Late | 5ive Songs

In the 70^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the word LATE 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 70^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with the word LATE in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it

1. Harry Styles, “Late Night Talking”

💿 Harry’s House • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2022

“If you’re feeling down, I just wanna make you happier, baby.” Ooh-la-la! The enthusiastic 🎵 “Late Night Talking” marks one of the best moments from 💿 Harry’s House, the third studio album by 🏆 Grammy-winning pop musician 🎙 Harry Styles 😍. “Late Night Talking” features more of a synth-driven sound that’s funky as H-E-double-hockey sticks!

“Late Night Talking” features a 1980s-centric.  Styles sings with coolness while also presenting ample swagger and a plenteous personality (“I’ve never been a fan of change / But I’d follow you to any place / If it’s Hollywood or Bishopsgate, I’m coming, too”).  His tone is warm and beautiful – quite pleasing to the ear. Musically, there’s plenty to heart about this including the harmonic progression, the memorable chorus, and of course the theme – love.

“We’ve been doin’ all this late-night talkin’

‘Bout anything you want until the morning

Now you’re in my life

I can’t get you off my mind.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Night: 5ive Songs No. 68 (2022)
• 13 Ear-Catching Night Songs

2. Lil Nas X, “Late To Da Party” (Ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again)

🎵 “Late To Da Party” • 🏷 Columbia • 🗓 2022

“Yea, fuck BET, fuck BET, fuck BET.” Woo! 🏆 Grammy-winner 🎙 Lil Nas X commences 🎵 “Late To Da Party” by dissing BET in the intro.  It’s deserved given the openly gay pop musician’s snubs at the 2022 BET Awards.  He’s joined by popular rapper 🎙 YoungBoy Never Broke Again on this confident, unapologetic banger produced by 🎛 Jason Goldberg and 🎛 Take A Daytrip.

Lil Nas X raps the first verse, beginning un-pitched, then embracing confident, melodic rap. “Everything I do, bitch, right or wrong, gon’ make a profit,” he asserts, continuing, “Read about it, I don’t even gotta sing about it / I wake up with the money that you niggas dream about, uh.” He’s joined by NBA YoungBoy in the pre-chorus, which is stacked in money! Lil Nas X drops the melodic chorus on his own, asserting, “Don’t try me, you better save that shit for somebody else / Don’t try me, ‘cause, bitch, I can’t be late to the party, yeah.” YBNBA performs the second verse melodically and agilely with confidence through the roof: “She wanna eat and I hope that she don’t bite now / She on her knees, and she’s worshippin’ right now.” Later, in the fourth verse, a confident YBNBA goes so far as to say, “Know I’m ready as soon as she cum, uh / I lick it as soon as I’m done (Yeah, uh).” “Late To Da Party” isn’t Montero’s best song but given BET’s diversity problem (the black community is NOT monolithic), the record has a bigger purpose.

3. Steel Panther, “Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight)”

💿 On the Prowl • 🏷 Steel Panther • 🗓 2023

“1am on a Saturday night / Looking for some gash, preferably tight / Open up the Tinder, I got no matches / But there’s plenty of fish in the sea with plenty of snatches.” Oh, boy! It’s important NOT to take glam rock/metal collective 🎙 Steel Panther seriously.  Honestly, the two-decade-plus band should be taken with a grain of salt.  Steel Panther returns with their sixth studio album, 💿 On the Prowl, in 2023.  Prior to its arrival, Steel Panther built anticipation with the raunchy, unapologetic single, 🎵 “Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight)”.

Musically, Steel Panther shines.  The production is bright and exuberant characterized by sparkling synths during the intro and assertive, roaring guitars that appear consistently throughout the majority of the record. As the song progresses, there’s an impressive guitar solo, which hearkens back to the 1980s when hair metal ruled.  Besides impressive instrumental lines, the harmonic scheme is sweet, particularly during the contrasting bridge section – rock TF Steel Panther. Of course, the lead vocals by 🎙 Michael Starr (Ralph Saenz) ‘kick ass and take names’ – he’s incredibly aggressive! The big draw, however, are those comical, raw, and unapologetic lyrics.  In the second verse, for example, Ralph sings about his encounter with a girl missing a leg… yikes! In the pre-chorus that follows, he asserts, “Gonna find a girl with both her legs / Steel Panther’s gonna fertilize her eggs.” HOLY F#¢KING MOLY! Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, which features those head-shakable titular lyrics: “Cause it’s never too late to get some pussy tonight / No, it’s never too late to get some pussy tonight.” For a song of such little substance, 🎵 “Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight)” is enjoyable.  Make of it what you will.

4. Mark Ronson,  “Late Night Prelude” / “Late Night Feelings” (Ft. Lykke Li)

💿 Late Night Feelings • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited • 📅 2019

Intro 🎵 “Late Night Prelude” sets the colorful, retro, and soulful vibe of 💿 Late Night Feelings,  the 2019 studio album by 🏆 Grammy-winning songwriter/producer, 🎙 Mark Ronson. Specifically, “Late Night Prelude” sets the tone for the brilliant, full-length opener 🎵 “Late Night Feelings.” “Late Night Feelings” follows in all its illustrious glory, enlisting the vocal services of 🎙 Lykke Li.

The pros seem endless on “Late Night Feelings.” They span gorgeous, breathy vocals by the Swedish standout, to the grooving, vintage backdrop constructed by Ronson and 🎛 Picard Brothers.  Adding to the excellence is memorable songwriting.  The chorus, expectedly, is the crème de la crème – the crowning achievement:

“When I get too on ya

And I wanna call ya

With late night feelings.”

“Late Night Feelings” marks the beginning of what ends up being a well-rounded pop album by Ronson.

5. The Weeknd, “Too Late”

💿 After Hours • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2020

“When the darkness comes, you’re my light, baby / My light, baby, my light when it’s dark, yeah.” On 🎵 “Too Late,” listeners are blessed with falsetto, something that Abel Tesfaye, aka 🎙 The Weeknd, executes splendidly.  In addition to his ‘head voice,’ listeners are also treated to Tesfaye’s mid-register. Compared to 🎵 “Alone Again”, the opener from 💿 After Hours (2020) that precedes, “Too Late” is a groovier track that’s also not quite as heavy.

While “Too Late” isn’t quite as moody, track still has ‘that mood’ that’s associated with the Canadian standout. “It’s way too late to save our souls, baby,” Tesfaye sings in the chorus. He adds, “I made mistakes, I did you wrong, baby / It’s way too late to save my –.” Yeah, he’s still moody after all! Also, “Too Late” just happens to be set in minor key.

Late: 5ive Songs No. 70 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, Columbia, The Musical Hype, Ono Kosuki via Pexels, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, Republic, Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited, Steel Panther]