HE is the Focus on These 11 Songs | Playlist 🎧

HE is the Focus on These 11 Songs features music courtesy of Amy Winehouse, Jon Bellion, Lana Del Rey, Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, and Whitney Houston. 

This playlist is all about HE, period. That’s right, every song on HE is the Focus on These 11 Songs features the pronoun, he.  There are no exceptions to the rule on this specific musical compendium, which has been part of the backlog for nearly a year.  That means that him is not an acceptable replacement for – wait for it – HE! HE is the Focus on These 11 Songs features music courtesy of Amy Winehouse, Jon Bellion, Lana Del Rey, Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, and Whitney Houston among others. So, grab you favorite HE (and hopefully, he’s the sugar honey iced tea), and partake of this fabulous HE-focused songs!

1. Whitney Houston, “He Can Us Me” 

💿 I Go To The Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 🗓 2023 

“I wanna live / So that God / Can use me / Anytime / Anytime / And anywhere.” That is a good word right there! “He Can Use Me” marked the second single from the posthumous gospel compilation by Whitney Houston (I Go To The Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston). On “He Can Us Me,” we hear a young Houston (recorded in 1981, when she was a teen) showcasing a truly anointed, special voice – one that would only mature, reaching higher heights. The premise of “He Can Use Me” is simple.  On this nearly five-minute gospel record, Houston sings about serving the Lord – letting him use her as he sees fit.  “See, I wanna walk, yes / Yes, in this world / So the Lord will walk with me,” she sings on the verse adding, “I wanna talk / … Just knowing that the Lord will talk with me” 🙌.  Houston is supported by a reverent backdrop, one that sufficiently supports this faith-driven journey. Getting more context into the early career of Whitney Houston – her gospel roots – helps us to appreciate her once in a lifetime artistry even more.  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Awesome Songs: March 2023 

2. Kadie Elder, “First Time He Kissed a Boy”    

 💿 BOY • 🏷 Nordic Music Society • 🗓 2016

“First time he kissed a boy / He had never, never known / ‘Cover up’ is what they told / Feel so cold.” Ugh, homophobia is far too prevalent.  While boys kissing boys has become more accepted since Kadie Elder released their single, “First Time He Kissed a Boy” on October 11, 2014, it’s still not smooth sailing for gays and other members of the LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 community. Cover up should NOT be the answer, yet that’s what he’s been directed to do by society, unfortunately.  Back up to the first verse of this slickly produced, fabulously performed record, and the protagonist tries to use music as an escape: “Troubled face / Headphones on / Forgetting time and place / All he wanted.” Of course, you can only escape so much before it all catches up and comes to a head, sigh. 

Ultimately Anders Rask (singer and songwriter) and Morten Kærup Hjort (guitarist, songwriter, and producer) would release “First Time He Kissed a Boy” as the fifth and final track on their 2016 EP, BOY – the duo’s most popular song. Rask and Hjort penned the song, while Hjort produces alongside Søren Vestergaard.  The second verse is both poetic and sad: “Keeping back / The ghost inside / Locked him in a pack / All his life / All his life.”  Homophobia hits different this round – internalized.  Shame is far too prevalent in the LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 community, and the second verse captures unhealthy supersession.  The good news is, watching the awesome music video , the two boys ultimately take a leap of faith and share a kiss 🥰, and the song itself also moves past detrimental homophobia with the lyrics, “Get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost.” “First Time He Kissed a Boy” is the perfect song to embrace and remember that love is love, PERIOD.       

Appears in 🔻:    

• Kadie Elder, First Time He Kissed a Boy: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 No. 33 (2023)   
• 13 Songs Where It’s All in a Kiss 😘 (2023)   
• 13 Songs Where U Know What TIME 🕕 It Is (2023)  

3. Mary J. Blige, “He Think I Don’t Know”  

💿 No More Drama (Version 2) • 🏷 Geffen • 🗓 2001 

“And he think I don’t know / He think I don’t know, oh.” What, Mary J. Blige, does he think you don’t know? Hmm, well, he thinks she doesn’t know he’s unfaithful! Mary’s anger and pain are our listening pleasure in “He Think I Don’t Know”. She sings soulfully over a lush, minor key, Gerald Isaac production.  Isaac didn’t only produce it though – he wrote this Grammy-winning gem.  MJB won the Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance for this marvelous, five-and-a-half-minute-plus slow jam at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards.

“I don’t know what gets me more 

‘Bout your two-hour trips to the store 

How they never have what you went there for 

Yet you say to trust you more.”

Yup, Mary is onto his adulterous ways! She’s a detective in the second verse, asserting, “On my way to work one night / As I made a left at the light / See, what I saw just wasn’t right / Guess what’s done in darkness gon’ come to light.” Of course, in the chorus, MJB keeps emphasizing how this no-good dude underestimates her intelligence: “And he think I don’t know / He must think I’m stupid.” Mary, girl, you’re anything but on this No More Drama (Version 2) gem that didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Mary J. Blige, He Think I Don’t Know: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 42 (2022) 
• Thought: 5ive Songs No. 30 (2022) 
• 15 Fantastic Songs Where You Just KNOW (2023)

4. Joji, “Will He”  

💿 In Tongues (Deluxe) • 🏷 88rising • 📅 2018    

“Will your tongue still remember the taste of my lips? / Will your shadow remember the swing of my hips? / Will your lover caress you the way that I did?” “Will He” opens In Tongues  enigmatically. It’s melancholy, indulgent, and heavy.  Despite the weight carried by the sound and vibe, this Joji record is quite beautiful and well-produced.  Joji delivers respectable vocals, singing the moody lyrics with passion and authenticity.  He successfully conveys his feelings and the narrative.  That narrative is ex-girl is with a new boy and it’s not him.    

“Cause I don’t need to know  

I just wanna make sure you’re okay (okay)  

I don’t need to know  

I just wanna make sure you’re all safe  

All safe, all safe.” 

Although a bit indulgent, all in all, “Will He” is a great start to In Tongues and a record worth listening to.   

Appears in 🔻:  

• 14 He, She, Her, or Him Songs (2018)  
• 11 Thrilling Will or Wheel Songs (2022)  

5. Lana Del Rey, “Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing”  

💿 Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd • 🏷 Interscope • 🗓 2023 

“God, if you’re near me, send me three white butterflies / Or an owl to know you’re listening, sitting while I’m drinking.” Um, okay… “Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing” (what a title) maintains the sheer excellence of Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, the ninth studio album by Lana Del Rey. It features French pianist RIOPY, sampling his 2019 song, “Flo”. RIOPY successfully fuels Del Rey’s fire, further accentuated by the production genius of Jack Antonoff.  Antonoff performs most of the instruments, with Evan Smith adding saxophone to this awe-inspiring moment.  As for Lana, she ‘does her thing,’ impressing with her haunting instrument and colorful lyrics.  “Cause I’m good in spirit, warm-bodied / A fallible deity wrapped up in white,” she sings in the bridge, adding, “I’m folk, I’m jazz, I’m blue, I’m green / Regrettably, also a white woman / But I have good intentions even if I’m one of the last ones.” Well, alright, then! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• 13 Please Songs That You Must Listen To (2023) 

6. Stevie Wonder, “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” 

💿 Innervisions • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1972 

“He’s a man with a plan / Got a counterfeit dollar in his hand / He’s Misstra Know-It-All.” Innervisions  is one of the greatest albums of all time. It marks one of three albums that Motown legend Stevie Wonder was awarded the highly coveted Grammy for Album of the Year. Innervisions features just nine songs but all nine are hits. Among my favorites is the closing cut, “He’s Misstra Know-It-All”. Here, Wonder has a ‘bone to pick’ with somebody – maybe an assortment of folks.  Arguably, the top candidate that this gospel-infused soul gem is purported to be written about is disgraced President Richard Nixon.  Regardless of whom he’s referencing, it’s clear that he finds this person or persons deceptive, untrustworthy, and self-serving:  “If he shakes on a bet / He’s the kind of dude that won’t pay his debt / Oh, He’s Misstra Know-It-All.” Notably, Wonder even drops profanity, albeit only a damn (“Give a hand to the man / You know damn well’s got the super plan / He’s Misstra Know-It-All”). Soulfully, Wonder continues to paint this individual as flawed (“He’s some kind of fella / Thinking of only himself / He’s Misstra Know-It-All”). Amazingly, the icon still makes a critical song like “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” still sound bright, upbeat, and sunny. The energy and soul he infuses could easily make you mistake this classic as a gospel song.  Instead, he questions the morality of some individuals. 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Stevie Wonder, He’s Misstra Know-It-All: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 4 (2022) 
• 15 Must-Hear, Throwback Vibez, Vol. 2 (2022)  
• 15 Fantastic Songs Where You Just KNOW (2023)

7. Amy Winehouse, “He Can Only Hold Her”  

 💿 Back to Black • 🏷 Universal Island • 🗓 2006

“He can only hold her for so long / The lights are on, but no one’s home.” Back in Black, the soulful masterwork by the late, great Amy Winehouse, has easily cemented its place in musical history. Among the best songs from Back in Black is “He Can Only Hold Her.” While “He Can Only Hold Her” didn’t receive the same amount of attention as “Rehab”, “Back to Black”, or “You Know I’m No Good”, it’s equally elite. In the chorus, the centerpiece, Winehouse sublimely sings, “Now how can he have her heart / When it got stole? / So, he tries to pacify her / Because what’s inside her never dies.” Ooh-wee! The production by John P*Nut Harrison and Mark Ronson is lit, fueled by a badass, vintage soul sample (“My Girl (She’s a Fox)” courtesy of The Icemen). Unfortunately, “He Can Only Hold Her” is a prime example of unrequited love, sigh. There are physical attributes mind you, but clearly Winehouse simply isn’t feeling him the same way he feels her or how she feels about her ex (“Searching kisses, the man she misses / The man that he longs to be”).    

Appears in 🔻:  

• 12 Totally Intriguing, ONLY Songs (2022)  

8. Jon Bellion, “He is the Same”   

💿 The Human Condition • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2016    

“Same kids from the high school, jump shot still flame / Couple million in the bank, but / Nothing has changed, he is the same.” Pop singer/songwriter Jon Bellion is autobiographical on “He Is the Same,” the opener from his 2016 album, The Human Condition. Bellion hasn’t changed since his ‘come up’; he remains grounded and truly humble. There are a number of other memorable lyrics throughout this intriguing opener.  “Still living in his dad’s house, 24 years old,” he sings on the first verse, continuing, “He could buy a few pads, but he just like to stay home.”  Facts.  There’s also the very thoughtful, empathetic “His assistant is his best friend / Lost his dad that day / Really puts it in perspective / What the fuck’s a bad day?” Bellion’s “bad days” are nothing compared to losing a loved one to death.  Ultimately, “He is the Same” is an awesome start to an awesome if underrated album in The Human Condition.  

Appears in 🔻:  

• 12 Captivating Same & Different Songs (2021) 

9. Carrie Underwood, “Before He Cheats”   

💿 Some Hearts • 🏷 19 Recordings • 📅 2005  

“And he’s thinking that he’s gonna get lucky / Right now, he’s probably dabbing on / Three dollars’ worth of that bathroom cologne / Oh, and he don’t know…” Uh-oh – Carrie Underwood is about to ‘set it off!’ Following her win on American Idol (season four), Underwood would become one of a select few alums of who was able to transcend the television show itself.  Underwood has won eight Grammys (as of publication date), including a win at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards for the song at hand, “Before He Cheats.” “Before He Cheats” appeared on her 2005, multiplatinum debut album, Some Hearts. There’s no question why Underwood was able to lock down a Grammy for “Before He Cheats.” She delivers an energetic vocal performance that’s feisty as hell, chocked-full of ‘that attitude.’ There’s nothing worse than a woman scorned, and Underwood exemplifies it through and through.  The best example is the centerpiece, which serves as more than enough of a reason why The Recording Academy couldn’t deny Underwood:    

“Oh, that I dug my key into the side   

Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive   

Carved my name into his leather seats   

I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights   

Slashed a hole in all four tires   

Maybe next time, he’ll think before he cheats.”  

Appears in 🔻:   

• 11 Songs Where the ‘Before’ is Key 🔑 (2019)  
• 13 Scandalous Songs About Cheating (2023)  

10. Donny Hathaway, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” 

💿 Donny Hathaway • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 1971

British pop/rock band The Hollies own the most successful version of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”.  In The Hollies’ hands, this spectacular ballad peaked in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.  Worldwide, it was a big hit.  Amazingly, Neil Diamond also earned success with the Bob Russell / Bob Scott penned record, peaking at no. 20.  While Neil ‘did the damn thing’ like The Hollies before him, a later rendition by Donny Hathaway provides a stark contrast.  Hathaway, a soul musician, naturally provides a soulful rendition, something far different from The Hollies or Neil Diamond.  

In Hathaway’s hands, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” expands to nearly six minutes – nearly two minutes longer than The Hollies/Diamond.  Hathaway slackens the pace, milking this emotional number for all its worth.  That doesn’t mean that Donny over-sings – he doesn’t! Hathaway provides a balanced, classy, nuanced performance, providing more oomph and punch when it feels appropriate.  Besides his prodigious vocals, Mr. Hathaway ‘changes up’ the arrangement.  The lush strings accompanying The Hollies’ version don’t appear until the end. Instead, we get a more prominent piano part, taken directly from the church.  Furthermore, joining the rhythm section are bells, which perfectly capture the ‘good Samaritan’ vibes of carrying one’s brother.  In Hathaway’s hands, there’s no way you’re not enamored by the authenticity of his vocal performance – he really, really sells this fourth track from 1971’s Donny Hathaway.  

Appears in 🔻: 

• The Hollies vs. Donny Hathaway: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 4 (2022) 
• 11 Must-Hear, Ain’t Songs (2022) 

11. Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, “He” 

💿 Over The Rainbow • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 1966 

“He can turn the tides and calm the angry sea / He alone decides who writes a symphony.” The HE that Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles reference on “He”, is God.  Amen! “He,” which appears as the ninth track on their 1966 album, Over The Rainbow, was not an original for the collective.  The oft-covered song was penned by Jack Richards and Richard Mullan in the 1950s. Even though it is a cover, Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles truly make the record their own. “He” features gorgeous orchestration with its use of piano, strings, and eventually, rhythm section.  The introduction suggests that “He” is going to have more of a classical vibe – a bit more of a traditional sound.  The addition of the rhythm gives the song the best of both worlds – a refined, traditional ‘vocal’ cut and that classic, 60s soul record.  Patti LaBelle shines, serving up refined lead vocals.  Her tone is utterly stupendous.  Furthermore, The Bluebelles are on-point with the background vocals, bringing the heat. The authenticity served up by the performers just adds to the spiritual nature of the lyrics. Among the best moments occurs at the end: “Though it makes Him sad to see the way we live / He’ll always say, ‘I forgive’.” “He” is epic! 

Appears in 🔻: 

• Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, He: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 190 (2023)  

HE is the Focus on These 11 Songs (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 88rising, Atlantic, Capitol, Geffen, Interscope, Motown, Nordic Music Society, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Island; Bruno Mendes, Elias Souza, Ivan Samkov, Pantelis Georgitsis, Rehan Sayyed, rizwan aslam, salah amrani, TMA Management from Pexels]