Hello | 3 to 5 BOPS

Hello: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 30 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Chaka Khan, Diddy – Dirty Money, and GRANT KNOCHE.

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less.  3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 30^th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with HELLO in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Adele, 🎙 Arctic Monkeys, 🎙 Chaka Khan, 🎙 Diddy – Dirty Money, and 🎙 GRANT KNOCHE. Okay, let’s get into it!

via GIPHY

1. GRANT KNOCHE, “First Hello”

💿 FIRST HELLO • 🏷 Grant Knoche • 🗓 2022

“So, I wanna let it out / Wasn’t ready then / But I’m ready now.” What is Dallas, Texas-bred/LA based artist/producer/songwriter, 🎙 GRANT KNOCHE ready to let out? His sexuality – being true to who he is. The handsome and talented artist introduces himself to world as bisexual on 🎵 “First Hello”, which appears on his 2022 EP, also titled, 💿 FIRST HELLO. He introduces himself in grand fashion with beautiful, expressive vocals, personal songwriting, and marvelous production 🤩.

“Oh my, beautiful bliss
I’m so foreign to this
Tell you what my walls know
Here’s my first hello
Oh my, such a relief
I can be me
I don’t put on no show
It’s my first hello.” – Chorus

Early on, Knoche recalls his feelings of being different; how hiding his sexuality has affected him. “Convince myself it’s nothin’ / Pray to God to fix me / Feelin’ guilty havin’ thoughts at 12 years old,” he sings in the first verse, adding, “Is momma gonna like this? I’m riskin’ her of grandkids.” Many who has struggled with their sexuality can sense they are different, and ultimately, wonder how that changes their life, particularly with family.  In the second verse, Knoche also worries about how coming out changes things with his friends.  “I want my friends to know me / Like, really, really know me,” he sings, adding, “I hope this doesn’t change things.”  He also debunks stereotypes (boys do cry), while also expressing the pain he experienced not being honest about his sexuality.  He also discourages blame and hopes his father views him as “not any less a man.”  Coming out is not easy – it requires bravery. Clearly, listening to this incredibly honest gem, it was necessary for Grant to allow him to be who he is – show his authentic, full, and genuine self.  Grant’s story may not be everybody’s, but if you are part of the LGBTQ community, more likely than not, you relate to his experience.

Appears in 🔻:

• GRANT KNOCHE, “First Hello”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 17 (2023)

2. Chaka Khan, “Hello Happiness”

💿 Hello Happiness • 🏷 Diary / Island • 📅 2019

Despite being absent from the game for so long, 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B icon 🎙 Chaka Khan didn’t exactly spoil the listener when it comes to her 2019 comeback album, 💿 Hello Happiness.  Hello Happiness is a tight, seven-track, 27-minute affair.  The hella groovy title track, 🎵 “Hello Happiness” kicks things off filled with energy, good vibes, and high-flying vocals from Khan.  The production (🎛 Switch and Sara Ruba Taylor) is on-point, incorporating elements of disco, soul, and dance brilliantly (strings, synths, keys, sigh). Lyrically, there’s not much depth, but that’s clearly not the M.O. – this is all about dancefloor, baby, and of course, those robust, unmatchable pipes.

3. Diddy – Dirty Money, “Hello Good Morning” (Ft. T.I.)

💿 Last Train to Paris • 🏷 Bad Boy / Interscope • 📅 2010

“Hello, good morning / Hello, good morning / Hello, good evenin’ / You blow, you fiendin’.” Sigh, when 🎵 “Hello Good Morning” arrived ahead of 💿 Last Train to Paris by 🎙 Diddy – Dirty Money back in 2010, I had mixed feelings.  This was an utterly simple, uncomplicated joint – at least the ‘pre-hook.’  That said, after repeated listens, there’s definitely an infectious, irresistibleness. Also, worth mentioning, “Hello Good Morning” features some confident rhymes from 🎙 T.I. on the first verse (“King shit, flyer than anyone you get seen with / Gangsta distinguished, cool as a penguin”). There are also some silly but enjoyable rhymes by 🎙 Diddy on the second verse (“Yo baby momma ‘Cry for Me’ like Jodeci”), not to mention the sung portions by Dirty Money (“‘Cause I been leaning on the bar, looking cleaner than the Tsar / And these broads won’t give me my props / Twenty-five on the bag, I be stunting on they ass / And ya mad cause the bitch won’t stop”).  It’s a hit all in all, and definitely one of the best moments from Last Train to Paris.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs Serving Up Greetings & Good Morning (2020)

4. Arctic Monkeys, “Hello You”

💿 The Car • 🏷 Domino • 📅 2022

“Hello, gruesome / There’s just enough time left to swing by / And re-address the start / If you call and have them pull around the car / And stop specializing in stories from the road…” Um, okay… we think… Ah, 💿 The Car, another ambitious, creative, and odd album by 🎙 Arctic Monkeys. In recent times, 🎙 Alex Turner hasn’t failed to surprise (and off-put some folks), particularly on 💿 Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino (2018) and beyond. On the eighth track from The Car, we get a HELLO via 🎵 “Hello You,” which runs north of four minutes in duration. Within the context of the album, the band continues to impress with its instrumentation and musical cues.  The inclusion of strings and clavinet as part of the script is absolutely and utterly marvelous. “Hello You” has a bounciness about it.  Another pro is the breezy lead vocals by Turner, who sounds as if he’s riding on a cloud, singing with incredible ease. The chorus is easily accessible: “Hello you, still draggin’ out a long goodbye? / I ought to apologize for one of the last times.” “Hello You” is not predictable, despite the accessibility of the chorus. There are some musical quirks thrown in towards the end that keep things fresh.

5. Adele, “Hello”

💿 21 • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2015

Six years before being advised to take it 🎵 “Easy on Me”, 🎙 Adele greeted us with 🎵 “Hello”, written alongside 🎼 ✍ Greg Kurstin. “Hello, it’s me / I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet…”  After a four-year hiatus, the 🏆 Academy Award and Grammy-winning British pop singer/songwriter made an emotional, ‘pitch-perfect’ return. Among the saddest songs released in 2015, “Hello” managed to make everybody happy as the promo single from her second 🏆 Album of the Year winner, 💿 25.

“Hello, can you hear me? / I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be.” Sigh, “Hello” is an outstanding ballad in all facets tailor made for the soulful pop diva. The vulnerability and relatable nature of the songwriting plays a crucial role in its overall success.  Adele reflects on the past – specifically a relationship – examining her mistakes and trying to atone for them.   Furthermore, her performance is elite, showcasing incredible musicianship through those vocal chops. The verses are restrained and more poised while the chorus is emotional and gargantuan – where her bread is buttered.  That tuneful, sing-along chorus latches the first time you hear it:

“Hello from the other side

I must’ve called a thousand times

To tell you I’m sorry for everything that I’ve done

But when I call, you never seem to be home

Hello from the outside

At least, I can say that I’ve tried

To tell you I’m sorry for breaking your heart

But it don’t matter, it clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore.”

“Hello” is sheer excellence exemplified – a shoo-in for Record and Song of the Year.  Even if she didn’t take substantial risks on “Hello,” she didn’t need to.  Hard to imagine someone successfully taking the ‘definitive’ status of this dominant hit away from her – FACTS!

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:

• Adele vs. Joe: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 33 (2021)
• Adele: 3 or 4 Bops No. 1 (2022)

Hello: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 30 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Bad Boy / Interscope, Columbia, Diary / Island, Domino, Grant Knoche; Monstera via Pexels]