Hunt | 3 to 5 BOPS

Hunt: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 38 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Björk, Ghost, Kesha, Pharrell Williams, and Ryan Beatty.  

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 38th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with HUNT in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Björk, 🎙 Ghost, 🎙 Kesha, 🎙 Pharrell Williams, and 🎙 Ryan Beatty. Okay, let’s get into it!  

via GIPHY

 1. Ryan Beatty, “Hunter” 

💿 Calico • 🏷 Atlantic UK / Elektra / Ryan Beatty • 📅 2023

🎵 “Hunter” is by far the longest song from 💿 Calico, the third studio album by underrated singer/songwriter 🎙 Ryan Beatty. This early seven-and-a-half-minute record is EPIC and worth every second of its duration. The lyrics are gorgeous, arguably, the crowning achievement.  Likewise, Beatty’s vocals are gorgeous too, serving up ample musical excellence. “I swallowed the beer / While a man who was holding a deer made his amends,” he sings in the first verse, adding, “And that’s when I realized / All this time that I’ve been living in my head.” Over the course of four compelling verses and refrains, he shows us how truly skilled his pen game is 💪. The poetry is on-point, and, perhaps, sexual (“But now and again I’ll put on your movie / When no one is around”).  The production alongside 🎛 Ethan Gruska continues to be ear-catching.  There is a degree of subtlety at times that pays major dividends, never usurping the vocals.  Still, there are also truly lush moments, accentuated by emotional strings.  Harmonized vocals also add to the allure of “Hunter.” 

2. Ghost, “Hunter’s Moon” 

💿 IMPERA • 🏷 Loma Vista • 📅 2022 

“Under a headstone, sister / I’m dying to see you, my friend.” Well, that’s morbid AF! 🎵 “Hunter’s Moon” arrived as a promo single from 💿 IMPERA, the fifth studio album by 🏆 Grammy-winning metal collective, 🎙 Ghost.  For some context, it is important understand what 🎙 Tobias Forge is talking about. So, what is a hunter’s moon?  Well, it is a full moon that appears during the month of October, per Universe Today. Ah, it makes sense: October, Halloween, Swedish metal band, etc. Perhaps it is NOT the deepest cut from the Ghost catalog – it is straightforward all in all – it is enjoyable and easily gets stuck in the head. Case in point, the chorus:  

“Though my memories have faded
They come back to haunt me once again
And though my mind is somewhat jaded
Now, it’s time for me to strike again
Tonight, it’s a Hunter’s Moon.” 

 Another selling point: the music is #WINNING.  

3. Kesha, “Hunt You Down” 

💿 Rainbow • 🏷 Kemosabe • 📅 2017 

“I wanna be your baby, your angel all in black / Your little blue-eyed gypsy who’s always got your back / Yodel-odel-oh-oh-oh.” Oh my! 🎵 “Hunt You Down” finds 🏆 Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter 🎙 Kesha embracing country music 🤯.  What the what? This unexpected moment from her 2017 album 💿 Rainbow probably shouldn’t work.  However, given the eclectic nature of the album, and honestly, the personality and evolution of Kesha, it fits. Among the best lyrical moments: “You say you’ve had your fun / But that you’re done and I’m the one / Just know that if you fuck around / Boy, I’ll hunt you down.” Woo! Again, Kesha exudes personality and delivers superb vocals.  Yeah, it’s hard to wrap your finger around the fact that she’s singing country, but I dig the ambition. 

4. Pharrell Williams, “Hunter” 

💿 G I R L • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2014 

“Just because it’s the middle of night / That don’t mean I won’t hunt you down.” Oh sheee-it, 🎙 Pharrell Williams! The 🏆 Grammy winner adds, in the chorus of 🎵 “Hunter,” “If I can’t have you, nobody can / This an animal speakin’ that’ll hunt you down /… Sex is callin’, ooh-hoo.” The third track from 💿 G I R L finds Mr. Williams exhibiting some naughtiness 😈.  Post-chorus lyrics like “My love has come…sex has come” pivot from the emotional side of the relationship to what goes down in the bedroom.  Regardless, Williams maintains a level of class, never taking things too far.  Still, his falsetto is so ‘nasty’ that his sensual intentions and thoughts can be heard audibly.  Williams penned and produced the four-minute vibe.  

5. Björk, “Hunter” 

💿 Homogenic • 🏷 Elektra • 📅 1997 

“If travel is searching / And home what’s been found / I’m not stopping.” Icelandic singer/songwriter 🎙 Björk asserts herself to be a hunter on 🎵 “Hunter,” a highlight of her critically acclaimed 1997 album, 💿 Homogenic. “Hunter,” the opening song, precedes the album’s juggernaut, 🎵 “Joga”.  Even if “Joga” is the crowning achievement, “Hunter” is no slouch itself. In the chorus, Björk asserts, “I’m going hunting / I’m the hunter / I’ll bring back the goods / But I don’t know when.” Um, sure… Björk, who penned “Hunter” herself and produced alongside 🎛 Mark Bell.  There is no shortage of compelling lyrics, including the likes of “I thought I could organize freedom / How Scandinavian of me / You sussed it out, didn’t you?” from the bridge. Besides the intriguing, hunting lyrics, the backdrop is epic, with its enigmatic, skittering synths (keys) and drums, as well as divine strings.   

Hunt: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 38 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic UK, Columbia, Elektra, Kemosabe, Loma Vista; Austin Pacheco on Unsplash]