On the 9th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the word INVINCIBLE in some form or fashion.
W
elcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet โ no extra calories or needless fluff! Thereโs a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb. Yes, itโs a playlist, but itโs a miniature playlist that shouldnโt take much time to consume. On the 9th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the word INVINCIBLE in some form or fashion. Okay, letโs get into it!1. Omar Apollo, โInvincibleโ (Ft. Daniel Caesar)
Ivory โข
Warner โข
2022
โDrip, drip, drip with the cold IV / Out of consciousness if I ever slip it.โ I would be lying if I denied my love for
Omar Apollo โ He is the gift that keeps giving! No โ I will NOT deny those handsome looks, but most of my love is dedicated to his musical talent, something he shows tremendously on
โInvincibleโ, featuring
Grammy-winning R&B standout,
Daniel Caesar. โInvincibleโ is an advanced single from
Ivory, Apolloโs full-length, 2022 debut album.
โInvincibleโ is truly incredible, period. Musically, the sound palette (produced by Apollo, Caesar, and Carter Lang) is satisfying with its minimal sound, including rhythm guitar, bass, and drum programming for much of the song. We get a few colorful synths too, but a key component of โInvincibleโ is the voices. Daniel Caesar carries much of the vocal weight, reminding us how gifted and soulful he is. His falsetto is ripe and radiant on the recurring lyrics of the chorus, โIf I were to go / Tell me, would you notice me?โ Caesar also shines in the first verse. Omar Apollo isnโt overshadowed in the least. I love his tone in the second verse, which begins with legato singing. Additionally, thereโs a queer vibe, which recurs in his music to date, as well as the accompanying music video: โSixty-four hours since my baby spoke to me / He kissed me, now I love his dopamine / I tried to go to sleep but my brain on 2C-B.โ Apollo is a beast singing but he also delivers compelling, unexpected bars rapping too including โLatin boy, Frida Kahlo brow / Jacquemus jeans, Ferragamo brown.โ Woo! Ultimately, Omar comes through with epic music on โInvincible.โ He sounds great, as does Daniel Caesar. Add in love, sexuality, and some swagger and โInvincibleโ is a must-hear.
Appears in :
2. Eddie Vedder, โInvincibleโ
Earthling โข
Seattle Surf Co. LLC / Republic โข
2022
โCan you hear it? Are we clear? / Cleared for liftoff, takeoff / For making reverberations / Are we affirmative? No negatory.โ Um, I think?
โInvincibleโ serves as the opener on
Earthling, the 2022 solo album by grunge vet,
Eddie Vedder. Early on, the rocker serves up ample personality on a colorful, extended intro. Listening for the first time, itโs a bit difficult to see, rather hear, where Vedder is going with the song. Of course, eventually, โInvincibleโ sets up and settles in, yielding a rewarding listening experience.
One of the most rewarding aspects of โInvincibleโ is the chorus:
โInvincible when we love
Invincible when we love
When we love.โ
The lyrics arenโt profound necessarily, yet, they kind of are, arenโt they? The verses provide more details, with no shortage of alluring lyrics. โThereโs a theory for everything / Resurrection to the big olโ bang / Rachmaninoff to the excitement gang / We got the density of our beings.โ Woo, shout out Eddie Vedder for referencing composer Sergei Rachmaninoff! Thematically, Vedder seems to speak about humanity, and the ability to be invincible when we work together as one โ exhibit that love. Besides the fine lyrics and thoughtful theme, the music is a major selling point โ bright, driving, and dynamic.
3. Kelly Clarkson, โInvincibleโ
Piece by Piece โข
19 Recordings Limited / RCA โข
2015
โYou know I was broke down, I had hit the ground.โ Ouch
Kelly Clarkson โ ouch! Breaking down and hitting the ground is no fun โ literally or metaphorically for that matter! Those personal lyrics hail from
โInvincible,โ a highlight from the
Grammy-winnerโs 2015 album,
Piece by Piece. The thing is, judging by those excerpted lyrics, Iโm not hearing much invincibility!
In the first verse of the personal โInvincible,โ Clarkson continues singing, โI was crying out, couldnโt make no sound / No one hears the silent tears collecting.โ Still no invincibility! Though she shows fear and weakness in the passionate verse, by the chorus, Clarkson has โfound her wingsโ you might say โ the invincibility has arrived:
โNow I am invincible
No, I ainโt a scared little girl no more
Yeah, I am invincible
What was I running for?โ
4. Pop Smoke, โInvincibleโ
Meet the Woo 2 โข
Republic โข
2020
Despite only living 20 short years, rapper
Pop Smoke has left an indelible mark in the music industry. Since his tragic death, Smoke, so far, has released two posthumous studio albums, including
Aim for the Stars Shoot for the Moon. Prior to death, however, he released the mixtape,
Meet the Woo 2, which includes the brief, invincible opener,
โInvincible.โ
โI said I feel invincible (Holโ on)
Itโs a hundred niggas in the spot (Baow)
Iโm walkinโ through โem (Iโm walkinโ through โem)
Itโs eighty-five just to walk on
I donโt talk to these niggas (Nah)
โCause a lot of these niggas be corny (Corny)
Iโm feeling horny (Iโm feeling horny)
And I shoot like Robert Horry (Horry).โ
Woo! Pop Smoke is confident AF. Further elevating that confidence is the dramatic, minor-key production work courtesy of Yoz Beats. As weโve come to expect from Smoke, he embraces the drill sound, which adds another dimension of toughness in my opinion. In the verse, itโs all flex for the late rapper, as well as some threats including, โI give her Perky and Hennessy / I give two shots to the enemy, hope he remember meโ and โI shoot at any opp.โ One of the most memorable lyrics alludes to his eventual posthumous debut album and the song,
โAim for the Moonโ (featuring
Quavo): โThey know Iโm shootinโ for the stars (Uh) / Aiminโ for the moon (Moon).โ R.I.P. Pop Smoke!
5. TOOL, โInvincibleโ
Fear Inoculum โข
Tool Dissectional, L.L.C. / Volcano Entertainment II, L.L.C. โข
2019
โBeating chest and drums / Beating tired bones again /Age-old battle, mine / Weapon out and belly inโฆโ Well, thatโs deep stuff right there,
Maynard James Keenan. The lyrics hail from
โInvincibleโ, the fourth track from
Fear Inoculum, the first new
TOOL album in 13 years! The
Grammy winning band, of course, is known for lengthy songs and โInvincibleโ is no exception. Unfortunately, if โInvincibleโ were trying to contend for the longest song on Fear Inoculum, it runs just nearly 13 minutes, good for the bronze metal, not gold.
On โInvincible,โ the usual tricks are in play for TOOL. This includes mixed meter, potent rhythmic grooves, and the liberal use of space โ letting things be static at times, and again, slowly evolving. Thematically, age and relevance seem to be the modus operandi. One of the best allusions is historical:
โTears in my eyes
Chasing Ponce de Leonโs phantoms
So filled with hope
I can taste mythical fountains.โ
Um, okay, if you say so Maynard.
Invincible: 5ive Songs No. 9 (2022) [
: 19 Recordings Limited, Amir Babaei, Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, Pexels, RCA, Republic, Seattle Surf Co. LLC, Tool Dissectional, L.L.C., Volcano Entertainment II, L.L.C., Warner]