Know | 5ive Songs

In the 81^st edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the word KNOW in some form or fashion.

Welcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff! There’s a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 81^st edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the word KNOW in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Lana Del Rey, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd”

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

Question: “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd?” If not, 🏆 Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter 🎙 Lana Del Rey fills us in. 🎵 “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” serves as the lead single and second track from Del Rey’s ninth studio album, 💿 Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, which arrives March 23, 2023. From the onset, this piano ballad feels like the quintessential Lana Del Rey song, and we would not have it any other way.

Lana Del Rey sings gorgeously – her tone is haunting and one-of-a-kind.  Lyrically, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” is incredibly poetic, characteristic of the singer/songwriter’s catalog. Del Rey penned this record alongside 🎼 ✍ Mike Hermosa (they also produce alongside  🎛 Drew Erickson, Jack Antonoff, and Zach Dawes). She sings about “Mosaic ceilings, painted tiles on the wall” in the first verse, mentions “a girl that sings ‘Hotel California’” in the second, not to mention the city, Camarillo.  In the third, Del Rey references the 🎙 Harry Nilsson classic, 🎵 “Don’t Forget Me”, which is also sampled. Besides Nilsson, John Lennon is referenced. As intriguing as the verses are, the chorus is the main attraction, intact with the f-bomb.

“When’s it gonna be my turn?

Don’t forget me

When’s it gonna be my turn?

Open me up, tell me you like it

Fuck me to death, love me until I love myself

There’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard.”

All told, Lana Del Rey sounds marvelous on this ballad, showcasing her distinct and expressive set of pipes.

2. PNAU & Troye Sivan, “You Know What I Need”

🎵 “You Know What I Need” • 🏷 etcetc Music Pty Ltd • 🗓 2022

What happens when 🎙 PNAU and 🎙 Troye Sivan collaborate? Magic – sheer magic. PNAU taps Sivan for the fabulous single, 🎵 “You Know What I Need”.  This is the single that you need in your life during those cold, frigid winter months! PNAU and Sivan keep things short and sweet, clocking in just under three minutes in duration. An infectious groove from the onset sets the tone.  As always, Sivan serves up great vocals.  Beyond his awesome pipes, the vocal production is superb as well.  Sivan does the heavy lifting vocally, but he is also assisted by warm supporting vocals. The chorus is everything: the falsetto is ripe, the melody is tuneful, and the production is inviting.

“You’re all that I want

You’re all that I need

And if it hurts baby

I don’t want it.”

Beyond the chorus, the melody in the verses is also strong. So are the lyrics, which are love-centric (“But I’m thinkin’ lately / What’s so concernin’ / Soon as I leave you / I just keep on hurtin’.”). There is excellent contrast during the bridge section, which keeps “You Know What I Need” balanced. This is a superb dance-pop track that is a welcome addition to any winter 2022-23 playlist.

3. Doja Cat, “Need to Know”

💿 Planet Her • 🏷 Kemosabe / RCA • 📅 2021

“I just been fantasizin’ (Size) / And we got a lotta time (Time) / Baby, come throw the pipe (Pipe).”  🎙 Doja Cat isn’t referencing a cigar! On 🎵 “Need to Know”, one of the best moments from 💿 Planet Her, Doja gives us a little bit of everything, singing often, while also dropping un-pitched rhymes on the second verse. The theme and topic of choice for Doja is SEX. What really sells this sexed-up joint is her big personality. Of course, SIZE matters in the bedroom: “What’s your size? (Size) / Add, subtract, divide (‘Vide).”

Furthermore, Doja wants her man to know, “I got a lotta new tricks for you, baby / Just sayin’ I’m flexible / I do what I can to get you off.” She doesn’t stop there, considering on the second verse she’s a magician: “Oh, wait, you a fan of magic? / Poof, pussy like an Alakazam.” Woo! The crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – is the memorable chorus:

“Wanna know what it’s like

Baby, show me what it’s like

I don’t really got no type

I just wanna fuck all night.”

A bonus? A music video 🎶📼 supplementing this sexed-up bop encompassing Doja’s abilities in the bedroom.  Also, can’t fail to mention that studly hottie in the video, Cameron Saffle 😍.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: June 2021
• Doja Cat, “Need to Know”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 10 (2021)
• 15 Steamy Songs Best Listened to After Dark
• Best Songs of 2021: Top 20
• 15 N Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2

4. Lil Pump, “She Know”

🎵 “She Know” • 🏷 Lil Pump / Soundcloud • 🗓 2022

“She know, she know / She know, she know, she know…” According to rapper 🎙 Lil Pump, “She knows she a problem.” Well, the first step is admitting you have one I suppose. After a lukewarm comeback single (🎵 “I’m Back”), admittedly, Pump steps up his game on 🎵 “She Know”.  One of the smartest moves he makes is getting the walking vibe himself, 🎙 Ty Dolla $ign, to guest.

Positives surrounding “She Know” includes the melodic approach. Lil Pump sounds chill and definitely softer – a kinder, gentler vibe. Pump does not serve up the most substance you have ever heard – what he says is cliché – but tracks about independent women that woo men often hit.  Moving on to Ty Dolla $ign, he appears in the second verse, where, so taken by this “I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T” woman that he “Tryna tap my bitch, so I hit without a condom.” Wow! The point is, this woman that both artists are swooning over is special, so much so she’s the cause of Ty Dolla $ign harmonies and unsafe sex.  Yeah, 🎵 “She Know”!!!

5. The Tony Rich Project, “Nobody Knows”

💿 Words • 🏷 LaFace • 📅 1996

Remember, it only takes one song to make history.  For 🎙 The Tony Rich Project, that one song is the utterly stupendous, 🎵 “Nobody Knows”. “The nights are lonely, the days are so sad / And I just keep thinkin’ about / The love we had,” 🎙 Tony Rich sings in the chorus, continuing, “And I’m missin’ you / And nobody knows it but me.”  Those lyrics are absolutely stunning – just beautiful to the n^th degree! Rich won a 🏆 Grammy for 💿 Words, the 1996 album that the no. 2 Billboard Hot 100 appeared on.  Also, it is worth noting that “Nobody Knows” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Rich penned “Nobody Knows” alongside 🎼 ✍ Don DuBosé.  Furthermore, he produced the record, which ranks among the crème de la crème of the 1990s.  The theme of the record is heartbreak, often perfect fuel for a pop/R&B gem.  Rich reveals how much he misses her despite pretending outwardly he did not.  “I pretended I’m glad you went away / These four walls closin’ more every day,” he sings in the first verse, continuing, “And I’m dying inside / And nobody knows it but me.” Similarly, in the second verse, he sings, “I carry a smile while I’m broken in two / And I’m nobody without someone like you / I’m trembling inside / And nobody knows it but me.” The regret is strong, with Rich asking himself, “How could I let my angel get away,” declaring, “A million words couldn’t say just how I feel,” and asserting, “Tomorrow mornin’, I’m hitting the dusty road / Gonna find you wherever, ever you might go / I’m gonna unload my heart / And hope you come back to me.” His authenticity carries ample weight, as does his marvelous vocal performance, backed by a chill but potent backdrop. The five-minute-and-change juggernaut is a surefire masterpiece of the 1990s that never grows old.

Appears in 🔻:

• The Tony Rich Project, “Nobody Knows”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 132 (2022)
• 13 Notable Nobody, No One Songs

Know: 5ive Songs No. 81 (2022) [📷: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, etcetc Music Pty Ltd, Interscope, Kemosabe, LaFace, Lil Pump, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, RCA, Soundcloud]