Heartless | 5ive Songs

1. Morgan Wallen “Heartless”

Dangerous: The Double Album • Big Loud / Republic • 2021

“Heartless – Wallen Album Mix” appears late on Dangerous: The Double Album, the 2021 sophomore album by country standout Morgan Wallen.  In the context of the album, if much of side two lacks that bridge to pop/crossover appeal, “Heartless” provides that bridge.  It’s slickly produced ( Joey Moi), well written, and Wallen sings in beastly fashion.

The chorus just screams crowd pleaser.  Well, there’s probably a reason why that chorus is crowd-pleasing. The original version of “Heartless” appeared on the 2020 Diplo album, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil.  In addition to Wallen guesting on that album’s penultimate track, Julia Michaels also appears.

2. The Weeknd, “Heartless”

After Hours • Republic • 2020

“I’ve been runnin’ through the pussy, need a dog pound / Hundred models getting’ faded in the compound.” Grammy-winning Canadian R&B superstar The Weeknd remains true to self on “Heartless” – cold as ice!  On this After Hours standout, he sings about the fast life.  He kicks off the first verse singing, “Never need a bitch, I’m what a bitch need.” He doubles down on the second verse: “So much pussy, it be fallin’ out the pocket / Metro Boomin turn this ho into a mosh pit / Tesla pill got me flyin’ like a cockpit.”

Besides those badass, cocky lyrics, The Weekend has an incredibly sleek backdrop to work with courtesy of Metro Boomin and Illangelo.  The beat pummels while they synths are equally potent.  Combine that with confident, distinct, and unapologetic vocals from Tesfaye, and “Heartless” is nothing short of a surefire bop.

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3. Polo G, “Heartless”

Ft. Mustard

THE GOAT • Columbia • 2020

“My youngins heartless, so they ain’t playin’ no games / We really want ‘em dead, he got hit up close range…” “Heartless” appears as the second track off of THE GOAT, the highly successful 2020 studio album by Polo G.  Expectedly, given the ‘heartless’ title, Polo brings toughness and real talk to his performance (“I used to starve, now I’m blowing up like propane / Told my inner self, ‘I promise you I won’t change’”).  That said, he does so melodically. Ah, the new breed of rapper.

Heartless as he may be – hard-nosed is a better choice of words – he spits with ease, and a degree of smoothness, over sleek, minor-key production courtesy of Mustard.

4. Madison Beer, “HeartLess”

As She Pleases • Access • 2018 

The name of the heartless song by pop singer Madison Beer isn’t ‘heartless,’ it’s “HeartLess.” I know what you’re thinking – what’s the difference on the third track from her 2018 mini-album, As She Pleases? Well, Beer makes a different heart-driven assertion, one not nearly as cold as heartless-ness.  It begins with the verses where she asserts, “I want you bad, I want it that bad” (verse one) and later admits, “I love you too hard” (verse two).  It continues on the pre-chorus, where she states, “One, two, three, four, five too many times / I’ve been down this road too many nights.”

Finally, her brand of heartless-ness is confirmed on the chorus: “I should use my heart… less.”  Fittingly, “HeartLess” is set in a minor key, featuring sleek, moody production (in the style of urban pop) courtesy of The Monsters & Strangerz and German.

5. Kanye West, “Heartless”

808s & Heartbreaks • UMG Recordings, Inc. • 2008

“In the night, I hear ‘em talk / The coldest story ever told / Somewhere far along this road / He lost his soul to a woman so heartless.” Kanye West certainly helped to usher in the more melodic brand of rap in 2008 when he released his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak.  At the time, 808s was a shocking departure for West finding him moving away from traditional unpitched rhymes and opting for autotune vocals.

Nonetheless, he managed a couple of hits, led by the hella catchy “Heartless.”  The centerpiece, unsurprisingly, is the aforementioned chorus.  Beyond that, the verses are pretty sweet, as is the minimalist production by himself and No I.D.  Even more than a decade later, this is an awesome record.