun Kelly, “Golden God”

bloom • Interscope • 2017

Machine Gun Kelly comes loaded on “Golden God.” Safe to say, he’s one cocky mofo after “kissing the sky” (within the context of album bloom of course).

On “Golden God,” he proclaims himself as a god:

“I’m a golden god, I’m a golden god
I’m on the roof of the party
Still almost famous, still all the way dangerous.”  

Machine Gun Kelly is “kind of a big deal” – supposedly. He still hasn’t achieved indisputable fame, but, in his eyes at least, he’s got next.   If nothing else, “Golden God” gives the listener glorious piano lines.  That’s some sweet ear candy right there.

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6. Run the Jewels, “Stay Gold”

Run the Jewels 3 • Run the Jewels • 2017

“I got a bad girl / I got a brain-with-an-ass girl / She got a mean bop, I got a lean to the way I walk / Dnd they get it like gold / G-O-L-D G-O-L-D, it’s gold…” Sigh, “Stay Gold” features one of the hottest hooks off of Run the Jewels 3. Interestingly, the first portion of the hook also kicks off El-P’s verse, which is a flex-fest encompassing sex and cockiness. Killer Mike elevates the sex to the nth degree on the second verse.  Among his best lines references Stockholm syndrome.

“We’re the crooks, we’ll run the jux and kidnap mom from Jazzercise
Get Stockholm syndrome when she get home, mom’s like, ‘I like those fuckin’ guys.’”

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7. Aaron Carter, “Fool’s Gold”

LøVë (EP) • Sony • 2017

Aaron Carter opens his comeback project, LøVë (EP), with “Fool’s Gold.” A slick AF gem, Carter doesn’t sound like he’s missed a beat. He delivers breathy, rhythmic, sensual vocals that fit the current urban-pop musical climate. For good measure, he sneaks in an f-bomb, that has become commonplace.

“Showed up uninvited, fucking up my vibes with.”

The best moment of “Fool’s Gold” is undoubtedly the chorus, which is infectious:

“Look at you falling
Do you even know what you’re falling for?
‘Cause I see you falling
You traded my heart for some fool’s gold.”

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8.Kiiara, “Gold”

Low Kii Savage • Atlantic • 2016

Should “Gold” be described as golden? Eh, probably not. Personally, “Gold” is all production, no substance.  For whatever reason, the single by up-and-comer Kiiara shot up the charts in 2016.   Scary! As to how and why, we still don’t know.  Being frank, this sounds like a minimalist piece of… fill in the ellipsis. No need for deep analysis as there’s nothing deep about “Gold.” WTF is she even saying?

Also, just for fun, how about a Pentatonix cover of “Gold?” Honestly, makes me like the song a smidge more.

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9. Panic! At the Disco, “Golden Days”

Death of a Bachelor • Fueled by Ramen • 2016

Throughout the course of the Grammy-nominated Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At the Disco, Brendon Urie continues to showcase his eclecticism and love for musical experimentation. Despite being a deep cut within Death of a Bachelor, “Golden Days” finds Urie exhibiting the power of his pipes. Is the vocal control sketchy? Yes, he has had more refined, controlled vocal performances, but the gift that is his voice is undeniable.

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10. Imagine Dragons, “Gold”

Smoke + Mirrors • Interscope • 2015

How does one properly characterize Imagine Dragons? Rock band, pop band, or alternative band? Regardless, the Vegas band has had its fair share of success over the course of three albums.  One of the standouts from Smoke + Mirrors, the band’s second studio album, was “Gold.” “Gold” embodies the adage that fame changes everything. Memorable lyrics include “The curses of diamonds and rings” and “Statues and empires are all at your hands / water to wine and the finest of sands.”

On the chorus, Dan Reynolds sings:

“Who can you trust?
When everything, everything
Everything you touch turns to gold, gold, gold.”

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11. Pentatonix, “Rose Gold”

Pentatonix • RCA • 2015

Pentatonix are known for their a cappella vocals. Furthermore, more often than not, they are noted for their covers of a variety of styles of music and songs.  In 2015, the quintet went the originals route (for the most part), with some great results.  One of the best results came by way of the golden “Rose Gold,” characterized by its rhythm and of course, the vocals.

With an award-winning sound in their corner, Pentatonix also wins in the falsetto department, as well as nailing a memorable chorus.

“We could be timeless, we could be classic
We could be stars, we could be rose gold, rose gold.”

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12. A$AP Rocky, “Goldie”

Long. Live. A$AP • RCA • 2013

“I said it must be, ‘cause a nigga got dough / Extraordinary swag and a mouth full of gold…” The grille-loving “Goldie” served as an early promo single from Long. Live. A$AP, the debut album from A$AP Rocky. Produced by Hit-Boy, Rocky embraces pitch-shift, lowering the sound of his voice.  Two verses deep, Rocky’s flow is agile. As aforementioned, he brags on the hook. According to him, he’s hot stuff.

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13. Nick Murphy (fmr. Chet Faker), “Gold”

Built on Glass • Downtown • 2014

“A physical kiss is nothing without it / And you close your eyes to see what it’s done / The body that lies is built upon looking / Is all that remains before it’s begun.” On his own golden song, Aussie electro singer-songwriter Nick Murphy – formerly known as Chet Faker – is infatuated to say the least. The focus is on L-O-V-E-. On “Gold,” from Murphy’s perspective, he isn’t focused on the physical aspects of love, but rather the emotional connection.

As suggested by the aforementioned lyrics, ultimately, an emotional connection is far more important and deeper than empty, meaningless physical contact alone.

“You gotta know, I’m feeling love
Made of gold, I’ll never love a
‘Nother one, another you
It’s gotta be love, I said it.”

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14. Prince, “The Gold Standard”

Art Official Age • Warner • 2014

Sadly, Art Official Age and PLECTRUMELECTRUM were the final two studio albums by Prince to get much notoriety. The best of the two albums was Art Official Age, which featured standouts like “Breakdown,” “This Could Be Us,” and “Funknroll.” Even so, there was room for another enjoyable performance with “The Gold Standard.” Here, The Purple One allures with a ripe falsetto, arguably the closest to his heyday. The six-minute record is tight, rhythmic and funky to the nth degree.

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15. Twenty One Pilots, “House of Gold”

Vessels • Fueled by Ramen • 2013

Twenty One Pilots (Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun) delivers some substance on the touching “House of Gold.” Written in straight-forward fashion, Joseph has a conversation with his mom – within the context of the song that is. “She asked me, ‘son, when I grow old / Will you buy me a house of gold,” Joseph sings from his mom’s perspective.  He later replies (as himself), “I will make you the queen of everything you see / I’ll put you on the map / I’ll cure you of disease.”

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16. Wale, “Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece)”

The Gifted • Atlantic • 2013

Years before rapping about “Fashion Week” and dumbing things down on his 2017 album Shine, Wale delivers some clever wordplay on “Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece).” “Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece) was one of the gems from his 2013, no. 1 album, The Gifted.  A material versus spiritual effort, the play on words is “piece” versus “piece” as in Jesus piece (golden jewelry) and Jesus peace (more golden salvation).

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17. Trinidad James, “All Gold Everything”

Don’t Be S.A.F.E • Def Jam • 2013

The lucrative career of Trinidad James was a short-lived affair…No loss.  Even so, he left an impression that unfortunately had influence on pop culture. “All Gold Everything” from Don’t Be S.A.F.E. (2013), is dominated by one particular lyric: “Popped a molly, I’m sweatin’, woo!” While the molly (ecstasy) was already ingrained engrained in hip-hop, it’s safe to say Trinidad James played a role in its expansion

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18. Lady Antebellum, “Golden”

Golden • Capitol Nashville • 2013

“You are golden / Precious as a prayer flying up through the air / While the rain is falling / Golden, timeless as a kiss / Baby I don’t want to miss another perfect moment.” Once upon a time, Lady Antebellum was one of country music’s hottest acts. While Lady A is still a big deal, some of their popularity has waned since their Need You Now days.  Nonetheless, Golden (2013) was a solid album, led by its title track.  The ballad finds Charles Kelley exhibiting a lovely tone.  Well-written and thoughtful overall, “Golden” is “an ace in the hole.” Does it match “Need You Now?” No, but it’s a strong performance.

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19. Mac Miller, “Diamonds & Gold”

Blue Slide Park • Rostrum • 2011

Before he “first made a hundred grand” on “100 Grandkids” or collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on “God is Fair, Sexy, Nasty,” Mac Miller dropped his debut studio album Blue Slide Park. While songs like “Party on 5^th Ave” and “Frick Part Market” were more notable, the less heralded “Diamonds & Gold” fits the occasion for obvious reasons.

“Diamonds & Gold” is about a girl who isn’t looking for commitment whatsoever, but living wildly. Miller characterizes her as having lots of potential.  While she’s a gold digger (“Just a fuckin’ tease, tryna get your cheese / Invite you out to dinner, cause she want to eat for free”), she doesn’t need to be (“She could pay if she wanted to, she won’t though”).

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20. Jill Scott, “Golden”

Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds, Vol. 2 • Hidden Beach • 2004

Back in 2004, Neo-soul singer Jill Scott was “living life like it’s golden, golden.”  To this day, “Golden” ranks among Scott’s classics.  Honestly, how many songs are as positive and uplifting as “Golden?”  Very few!

Stay tuned for a second installment of golden songs.  There’s just too many for just one playlist!

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